What Is The MLC and Why Do Songwriters Need It?

You’ve registered your song with ASCAP or BMI. You’ve uploaded it to your distributor. Maybe it’s already streaming on Spotify and Apple Music.

So you’re covered, right?

Not necessarily.

There’s another important piece of the music royalty puzzle that independent songwriters need to understand: The Mechanical Licensing Collective, better known as The MLC.

If you write songs, own publishing rights, or manage a music catalog, The MLC may be responsible for collecting mechanical royalties you’re entitled to receive from eligible U.S. streaming and download services.

And here’s the part many independent creators miss: joining ASCAP or BMI does not automatically take care of your MLC registration.

Let’s break it down.

What Is The MLC?

The Mechanical Licensing Collective (The MLC) is a nonprofit organization designated by the U.S. Copyright Office under the Music Modernization Act of 2018.

It began administering the U.S. blanket mechanical license on January 1, 2021.

Its job is to collect eligible mechanical royalties from participating digital music services, match reported music usage to registered musical works, and distribute the royalties to the appropriate songwriters, composers, lyricists, music publishers, and administrators.

In plain English:

The MLC helps make sure the people who own the songwriting and publishing rights get paid when their music is streamed or downloaded through covered U.S. services.

It is not a record label, distributor, or performing rights organization. It has a specific job in the music royalty system.

What Are Mechanical Royalties?

A mechanical royalty is money paid for the reproduction of a copyrighted musical composition.

When someone streams a song on an eligible interactive streaming service, there are different copyrights and royalty streams involved.

For example:

The sound recording generates recording-side royalties.
The musical composition generates publishing-side royalties.
The composition may generate both performance royalties and mechanical royalties.

That’s why one stream can involve more than one payment route.

The MLC handles a particular part of that publishing-side income: eligible U.S. digital audio mechanical royalties under the blanket licenses it administers.

What Does The MLC Collect?

The MLC administers blanket mechanical licenses for eligible streaming and download services in the United States.

That includes eligible uses through participating services such as Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, and other digital service providers operating under the blanket license.

When these services report usage and send the corresponding royalties to The MLC, The MLC works to match those uses to the correct musical works in its database.

If the song is properly identified and the ownership information is accurate, the royalties can be distributed to the appropriate rights holders.

Important: The MLC does not collect every type of music royalty.

It does not collect:

Public performance royalties (that’s where ASCAP, BMI, and other PROs come in).
Sound recording royalties.
Sync licensing fees.
Mechanical royalties from physical products such as CDs and vinyl.
Mechanical royalties from video services such as YouTube, TikTok, or Facebook.
International mechanical royalties outside its U.S. collection role.

This distinction matters. Registering with The MLC does not replace your PRO, distributor, publisher, or other royalty collection accounts.

Do You Need to Join The MLC?

It depends on how your music is administered.

The MLC is particularly important for self-administered songwriters—creators who manage their own publishing rights, register their own works, and collect their own publishing income.

You may need to become a Member if:

You write songs and manage your own publishing.
You own or control publishing rights in your compositions.
You operate a publishing company.
You administer a catalog for other songwriters.
You have publishing interests that are not being administered by another company.

If you have a publisher or publishing administrator handling all your works, that company may already be collecting your eligible MLC royalties on your behalf.

But don’t assume. Ask who is administering your songs and confirm that your catalog is being handled.

You can still create a portal account as a songwriter with a publisher or administrator. The MLC offers a separate Songwriter Hub that can help creators view and manage information about their catalog.

How to Sign Up for The MLC

One of the best things about The MLC is that membership is free.

You don’t need to pay a membership fee to register eligible works and collect the royalties you’re entitled to receive.

Here’s how to get started.

Step 1: Create Your Account

Visit The MLC’s official Get Started page.

You’ll create a user account and complete an identity verification process.

The MLC will ask questions about your role in the music industry to determine which portal access is appropriate.

Step 2: Determine Which Hub You Need

There are two main options:

Member Hub

This is generally for self-administered songwriters, publishers, and administrators who are responsible for registering works and collecting mechanical royalties.

You’ll be able to manage your catalog, register songs, review royalty information, and use matching tools.

Songwriter Hub

This is for songwriters whose publishing is being administered by someone else, but who want better visibility into their catalog.

You can review and export catalog information and suggest matches between sound recordings and musical works.

If you’re unsure which one applies to you, contact The MLC’s support team before setting up your account.

Step 3: Complete Your Member Profile

If you’re eligible to become a Member, complete the requested information.

