Frequently Asked Questions

Connect to Collect

If I am a self-administered songwriter, do I need to create a legal entity or publishing company before becoming a Member of The MLC?

You do not need to create a legal entity, such as a Partnership, Corporation, or Limited Liability Company (LLC) before becoming a Member of The MLC. Many self-administered songwriters join The MLC as individual Members. If you own a legal entity that acts as the music publisher of the shares of the musical works you own or control, then the entity should join The MLC as a publisher Member. You will need to decide which approach to take before you join The MLC. It is important that the name of a Member corresponds to the name associated with the specific shares of musical works registered with The MLC, as well as the tax ID provided for payment of digital mechanical royalties payable by The MLC for such shares of musical works. If this changes over time, you can update Member and musical works information in the Member Hub within The MLC Portal.

Should I become a Member of The MLC if I am based outside of the United States?

The answer depends on your preference, your existing business relationships and any rights or restrictions, on your right to administer your shares of musical work(s).

Please read the answer to the question in this section titled "Who Needs to Join The MLC?" After reading "Who Needs to Join The MLC?", if you are a music publisher, administrator or self-administered songwriter, you should make sure you understand your relationship, if you have one, with a mechanical rights organization (known as a CMO) based in your country. For example, MCPS in the U.K., AMCOS in Australia, or SACM in Mexico may already be authorized to administer and collect your share of mechanical royalties for digital distributions of recordings of your musical works in the United States on your behalf. If you have a relationship with any such CMO, then the CMO will register your share of musical works and collect your share of the digital mechanical royalties payable for those works from The MLC.

If you would prefer to become a Member and collect royalties from The MLC directly, please examine the terms of your agreement with your local CMO, along with any other publishing agreements to which you may be a party to confirm your right to administer the share of musical works you seek to control. If you do not have a relationship with a CMO or other music publishing agent which includes collection of U.S. digital mechanical royalties on your behalf, you should join as a Member of The MLC and register your shares of musical works in order to collect digital mechanical royalties payable to you.

If you are a mechanical rights organization (CMO) based outside of the United States, and you have any questions about joining to become a Member of The MLC, please contact The MLC at international@themlc.com.

Should I become a Member of The MLC if my shares of songs are registered with a publishing administrator (such as TuneCore Publishing Administration, CD Baby Boost, Songtrust, or similar services)?

Generally, ifyou have an agreement with a publishing administration service, the servicewill register your musical works (songs) with The MLC and collect your share ofroyalties on your behalf. Please contact the service you have signed up withdirectly to confirm registration of your shares of songs with The MLC. You canalso look up your songs using our Public Work Search to confirm that they havebeen registered and that your publishing administrator has claimed your shares. Please notethat if your shares of songs are not subject to an agreement with a publisher,publishing administrator, or publishing administration service and you retainadministration rights, your shares of these songs are said to be“self-administered.” You will need to join The MLC as a self-administeredsongwriter and register your share of the songs in order to collect your shareof digital mechanical royalties payable by The MLC. Please alsokeep in mind that some of the companies offering publishing administrationservices also offer other services such as digital sound recordingdistribution. Be sure you understand which companies and services you havesigned up for.

If I represent more than one party entitled to royalties, how many...

If you need to give individuals associated with different parties access to data related to only their works, you will need to set up separate Members for each of those parties.

Should I join The MLC as a writer or as a publisher?

The MLC does not use these categorizations with respect to its Members. Only the individual or company which has the right to collect mechanical royalties from a licensee should become a Member of The MLC. Members of The MLC will most often be the music publisher, administrator, or ex-U.S. mechanical collective management organization (CMO). A self-administered songwriter, composer, or lyricist, may also become a Member of The MLC because that person is essentially acting as a music publisher or administrator on their own behalf, not because they are a writer of a musical work. This is different from Performing Rights Organizations (PROs), where songwriters, composers, and lyricists join as writers, and may also join as publishers if they are self-administered. The MLC does not pay separate shares to writers and publishers.

Who needs to become a Member of The MLC?

