For jazz songwriters, compositions often take on a life of their own—recorded by different artists, performed in new contexts, and discovered by listeners across generations. Today, that discovery increasingly happens on streaming platforms. But an important question remains: are the songwriters behind those works collecting the royalties they’re owed?
The Mechanical Licensing Collective (The MLC) was created to help ensure they are.
The MLC’s role is simple: to make it easier for songwriters, composers, lyricists, and other rightsholders to receive the royalties they’ve earned—accurately and on time. Since becoming fully operational in 2021, The MLC has distributed over $3.5 billion in royalties, with more than 85,000 Members.
Membership is free, and 100% of the royalties collected are paid directly to rightsholders.
For those working with a publisher or administrator, The MLC’s Songwriter Hub offers a streamlined way to view and manage song data—helping ensure nothing is overlooked and royalties make their way to you.
Click here to learn more and get started.
The Mechanical Licensing Collective (The MLC) was created to help ensure they are.
A Centralized System for the Streaming Era
Established by the Music Modernization Act of 2018, The MLC is the nonprofit organization designated to collect and distribute U.S. digital mechanical royalties. These royalties are generated when musical works are streamed or downloaded on digital service providers (DSPs) such as Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, and others. These royalties are different from performance royalties (collected by organizations like ASCAP, BMI, or SESAC). If you’re not registered with The MLC, you may be missing a key piece of your streaming income in the U.S.The MLC’s role is simple: to make it easier for songwriters, composers, lyricists, and other rightsholders to receive the royalties they’ve earned—accurately and on time. Since becoming fully operational in 2021, The MLC has distributed over $3.5 billion in royalties, with more than 85,000 Members.
About The MLC in 60 seconds
Who Should Join
If you are a self-administered songwriter, composer, or lyricist (meaning you don’t have a publisher or administrator collecting royalties for you), and you have music being streamed in the U.S., you’re entitled to receive mechanical royalties from your digital streams. Joining The MLC lets you start collecting those royalties.Membership is free, and 100% of the royalties collected are paid directly to rightsholders.
For those working with a publisher or administrator, The MLC’s Songwriter Hub offers a streamlined way to view and manage song data—helping ensure nothing is overlooked and royalties make their way to you.
Get Started
Understanding and collecting digital mechanical royalties doesn’t have to be complicated. The MLC offers step-by-step guidance, educational resources, and a Support Team available via chat, phone, or email, to help songwriters navigate the process and collect the royalties they’re owed.Click here to learn more and get started.