This includes setting up your member details, banking information, and tax forms.

Your banking and tax information matter because The MLC needs the proper information to pay you.

Step 4: Register Your Songs

Once you have access to the Member Hub, you can begin reviewing and registering your musical works.

Don’t rush through this part.

Make sure you have:

Correct song titles and alternate titles, when applicable.
All known songwriters.
Writer roles and IPI numbers.
Accurate publishing information.
Agreed-upon ownership shares.
Available recording information.

If you’re self-administered and don’t have a separate publishing company, The MLC allows you to use your Member name as the publisher on your works.

If a work is already in The MLC’s database, you may need to claim your available shares rather than create a brand-new registration.

Always search before creating a new work. Duplicate registrations can make matching and payment more complicated.

Step 5: Check Your Catalog and Matches

Registering the composition is only part of the process.

The MLC also provides tools to help connect sound recording usage to the correct musical works.

A song can exist in a database without all of its related recording information being correctly matched.

Review your catalog, check available matches, and correct information that doesn’t look right.

The goal is to help The MLC connect the music being streamed to the people entitled to receive the mechanical royalties.

What If Your Song Is Already Registered With ASCAP or BMI?

This is where people sometimes get confused.

Registering a song with ASCAP or BMI does not automatically register it with The MLC.

They are separate organizations with different responsibilities.

Organization	What it handles
ASCAP / BMI	Public performance royalties for compositions
The MLC	Eligible U.S. digital audio mechanical royalties
SoundExchange	Certain digital performance royalties for sound recordings
Distributor	Delivers recordings to digital services and handles recording-side payments according to its agreement

You may need to register your composition with more than one organization because each one handles a different royalty stream.

Think of it as separate collection points for different uses of your music.

What About Music Producers?

Let’s talk about producers because this is an important distinction.

A producer does not automatically receive MLC royalties just because they produced a record.

The MLC collects mechanical royalties for the musical composition—not for the production credit on the sound recording.

A producer may be entitled to a share of mechanical royalties when they also contributed to the composition and have an agreed-upon songwriting or publishing interest.

For example:

A producer creates the beat, contributes to the melody, and helps write the hook. The artist and producer agree to share the composition.

If the producer has an established songwriting share, that interest should be documented and properly registered.

But if the producer only received a production fee and did not receive a songwriting or publishing interest, that production credit alone does not automatically make them entitled to MLC mechanical royalties.

Producers should understand the difference between:

A production fee.
Master recording points.
Songwriting ownership.
Publishing income.
Mechanical royalties.

Those are different business arrangements, and they should be addressed in writing.

If you’re a producer who also writes, make sure your songwriting contributions and splits are documented before the song is released.

How Do You Know If The MLC Has Money for You?

The MLC provides a free Missing Member Lookup tool that can help creators determine whether it may have royalties associated with their music that are waiting to be claimed.

You can also use its Public Work Search to look up musical works and review available ownership information.

Keep in mind:

Finding a song in the Public Work Search does not mean you have claimed ownership.
Public Work Search is for research, not submitting ownership claims.
Eligible creators and publishers need the appropriate account access to claim shares and manage their catalog.
A song may have unmatched or conflicting ownership information that needs to be resolved.

If you believe you are entitled to royalties, don’t stop at finding the song. Follow the appropriate claiming or correction process through your account.

Start here: The MLC

Your MLC Checklist

If you’re an independent songwriter or self-administered publisher, here’s a quick list to work through:

Determine whether you or someone else administers your publishing.
Create an account with The MLC, if eligible.
Confirm whether you need the Member Hub or Songwriter Hub.
Complete your banking and tax information if you’re a Member.
Search for your existing songs before registering new works.
Register missing compositions and claim eligible shares.
Verify songwriter and publisher information.
Review sound recording matches.
Check your catalog periodically.
Keep split sheets and publishing agreements organized.

FROM THE SOUTHERN GIRL & CO. DESK

One of the biggest lessons in the music business is that releasing a song and managing a song are two different jobs.

You can have a record on every major streaming platform and still have gaps in your royalty collection setup.

ASCAP and BMI matter. Your distributor matters. SoundExchange matters. And for eligible U.S. digital audio mechanical royalties, The MLC matters, too.

Don’t assume somebody else has handled your publishing. Ask questions. Check your registrations. Understand who controls your rights and where your money is supposed to come from.

Because the goal isn’t just to make music people love.

The goal is to understand what you created, protect your interests, and collect what you’ve earned.