What Is the MLC and How Does It Pay Songwriters?

 

What the MLC Does

  • Collects mechanical royalties from U.S. digital music services
  • Pays songwriters and publishers their share directly
  • Helps ensure accurate royalty payouts through its public database (the “Portal”)


 When the MLC Pays You

You get paid when your song is streamed or downloaded on interactive platforms like:

  • Spotify
  • Apple Music
  • Tidal
  • Amazon Music
  • YouTube Music (for paid subscriptions)

 Non-interactive streams (like Pandora Radio) do not pay through the MLC—they pay performance royalties via PROs.


 How Much You Get Paid

  • Payouts vary based on platform revenue, stream volume, and market share
  • Mechanical royalties are split:
    • 50% to the songwriter (writer’s share)
    • 50% to the publisher (publisher’s share)

If you self-publish, you receive both shares.


 How to Get Paid by the MLC

  1. Sign up at themlc.com as a self-administered songwriter or publisher
  2. Register your works with full metadata: title, co-writers, splits, ISRC/ISWC codes
  3. Keep track of monthly royalty statements


 Why the MLC Matters

Before the MLC launched in 2021, many digital mechanical royalties went unclaimed. Now, U.S. songwriters can collect directly—for free—as long as their songs are properly registered.


 Pro Tips

  • You still need a PRO for performance royalties—MLC only covers mechanicals
  • Double-check your song title, writer names, and codes for accuracy
  • If you’re outside the U.S., you’ll still benefit indirectly through international collection societies


Bottom Line:
The MLC helps U.S. songwriters collect digital mechanical royalties from streaming platforms—income that many used to miss. It’s essential to register if you’re writing and releasing music today.

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