Becoming a Member of The MLC is how you Connect to Collect. Anyone entitled to collect digital audio mechanical royalties in the U.S. needs to become a Member of The MLC. This includes self-administered songwriters, composers, and lyricists, as well as music publishers, publishing administrators, and international collective management organizations (CMOs). Members of The MLC can access the Member Hub within The MLC Portal to register new musical works, review and update their existing musical works data, and suggest matches of sound recording uses to their musical works. For more details on who should become a Member, visit our Membership page here.

Do I need to become a Member of The MLC if I am affiliated with the Harry...

Yes, you need to become a Member of The MLC even if you are an affiliate of HFA. The MLC will pay you your digital mechanical royalties from U.S. DSPs operating under the blanket license. HFA will pay you other royalties based on your agreement with HFA.

Why should I become a Member of The MLC?

The only way to receive digital audio mechanical royalties due to you from DSPs operating under the compulsory blanket mechanical license is to become a Member of The MLC. If you are entitled to receive these royalties, you either need to become a Member of The MLC, or authorize a publisher, publishing administrator, or ex-U.S. collective management organization (CMO) to collect these royalties from The MLC on your behalf.

Does it cost anything to become a Member of The MLC?

There is no cost to become a Member of The MLC.

Do I still need to join other organizations like PROs?

Becoming a Member of The MLC does not replace other memberships or membership activities.

Songwriters, composers, lyricists, music publishers and administrators still need to join a performing rights organization (PRO) in order to collect their respective writer and publisher shares of musical works public performance royalties. For more information, please visit the websites for the following PROs in the United States: ASCAP, BMI, GMR, SESAC, and AllTrack.

Recording artists and record companies do not need to join The MLC but do need to join SoundExchange in order to receive sound recording digital performance royalties. For more information, click to visit the website for SoundExchange. If you are a non-featured artist on sound recordings, you may consider joining the Intellectual Property Rights Distribution Fund. For more information, click to visit this website: IPRD Fund

Should I become a member of The MLC if some of my musical works are administered by a music publisher or adminisrator, and some are administered by me?

Songwriters, composers, and lyricists who have retained the right to register any of their own musical works with The MLC AND collect their own mechanical royalties either directly or through a business manager, accountant, lawyer or other representative/agent, should become Members of The MLC. However, they should only register the musical works which are not administered by another party with The MLC. The musical works which are administered by another party should be registered with The MLC by that party (e.g., a music publisher or administrator).

What if I co-wrote a song with someone else? Do we both need to become Members of the MLC? And who needs to register the song?

Who needs to become a Member? The answer depends on which parties have the right to register the co-written musical work (song) with The MLC and collect the mechanical royalties. If co-writers create a legal entity, which they co-own, and which has been assigned the right to register the co-written song with The MLC and collect the related mechanical royalties, then only the legal entity needs to become a Member. If each co-writer has retained their right to register the song with The MLC and collect their own mechanical royalties, then each co-writer needs to become a Member of The MLC. Who needs to register the song? Each party who has the right to register their own songs with The MLC, and collect their own mechanical royalties, should register their share of the song. For example, if there are two self-administered songwriters, composers, or lyricists who co-wrote a song, and each one has the right to register their own share and collect mechanical royalties for their own share, then each party should become a Member of The MLC and separately register their share of the song. In contrast, if co-writers create a legal entity, which they co-own, and which has been assigned the right to register the co-written song with The MLC and collect the related mechanical royalties, then the legal entity will register 100% of the song and collect the royalties.

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The MLC Connect to Collect Music Industry Terminology Play Your Part

Royalty Payments Phono 3 Phono 4 Historical Unmatched: Impact of Prior Settlements

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

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Frequently Asked Questions

The MLC Tools

Missing Member Lookup

Resources

Songwriters

Publishers and Administrators

Digital Service Providers

Students and Educators

Lawyers

Stakeholders

Get Started

CONNECTING WITH THE MLC IS FREE AND EASY

Stay UpTo Date

The MLC Launches Music Registration 101 Micro-Course Covering Copyright, Music Registration, and Royalties

The MLC Seeking Suggestions for Songwriter Candidates for Board of Directors and Advisory Committees

The MLC Seeking Suggestions for Board of Directors and Advisory Committee Candidates

The MLC Announces Advisory Committee Updates

Take Control of Your Songs: Introducing The MLC’s Songwriter Hub

Stay Up
To Date