How to register your songs with The MLC
If your songs are streaming in the US and you don't have a publisher or administrator collecting for you, there may be mechanical royalties waiting for you at The MLC that you're not getting.
What The MLC is
The MLC (Mechanical Licensing Collective) was created by the Music Modernization Act of 2018. Since 2021 it has administered the blanket mechanical license that US streaming and download services use, collecting mechanical royalties from those services and paying them to songwriters and publishers.
Why independent writers miss this money
Your distributor pays you for the recording. Your performing rights organization (ASCAP, BMI, SESAC or GMR) pays performance royalties. Neither collects the mechanical royalties The MLC handles. If nobody registers your share of the song, it can't be matched to you.
How to register
First, if you have a publisher or publishing administrator, check with them, since they usually register with The MLC for you. If you're self-published, sign up as a member on The MLC's portal; membership is free. Then register each song with its title, every writer, and your ownership share. Those percentages should match your signed split sheet exactly, and co-writers claim their own shares.
Keep your splits consistent everywhere
The same song gets registered in several places: your performing rights organization, The MLC and sometimes others. When the percentages don't match across them, payments get held up. A signed split sheet made on the day of the session is the single source everyone registers from.
Add every writer, set the percentages, and download a signable PDF. No account needed.
Open the split sheet generator
Common questions
Is it free to join The MLC?
Yes. Membership in The MLC is free for self-administered songwriters and publishers.
Do I need The MLC if I'm already in ASCAP or BMI?
Yes. Performing rights organizations collect performance royalties, not the streaming mechanical royalties The MLC pays.
Does The MLC collect royalties from outside the US?
The MLC administers the US blanket mechanical license. Royalties from other countries are collected by other organizations, often through a publishing administrator.