The Mechanical Licensing Collective (MLC) has distributed more than $3 billion in total royalties to date. Songwriters who have not joined may still have U.S. digital mechanical royalties to collect.
The MLC’s role is to distribute U.S. digital mechanical royalties owed to songwriters and publishers accurately and on time. Songs can generate several types of royalties, with different organizations handling their collection.
For songwriters whose music streams in the U.S., membership is required to collect digital mechanical royalties through The MLC when no publisher or administrator collects on their behalf. Membership is free.
The MLC offers two routes for managing song data:
- Member Hub: Tools available to those who become members of The MLC.
- Songwriter Hub: Tools available to songwriters, including those whose publishers or administrators collect royalties for them.
The Songwriter Hub allows songwriters to organize and export their catalogs, suggest matches for unmatched recordings, and maintain accurate, current song data. These tools can help identify gaps in catalog information.
The MLC also provides help with understanding digital royalties, registering songs and collecting payments. Its services are available to independent songwriters, music publishers, administrators, collective management organizations and others seeking to manage song data.
