The MLC Registration Guide

What is The MLC?

The Mechanical Licensing Collective was created by the Music Modernization Act (2018) and launched in January 2021. It's the US body responsible for collecting mechanical royalties from streaming services like Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, YouTube Music, Tidal, and more.

Before The MLC existed, streaming mechanicals were a mess — billions of dollars went unclaimed because there was no central system. Now there is.

Free

To register

1-2 wks

Processing time

$1B+

Distributed since launch

Congress

Created by MMA 2018

Who needs to register?

You need to register with The MLC if you are a:

Songwriter — if you wrote or co-wrote any song on streaming platforms
Composer — if you composed music that's being streamed
Music publisher — administering catalogs on streaming

Key distinction The MLC only covers the songwriter side (mechanical royalties from the composition). If you're a performer but didn't write the song, you don't need The MLC — you need SoundExchange.

What royalties does The MLC collect?

The MLC collects mechanical royalties from digital streaming services:

Streaming Mechanical Royalties

Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, YouTube Music, Tidal, Pandora, and more

$100-10,000+/yr

On-Demand Music Service Mechanicals

Any interactive streaming platform operating in the US

$50-5,000+/yr

Key concept: every stream generates TWO songwriter royalties Performance royalties (collected by ASCAP/BMI) + mechanical royalties (collected by The MLC). You need BOTH to get everything you're owed.

The MLC vs ASCAP/BMI vs SoundExchange

This is where most songwriters get confused. Here's the breakdown:

	ASCAP / BMI	The MLC	SoundExchange
Who gets paid	Songwriters, publishers	Songwriters, publishers	Performers, labels
Royalty type	Performance royalties	Mechanical royalties	Digital performance royalties
Sources	Radio, TV, streaming, live	Streaming services only	Satellite radio, internet radio, cable TV
Cost	$50 (ASCAP) / Free (BMI)	Free	Free
Overlap?	No overlap with MLC	No overlap with PROs	No overlap with either

Bottom line: You likely need ALL of these. They don't overlap — each one collects a completely different type of royalty.

Your distributor does NOT collect your MLC royalties DistroKid, TuneCore, CD Baby, etc. do NOT collect your MLC mechanical royalties. Neither does your PRO (ASCAP/BMI). The MLC is a separate registration you have to do yourself.

Before you start

Gather these before starting your registration:

Legal name — as a songwriter, exactly as it should appear on royalty payments
IPI number — from ASCAP or BMI (you'll get this when you join a PRO)
List of your songs/compositions — every song you wrote or co-wrote
SSN or Tax ID — for tax reporting purposes
Bank account info — for setting up direct deposit payments

Don't have an IPI number yet? You get an IPI number when you join ASCAP or BMI. If you haven't joined a PRO yet, do that first — then come back to register with The MLC. You can register without one, but it's harder to match your works.

Step-by-step registration

Go to The MLC website Visit themlc.com/register and begin the registration process.
Click "Register as a Songwriter" Select the songwriter option (or Publisher if you administer a publishing catalog). Most independent artists register as a songwriter.
Create your account with your legal name Enter your full legal name, email, and contact details. Use the name exactly as it appears on your PRO membership and tax documents.
Enter your IPI number This links your MLC account to your PRO membership (ASCAP/BMI). It's how The MLC knows which songs are yours.
Add your songwriting catalog List every song you wrote or co-wrote. Include song titles, co-writers, and your ownership share for each composition.
Verify your identity Provide your SSN or Tax ID and complete identity verification. This is required for royalty payments and tax reporting.
Set up your payment method Add your bank account for direct deposit. This is how The MLC will send your quarterly royalty payments.
Submit — no fee required Registration with The MLC is completely free. There's no application fee and no annual membership cost.

After registration

What happens next

Match your songs to recordings in The MLC's database. The MLC maintains a massive database linking compositions to the actual recordings on streaming platforms.
Use The MLC's claiming portal — search for your songs and claim ownership of your compositions.
Check for unmatched royalties — The MLC holds hundreds of millions in unmatched money waiting to be claimed.
Payments are quarterly. Your first payment typically arrives within a few months of registration.
Keep your catalog updated as you release new music. Every new song you write should be registered with The MLC.

The MLC has over $400M in unmatched royalties After registering, search their database for your songs — you may find money you didn't know existed. These are royalties that were collected but couldn't be matched to a songwriter. If that songwriter is you, claim it.

Common questions

Do I need The MLC if I already have ASCAP/BMI?

Yes — absolutely. ASCAP and BMI collect performance royalties from streaming. The MLC collects mechanical royalties from streaming. These are two completely different royalty types generated by the same streams. You need both to collect everything you're owed.

Does my distributor collect these royalties for me?

No. Your distributor (DistroKid, TuneCore, CD Baby, etc.) collects the recording royalties — the money owed to the master owner. The MLC collects the composition mechanical royalties — the money owed to the songwriter. Different rights, different money, different collection.

What's an IPI number and how do I get one?

An IPI (Interested Parties Information) number is your global songwriter identifier. You get one automatically when you join a PRO like ASCAP or BMI. If you haven't joined a PRO yet, do that first — it makes your MLC registration much smoother.

Can I register without an IPI number?

Yes, you can register with The MLC without an IPI number. However, it's significantly harder for The MLC to match your works to recordings without one. We strongly recommend joining ASCAP or BMI first, getting your IPI, then registering with The MLC.

How much are streaming mechanical royalties worth?

It depends on your streaming numbers. As a rough guide, mechanical royalties from streaming are roughly equal to performance royalties from streaming. So if ASCAP/BMI pays you $500/year from streaming, you're likely missing another ~$500/year in mechanicals from The MLC. The more streams you have, the more you're leaving on the table.