June 2023 updates from The MLC

It was great to connect with some of you at different events during Songwriter’s Week in New York last week!

In this month’s newsletter, we share the key metrics from this month’s royalty distribution, a historical unmatched data recap, and details about two upcoming events for Pride and Black Music Month. We hope you can join us today for our virtual LGBT Music Industry Roundtable or tomorrow at The MLC office in Nashville for our in-person workshop.

June Royalty Distribution Recap

We completed our sixth monthly royalty distribution of the year on June 14, bringing us to 27 total royalty distributions since we began full operations — all of which have been on time or early. June’s distribution primarily covered newly reported usage that took place in March of 2023. The total of all royalty pools reported to The MLC for this cycle was approximately $87.5 million. Once again, we were able to match just under 85 percent of that amount to songs currently registered in our database.

After deducting royalties for usage covered by voluntary licenses maintained by DSPs with rightsholders, we collected approximately $82.9 million in royalties and distributed approximately $60.9 million to our Members. To learn more about our June distribution, click here.

Review Your Historical Unmatched Data

As a reminder, last month we shared that we have now completed our initial ingestion of the historical unmatched data. Now, all of the remaining unmatched data for all of the historical royalties we received is available to be searched by our Members using our Matching Tool, with only one exception (the historical data we received from FanLabel, which contains issues that FanLabel has not been able to rectify). By providing you with full visibility in our Matching Tool to the remaining unmatched sound recording data we have for both blanket and historical uses, we are both illuminating the “black box” and providing you with the ability to help us eliminate the black box as it relates to your songs by proposing matches to your registered works. Once we approve a match you have proposed you will receive your share of the previously unmatched royalties.

We encourage all Members to log in to the Portal and search for your songs in the Matching Tool. Keep in mind, when reviewing your unmatched data in the Matching Tool there will be an “H” icon to indicate that your search returned historical unmatched usage that took place before January 1, 2021, and a “B” icon to indicate that your search returned blanket unmatched usage that took place on or after January 1, 2021 (the date the blanket license The MLC administers became effective).

Join Us for Our Pride and Black Music Month Events

The MLC believes our outreach efforts should reflect the diversity of the Members we serve. We aim to foster a thriving environment where all artists and creators can flourish, achieve recognition and receive rightful compensation for their contributions to the music industry. The following upcoming events commemorate Pride Month and Black Music Month and serve as platforms for education and empowerment by magnifying diverse voices and providing invaluable resources to creators.

Join us today for the 3rd edition of “Tuning Into Pride: An LGBT Music Industry Roundtable,” moderated by Nick Larsson Billet (he/him), CEO of Midas Music Inc. and YawnyBlew (he/him), singer-songwriter and podcast host. Tune in for a candid conversation about the issues and opportunities impacting LGBT music creators and music industry professionals. Engage in the Q&A as panelists unpack and discuss current events, their music and videos, their career journeys, future music creator rights, representation for LGBT artists and more.

Register Here

During tomorrow’s in-person workshop at The MLC’s office in Nashville, Dae Bogan, Head of Third-Party Partnerships, will guide new and emerging Hip-Hop and R&B music creators through a 2-hour crash course demystifying music rights, credits, income entitlements, publishing administration, and the flow and payout of U.S. digital music royalties.

Participants will engage in individual and group simulations including contribution and credit tracking, split negotiations, the impact of samples on copyrights and royalties, work registrations, claiming royalty shares and much more to gain a deeper understanding of how their contributions to songs and recordings translate into royalty payments from The MLC and other organizations.

Register to Attend in Person