DSP Onboarding

1. Review applicable laws, regulations and resources

Review Section 115 of the Copyright Act, related federal regulations Copyright Office Regulations, Copyright Royalty Board Regulations, and information provided on The MLC’s DSP Resources Page
Consult a business advisor and/or an attorney

2. Contact the MLC's DSP Relations Team with any questions

The MLC’s DSP Relations Team is available via email at dsp.relations@themlc.com to help answer any preliminary questions

3. Submit a notice to The MLC before engaging in covered activities

Disclose Service Configurations; include in Notice of License, Notice of Nonblanket Activity or via the standalone Service Configuration Form
Include the accurate expected date when you will make initial use of musical works in consumer offerings that will be subject to the Blanket License

4. Pay annual minimum license fee

The MLC’s Finance team will provide invoice and payment instructions
Upon receipt of invoice, payment is due immediately
Contact finance@themlc.com with payment-related questions

5. Participate in a call with DSP Relations Team

Reach out to dsp.relations@themlc.com to set up this meeting
Introduce key team members and review upcoming deadlines, requirements and expectations

6. Follow instructions on how to set up submissions of usage reporting data

You will need to connect to The MLC’s production and test (QA) SFTP sites
- Provide at least one email address of a designated technical contact to be listed on The MLC’s SFTP Notification Recipients list in the event of a reporting error.
- The MLC will issue time-sensitive keys for contact(s) to access SFTP sites. Note: these keys expire in 24 hours and can only be accessed through an SFTP client.
Submit test usage to QA SFTP (optional, but highly preferred)
- Test usage should be delivered at least 3 weeks prior to first usage reporting deadline.

If you have questions, please reach out to dsp.relations@themlc.com.

The MLC Tools

The MLC offers a suite of tools to help you find, register, claim, and manage your musical works (aka song) data so you can collect the digital audio mechanical royalties you've earned. Whether you're a Member or simply checking song information, these tools make it easy to Play Your Part.

View MLC Tools

Missing Member Lookup

Missing Member Lookup is a database of rightsholders that are not yet Members of The MLC who may be entitled to collect U.S. digital audio mechanical royalties. To see if The MLC may have royalties for you, enter your rightsholder information to search.

Find My Royalties

Resources

Learn more about music rights, royalties, and beyond

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Publishers and Administrators

Digital Service Providers

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Lawyers

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CONNECTING WITH THE MLC IS FREE AND EASY

Whether you’re an independent songwriter, a music publisher or administrator, a collective management organization, or someone looking to better manage your song data, The MLC is for YOU! Join today to connect your songs with the streaming royalties they’ve earned.

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