Review Your Songs Today To See if You’re Eligible for Royalties From The MLC

Posted in News on August 13, 2026

There’s good news for self-published songwriters and composers whose music is streamed and/or downloaded on digital platforms in the US. The Mechanical Licensing Collective (The MLC), a nonprofit organization designated by the US Copyright Office, is encouraging music creators to connect with them to find out if they’re eligible to receive unclaimed mechanical royalties. With the first phase of market share distributions planned for 2027, songwriters, composers and publishers still have time to review their catalogs, make sure ownership information is up to date and take any necessary action. In the interim, The MLC is working to match mechanical royalties and connect them with the right copyright owners. Mechanical royalties from The MLC are entirely separate from the performance royalties you receive from BMI.

How It Works
From information provided by streaming and download services on a monthly basis, The MLC matches sound recordings to corresponding works in their database and distributes royalties to the appropriate copyright owners and self-published songwriters.

The MLC distributes royalties each month and has distributed more than $4 billion in total royalties since 2021. Royalties associated with usage from sound recordings that cannot be paired to a musical work are considered unmatched. If one or more of the ownerships shares for a musical work are missing, the royalties for that usage are considered unclaimed.

The current amount of remaining unmatched and unclaimed royalties from January 2021 that would be eligible to be included in The MLC’s first distribution next year is less than $7 million, and that remaining amount will likely be even lower (due to continued reprocessing) by the time they complete their first distribution. The MLC expects the remaining amounts that are eligible to be distributed in subsequent months will be comparable. They will also undertake additional matching efforts specifically focused on the remaining 2021 royalties before they begin distributing those remaining royalties.

For songs that are not yet registered in The MLC’s database, The MLC provides tools that allow rightsholders to easily register their songs, along with a Claiming Tool that allows rightsholders to claim their shares of songs already registered with The MLC. Additionally, The MLC’s Matching Tool allows rightsholders to identify unmatched sound recordings and suggest matches between those recordings and songs in their catalogs.

There are a few simple steps you can take today to help ensure your songs are ready.

If You Work With a Publisher or Administrator

The Songwriter Hub gives you greater visibility into your catalog and tools to help manage it — even if someone else administers your royalties.

With a free Songwriter Hub account, you can:

1. Build and review a complete catalog of your songs.
2. Download your catalog to review it with your publisher, administrator, or team.
3. Submit corrections to writer names or IPI numbers.
4. Use The MLC’s Matching Tool to identify unmatched recordings and propose matches to your songs.

If You’re Self-Administered

Becoming a free Member of The MLC gives you access to tools that can help you manage your catalog and collect your royalties, including the ability to:

1. Register songs that aren’t already in The MLC’s database.
2. Review your ownership shares.
3. Use The MLC’s Claiming Tool to claim missing shares where appropriate.
4. Use The MLC’s Matching Tool to identify unmatched recordings and propose matches.

Helpful Tools Available to Everyone

Whether you’re a Member or not, these free tools can help you review your catalog and identify potential issues:

1. Public Search – Search for your songs and review ownership information, including whether any ownership shares remain unclaimed. Explore the Public Search here.
2. Missing Member Lookup – Search your name to see whether The MLC may be holding royalties for you. Explore the Missing Member Lookup here.

Need Help?

If you have questions or need assistance, The MLC’s Support Team can help. Reach out to them here.

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