What is the MLC?

What is the MLC?

• A. A record label that issues licenses.
• B. An organization that collects performance royalties for live concerts only.
• C. The Mechanical Licensing Collective — the US organisation that collects and distributes mechanical royalties for streams and downloads. Songwriters should join it.
• D. A government agency regulating music publishing.

Answer: (C)

The mechanical licensing system for digital uses in the United States is handled by a specific nonprofit created by law to manage those rights. The Mechanical Licensing Collective administers the licenses that digital service providers (like streaming and download platforms) need to play or make available songs, and it collects the mechanical royalties that result from those uses and then distributes them to the songwriters and publishers who own the rights. It’s focused on mechanical rights for streams and downloads, not on performances or live events, and it isn’t a government agency or a record label. Because it directly handles digital mechanical royalties, it's important for songwriters to register their works with the MLC (often through their publisher or administrator) so they receive the royalties generated by digital uses.

The mechanical licensing system for digital uses in the United States is handled by a specific nonprofit created by law to manage those rights. The Mechanical Licensing Collective administers the licenses that digital service providers (like streaming and download platforms) need to play or make available songs, and it collects the mechanical royalties that result from those uses and then distributes them to the songwriters and publishers who own the rights. It’s focused on mechanical rights for streams and downloads, not on performances or live events, and it isn’t a government agency or a record label. Because it directly handles digital mechanical royalties, it's important for songwriters to register their works with the MLC (often through their publisher or administrator) so they receive the royalties generated by digital uses.