What Is the MLC (Mechanical Licensing Collective)?

Who the MLC Pays:

  • Songwriters
  • Composers
  • Publishers
  • Self-published artists (you, if you write and own your music)

You receive payment for the mechanical use of your composition—not the sound recording.


 What Are Mechanical Royalties?

Mechanical royalties are earned whenever a song is:

  • Streamed on interactive platforms (Spotify, Apple Music, Tidal)
  • Sold as a digital download (iTunes, Amazon MP3)
  • Reproduced digitally in the U.S.

These are different from performance royalties (which are collected by ASCAP, BMI, etc.).


 How to Start Getting Paid:

  1. Visit themlc.com
  2. Create a free account as a songwriter or music rights holder
  3. Register all your compositions (song titles, writers, splits, etc.)
  4. Link your bank account for direct deposit


 What Platforms Pay Into the MLC:

  • Spotify
  • Apple Music
  • Amazon Music
  • YouTube Music (for audio streams)
  • Pandora (interactive tier)
  • Tidal
    …and more

Non-interactive streaming (like Pandora Radio or SiriusXM) is handled by SoundExchange, not the MLC.


 How You Get Paid:

  • The MLC receives blanket license fees from platforms.
  • It matches those payments to the songwriter and publisher data in its database.
  • Payments are issued monthly (if you earn something that month).


 Important Notes:

  • You must register with the MLC to receive mechanicals from digital services in the U.S.
  • If you don’t, your royalties go into the “black box” (unclaimed royalties).
  • This is completely separate from ASCAP, BMI, or SoundExchange.
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