The Mechanical Licensing Collective (The MLC) is commemorating Hispanic Heritage Month in September with a new initiative – “El MLC en Español” – that is designed to engage both current and prospective Spanish-speaking Members of The MLC and officially kick off the availability of Spanish-language resources to those individuals and groups.
Developed by Dae Bogan, The MLC’s Head of Third-Party Partnerships, “El MLC en Español” is the result of a collaboration with several organizations, including Take Creative Control [Latin], Protege Tu Música TV, LLC (Protect Your Music TV, LLC), Songwriters of North America (SONA) and others. It will take place the week of September 27 and feature the launch of comprehensive informational materials and assets about The MLC in Spanish, as well as a pair of webinars hosted by The MLC and the initiative’s partner organizations.
“The Latin music genre has experienced tremendous growth on digital platforms in recent years and as a result, we recognize that there is a real need to raise awareness among Spanish-speaking music creators about The MLC and how our organization can help them,” said Bogan. “I have had the privilege of partnering with leaders from the Latin music community who are working to promote and advance the interests of Spanish-speaking creators on similar initiatives in the past. Their feedback and expertise have been invaluable in shaping this initiative, which exemplifies The MLC’s strong commitment to listening to, and working with, every segment of the community of rightsholders that we serve.”
“Dae has done a wonderful job putting this important initiative together for The MLC, and I’m so grateful for the participation of our partners,” added Kris Ahrend, CEO of The MLC. “This initiative is a great example of how The MLC is putting its commitment to diversity into practice, in a way that will provide meaningful benefits to our Members.”
Headlining the new assets to be unveiled during “El MLC en Español” is a Spanish-language landing page on The MLC website and a Spanish-language “explainer” video that broadly introduces viewers to the concept of digital audio mechanical royalties and the existence of The MLC and includes a call-to-action to become a Member of The MLC. Additionally, The MLC will make available a new Spanish-language toolkit developed for organizations that represent Latin music creators, which will include social media graphics, the Spanish-language “explainer video,” a flowchart-style diagram that breaks down the U.S. digital music royalties landscape in Spanish and marketing materials from the initiative’s two webinars.
The first webinar, presented by The MLC and SONA, will take place on Tuesday, September 28 at 12 noon CT. The session will be hosted by Stephanie Santiago-Rolón, Director of Take Creative Control [Latin], who will lead a conversation with two multi-faceted Latina music creators – Colombian-American singer-songwriter-producer-engineer Dahlia Lagos and Costa Rica-born singer-songwriter Dani Blau – and take questions from participants. More information on The MLC and SONA present a Fireside Chat with Songwriters Dahlia Lagos and Dani Blau and a registration link can be found here.
"The ever-growing Latin market is a playground for growth and new opportunities, where the protection of rights of creators of color and/or mixed descent are at the forefront of its success,” noted Santiago-Rolón. “By allowing easy access to education and resources for historically marginalized communities, the change is seen for us, by us."
The second webinar – Understanding and Collecting U.S. Digital Mechanical Royalties – will take place on Thursday, September 30 at 12 noon CT. Host Yira Santiago, CEO & Entertainment Attorney of Protege Tu Música TV, LLC will lead a discussion on the U.S. digital music royalties ecosystem for Spanish-language songs and how creators can collect those royalties, with panelists Katerine Albert (Human Resource Generalist at The MLC), Henry Alonzo (Board Member at The Gospel Music Association), Alexandria Davila (CEO at Adarga Entertainment Group) and Mauricio Maestre (Entertainment Lawyer at M&M Lawyers, Colombia). Click here for more information and the registration link.
“The growth of the Latin music industry can only be sustainable if we provide creators with the tools to understand and administer their rights,” said Santiago. “To that end, we must commit ourselves to share our knowledge with our community. It is our responsibility.”
“El MLC en Español” is the latest component of The MLC’s ongoing efforts to connect with all rightsholders who may be eligible to receive digital audio mechanical royalties from the organization for the use of their music by digital service providers (DSPs), and educate those individuals and groups about the new landscape of mechanical licensing following passage of the Music Modernization Act of 2018, the scope of The MLC’s work and the benefits of becoming a Member.