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The MLC (Mechanical Licensing Collective) for producers

The Mechanical Licensing Collective collects mechanical royalties from streaming and download services in the US and pays songwriters and publishers. Here is what it does and doesn't do, as of October 2026.

By , a composer with 300+ tracks on audio stock and 12 years in production. Checked on The MLC's own pages on 26 October 2026.

Type
Rights society
How to join
Join as a memberFree for songwriters, publishers and societies
AI-made music
Not statedNo AI policy found on its site

In short. The MLC is a US nonprofit set up under the Music Modernization Act of 2018. It licenses US streaming and download services and pays the mechanical royalties for the songs they play. Joining and registering works is free, and it pays monthly. It does not collect performance royalties, sync fees or record royalties. Money it can't match to a registered song will be shared out by market share, starting in April 2027.

How to join

"Anyone entitled to receive U.S. digital audio mechanical royalties can become a Member of The MLC." That includes songwriters, composers, lyricists, publishers, administrators and collective management organizations (CMOs).

  • Cost. "There are no costs associated with becoming a Member of The MLC, nor are there costs for registering a musical work."
  • No commission. The streaming services pay The MLC's running costs, so it says it passes on 100% of the royalties.
  • No publisher needed. Songwriters who handle their own songs register them themselves. If a publisher or administrator handles your songs, you can still open the Songwriter Hub to see your catalog.
  • Abroad. The MLC says it has more than 85,000 members in the US and around the world. It works with more than 110 CMOs in more than 120 countries.

Codes, Content ID and royalties

What it covers. Mechanical royalties from "eligible streaming and download services in the United States", under the blanket license. Each month the services send their usage data and royalties. The MLC matches them to the works in its database.

What it doesn't cover. "The MLC is not involved in any other types of licenses or royalties, including public performance licenses or royalties." Sync licenses and record royalties are outside it too. Performance royalties go to societies such as ASCAP, BMI and SESAC.

Matching. In the Member Hub you register new works, review and fix the data of existing ones, and "suggest matches of sound recording uses to your musical works". The Songwriter Hub lets songwriters view and export their catalog.

Unmatched money. The MLC holds royalties it can't match yet. It intends to start sharing them out "in April 2027 through the market share distribution process", beginning with blanket royalties from January 2021. "Every song or share of a song that earned monthly royalties" gets its pro rata share of that month's unmatched pool. The first round uses the database as it stands "on or around February 10, 2027". The MLC says registrations and claims are "typically processed within 21 days or less", and suggested matches take about 30 days.

Codes explained: ISRC, ISWC and UPC.

How you are paid

Monthly. The MLC "distributes royalties to Members on a monthly basis, approximately 75 days after the end of each monthly period."

What to keep in your catalog

  • Registered or not, for each song you released to streaming.
  • The recordings matched to each work, with their ISRCs. A remix or an edit has its own ISRC, so check each one.
  • Your share of each work, and your co-writers' shares.
  • Whether a publisher or administrator registers the song for you, so it isn't registered twice.

Sources