The MLC launched earlier this year but without streaming services signed up to them they won’t make much of an impact; here’s who has signed up so far.

The Mechanical Licensing Collective launched at the start of this year to collect mechanical royalties for songwriters and copyright holders in the new digital realm of music. Through their services artists will be able to sign up, claim their work in the MLC’s catalogue, and then collect royalties from uses of their work from digital services.

Designated by the U.S. Copyright Office, the organisation have been operating since the start of 2021 to collect these royalties on listens and digital purchases in the U.S.. But in order to be effective they need DSPs (Digital Service Providers) to submit notices of license with them.

The MLC works publicly to create a transparent connection between artists, listeners, and services to ensure royalties are distributed fairly. Here are the services confirmed to have applied so far:

  • Spotify
  • YouTube
  • Apple Music
  • SoundCloud
  • Sonos
  • iHeartRadio
  • Deezer
  • MixCloud

The MLC does state: “The posting of these Notices does not constitute certification or approval by The MLC of the accuracy of information in any Notice, the validity of any certification, or the eligibility of any DSP to submit a Notice and/or operate under a blanket license”.