Resources - Fact Sheets

Are You a Self-Administered Songwriter?

If you're unsure whether you should categorize yourself as a self-administered songwriter, we've got four questions to ask yourself.
See the questions here.

To-Do List for Songwriters, Composers and Lyricists:

We know it can be difficult to navigate all the steps to collect different types of royalties, especially if you don’t have a publisher or administrator. Download our to-do list for songwriters, composers and lyricists to ensure you are receiving all your song-related (aka publishing) royalties.
Click here for to-do list.

Data Quality Initiative:

The MLC created the Data Quality Initiative (DQI) to provide a streamlined way for music publishers, administrators, self-administered songwriters and foreign collective management organizations (CMOs) to compare large schedules of their musical works’ data against The MLC’s data. Through the DQI, The MLC provides participants with reports that highlight the discrepancies between the two sets of data so that they can more easily address those discrepancies and improve the quality of The MLC's data.
Learn more about the Data Quality Initiative

Keep your Data Organized and Ready for Registration with the Bulk Work Registration Template:

As a Member of The MLC, there are 3 ways to register your works. You can register one song at a time directly in The MLC Portal, send us a Common Works Registration (CWR) file by contacting the Support Team, or you can upload your registrations in bulk within The MLC Portal by using the Bulk Work Registration template. Even if you aren’t ready to register your works with The MLC, you can use this document to keep your data organized.
Click here for more information.

Who Connects to Collect?

Anyone who wishes to receive digital audio mechanical royalties from The MLC will need to become a Member of The MLC. Members of The MLC will also be able to use The MLC’s user portal to register new musical works and review and update their existing musical works data in The MLC’s database.
Learn more about who needs to Connect to Collect^® with The MLC

What Digital Service Providers Need to Know About The MLC:

In 2021, The MLC began administering blanket mechanical licenses for digital service providers (DSPs) operating in the United States. Additional information and an overview of key information that Digital Service Providers need to know about The MLC can be found here. Learn more.

The MLC: Standard Deck

Looking for a quick and easy reference on all things related to The MLC? Check out this comprehensive slide presentation, which is used by The MLC to educate Members, music industry professionals, webinar participants and others about our organization and scope of work. View presentation here.