Does The MLC Collect Mechanical Royalties Outside the United States?
If you write original music, you may have heard of The Mechanical Licensing Collective, usually called The MLC.
It is an important organisation for collecting certain US songwriting royalties.
But one common misunderstanding is assuming that registering with The MLC means mechanical royalties are being collected worldwide.
That isn’t how the system works.
The MLC’s statutory collection role is focused on eligible digital audio mechanical royalties generated by US uses.
What does The MLC collect?
The MLC administers the US blanket digital mechanical licence for eligible streaming and download services.
These royalties arise from uses of the underlying musical composition.
They are different from the recording royalties paid by your distributor.
For example, a Spotify stream of your original song may generate:
- Master-recording revenue
- Mechanical royalties for the composition
- Other eligible composition-related royalties
Different organisations can handle each category.
Does The MLC collect worldwide?
No.
The MLC collects eligible digital audio mechanical royalties arising from use in the United States.
It does not collect international mechanical royalties simply because a songwriter has registered a composition with it.
For example, streams generated in France, Germany or Japan may involve other territory-specific licensing and collection arrangements.
A US registration alone does not cover all of those uses.
Can a songwriter outside the US join?
Yes.
The MLC’s membership rules allow eligible songwriters and publishers outside the United States to participate.
The relevant question is where the royalties were generated, not simply where the songwriter lives.
A UK songwriter can potentially receive US digital mechanical royalties.
An Australian songwriter can too.
However, existing publishing administrators and local collection organisations may already represent those rights.
What happens to royalties from other countries?
Collection arrangements vary by territory.
They may involve:
- Local mechanical-rights organisations
- Collective management organisations
- Publishing administrators
- Direct licensing arrangements
- Reciprocal collection relationships
The exact path depends on the territory, rights category and agreements.
This is one reason international music publishing administration can be more complicated than distributing the corresponding master recording.
What if you’re already registered with a local society?
Check what your existing membership covers.
For example, a songwriter may belong to an organisation that already administers some or all of their US digital mechanical rights through relationships with The MLC.
Registering the same shares again without checking existing mandates can create conflicts.
The MLC advises writers to understand their collection arrangements before establishing overlapping registrations.
What about a publishing administrator?
A publishing administrator can help manage eligible registrations and collections in the territories covered by its agreement.
That might include US mechanical royalties and relevant international rights.
However, not every publishing administration service covers exactly the same territories or royalty categories.
Ask which rights are being collected and where.
Does The MLC collect songwriter performance royalties?
No.
The MLC’s principal statutory role concerns US digital audio mechanical royalties.
Songwriter performance royalties are handled through the relevant performing-rights arrangements.
Those rights should not be confused merely because they can arise from listening to the same song.
Does The MLC cover YouTube music videos?
Its blanket licence does not collect mechanical royalties for audiovisual services such as ordinary YouTube videos in the same way as eligible US audio streaming services.
Video uses can involve different rights and licensing arrangements.
Don’t treat all music usage on YouTube, TikTok or Instagram as a single mechanical-royalty category.
How can you check whether you’re collecting everything?
Prepare a simple rights map.
For each territory, record:
- Composition
- Songwriters
- Ownership shares
- Publisher or administrator
- Mechanical collection organisation
- Performance collection organisation
- Registration status
Then check whether existing agreements already cover the relevant rights.
What if royalties are missing?
Start by confirming:
- The composition is registered correctly.
- The songwriter shares match.
- The appropriate organisation controls the relevant right and territory.
- There are no overlapping claims.
- The reporting period has arrived.
Do not assume missing income is evidence that the distributor failed to pay the master royalties.
It may concern a separate composition collection route.
Final thoughts
The MLC is important for collecting eligible US digital mechanical royalties.
But it is not a worldwide publishing collection system.
Independent songwriters should understand which organisations collect their mechanical royalties in each territory and avoid confusing distribution, publishing and performance rights.
That becomes increasingly important as an audience grows internationally.