You’ve probably heard a lot about the Mechanical Licensing Collective (The MLC), but what exactly does it do and how will it ultimately change the music industry? The following questions give an overview of the trailblazing organization.

Anyone entitled to collect digital audio mechanical royalties from The MLC needs to become a Member of The MLC. The following questions discuss who should Connect to Collect and how the process works.

Play Your Part is an initiative that outlines the specific steps you need to take to ensure you receive the digital mechanical royalties you are owed. It all begins with Connect to Collect, which refers to the process of becoming a Member of The MLC. You connect by joining The MLC and registering your musical works data, thus positioning yourself to collect the mechanical royalties you may be owed. Play Your Part continues with maintaining your works data and spreading the word with your peers.

The MLC distributes digital audio mechanical royalties to eligible self-administered songwriters, composers, and lyricists, as well as music publishers, administrators, and CMOs on a monthly basis. The following questions discuss how The MLC's overall royalty distribution process works, the timing and cadence of payments, the royalty rates and terms used by The MLC, the payment options available to Members, and more.

Like every industry, the music industry often uses its own jargon and terminology. In this section we’ve defined some of the most frequently used terms that are important to understand as you begin the process of becoming a Member of The MLC.

Click here to find resources designed to help digital service providers (DSPs).

Make sure you are getting paid all your royalties! It only takes 5 things to create accurate metadata, which ensures you are getting the royalties you deserve. Learn more about capturing the right information so you can get paid!

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.