Route Note: The MLC Has Launched | Mechanical Licensing Collective

The Mechanical Licensing Collective have been building up to their launch and it’s finally come. In case you’ve missed our past content on what the MLC is, how they work for independent artists, and how their work will be getting artists paid more then check out those articles.

In short, the MLC will be collecting mechanical royalties on digital music using 2018’s landmark Music Modernization Act (MMA). They will collect the royalties from digital services and artist, labels, and representatives signed up to the MLC’s roster will be able to collect their royalties which have been notoriously difficult to collect in the past.

The MLC’s CEO, Kris Ahrend said: “The MLC has spent more than a year preparing for the License Availability Date, developing numerous resources for creators and music publishers to help them navigate the changes to mechanical licensing, conducting crucial outreach with well over 50 digital service providers (DSPs) and undertaking a widespread outreach campaign to educate music publishers, administrators, self-administrated songwriters and others in the broader music industry about The MLC’s mission and purpose.

“We have also been fortunate to receive valuable input and guidance from our Board and Committee members – songwriters, publishers and digital service executives themselves – which has helped shape The MLC’s mission and scope of work since passage of The MMA. The arrival today of the License Availability Date marks yet another milestone in the process of making the promises of the MMA a reality, and The MLC team could not be more excited.”

The MLC Portal will be available to all members of their services and will allow creators and their representatives to view all of their existing catalogues work, submit new registrations, and coming soon they’ll also be able to access their royalty statements. The MLC claim they will continue to improve upon and expand their portal with time to make it an even greater resource for creators.

Finally, The MLC’s Music Data Organization Worksheet – designed to help self-administered songwriters through the process of collecting the data they will need to register their works with The MLC – has been downloaded more than 1,000 times, and the organization also recently unveiled a free Educator Toolkit designed to help college educators teach music and music business students about the changes to digital audio mechanical rights under The MMA and The MLC’s role in those changes.

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FAQs

What are the regulations and where can one find the full text of the rates and terms for Phono 4?

The CRB published a Final Rule in the U.S. Federal Register setting the blanket license mechanical royalty rates for permanent digital downloads.

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Where can I find answers about The MLC portal?

After you have established a login to the Portal, you will find helpful information in our Knowledge Base.

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I want to read the regulation myself. Where can I find it?

The regulation outlining this entire process is found in 37 CFR 210.10(c)(5). You can also reference the regulation along with supplementary information as