Broadcast services, including Spotify and Apple Music, have paid $ 424,384,787 in incomparable historical copyright (or “black box” money) to the mechanical licensing collective, the MLC announced Tuesday. Once MLC analyzes the data to pay copyright holders, songwriters, and publishers who have applied to become members of MLC, they will begin receiving payments and copyright statements as early as April. , Variety reports. The MLC will also maintain a public database and allow registered users to file claims.
Today’s payment to the MLC marks one of the first steps outlined by the Music Modernization Act, which dictates that the MLC has a responsibility to distribute copyright unmatched to rights holders within a period of two years. After the two-year period, the MLC has the option of distributing the rest of the money unmatched to publishers based on market share.
The highest amounts transferred from digital streaming platforms to MLC came from Apple Music (over $ 163 million), Spotify (over $ 152 million), Amazon (over $ 42 million) and Google / YouTube (more than $ 32 million).
The president / CEO of the National Association of Music Publishers, David Israelite, called the payment of the MLC a “massive victory” in a statement. “Songwriters and music publishers have struggled for years to ensure that digital streaming services pay them accurately and fully,” he said. “Unmatched money has affected the industry and today, thanks to the Music Modernization Act, we know it amounts to just under $ 425 million, not including the money previously paid in several millionaire settlements.”
Michelle Lewis, executive director of Songbooks for North America, urged SONA members to become members of the MLC to find out how they are eligible. “This money will now be matched and found with legitimate authors and publishers who won those rights,” Lewis said. “We encourage all SONA members, along with all songwriters, to go to theMLC.com to find out how they can participate or participate, which is critical to ensuring that all writers who earn that money get the fair share of ‘these royalties’.
Kris Ahrend, CEO of MLC, said in a statement that MLC has spent more than a year developing resources and disseminating to creators and publishers. “We have also been fortunate to receive valuable input and guidance from members of our board and committee (songwriters, publishers, and digital service executives), which has helped shape the mission and scope of the work. of the MLC since the approval of the MMA, ”Ahrend said. “The arrival today of the license availability date marks another milestone in the process of making MMA’s promises a reality, and the MLC team couldn’t be more excited.”
Artist Rights Rights Alliance released a statement saying the transfer of unmatched copyright is a “good start, but there is still a lot of work to be done to get that money to the composers who earned it.” ARA’s statement continues: