MLC
The Mechanical Licensing Collective — the US organization designated under the Music Modernization Act (2018) to administer blanket mechanical licenses for digital streaming and downloads, collect royalties from DSPs, and distribute them to publishers and self-administered songwriters.
Articles about MLC
How to Find Unclaimed Mechanical Royalties: MLC & Stream Royalties Guide
Unclaimed mechanical royalties are common for artists releasing music on streaming platforms. This guide explains how to identify and claim these earnings, focusing on the MLC and global collection societies for songwriters and publishers.
Mechanical Licensing Collective (MLC): How to License and Claim Royalty
The Mechanical Licensing Collective (MLC) administers the blanket mechanical license for digital music in the U.S., ensuring songwriters and publishers are paid. Understand how to license music and claim your royalties to avoid unmatched funds.
The Mechanical Licensing Collective (MLC) and Streaming Royalties for Songwriters
The Mechanical Licensing Collective (MLC) and Streaming Royalties for Songwriters If you have songs on Spotify, Apple Music, or Amazon Music in the U. S, you likely have mechanical royalties that the Mechanical Licensing Collective can pay.
How Performance Royalties Work: A Deep Dive for Independent Artists
Performance royalties explained - a practical FAQ for independent artists who want to stop leaving money on the table. This guide lays out who gets paid for compositions versus recordings, which collecting societies handle each right, and the exact registration and metadata steps (ISWC, ISRC, IPI) you need to ensure plays are matched and paid.
Top Music Publishing Administration Platforms Compared: Features, Fees and Payouts
If you are an independent songwriter, producer or small label deciding where to place your catalog, this music publishing platform comparison cuts through marketing claims to the mechanics that actually move money. You will get a side by side look at fee models, payout mechanics, territory coverage, metadata and split management, and sync support - so you can pick the platform that maximizes collections and reduces revenue leakage.
Spotify vs Apple Music: Which Platform Pays Artists More?
Spotify vs Apple Music royalties is a debate in every music community, but the reality is messier than a single per-stream number. This comparison lays out sourced per-stream ranges, explains how master and composition splits and distributor deals change net pay, and walks through worked examples for independents and label-signed artists.
SOCAN vs ASCAP: Which PRO Is Right for You?
Deciding between SOCAN vs ASCAP determines where and how your performance royalties are collected and paid. This SOCAN vs ASCAP comparison walks through eligibility, territorial scope, what each PRO does and does not collect, registration and split workflows, payout mechanics, and the metadata mistakes that cause missing royalties.
How to Build a Sustainable Music Career as an Independent Artist
This practical how to build music career guide gives independent artists a step-by-step roadmap to create reliable income, retain rights, and grow an engaged fan base. You will get concrete music career tips on revenue diversification, rights registration and royalty collection, repeatable release and promotion workflows, live and direct-to-fan strategies, and measurable milestones to use over the next 12 months.
The Royalty Audit That Found $30,000 in Missing Payments for an Independent Band
This royalty audit case study shows how a targeted audit recovered $30,000 in unpaid royalties for an independent band. It details the data sources, matching methodology, and an itemized breakdown of shortfalls across streaming, mechanical, and performance royalties so you can compare the findings to your own releases.