The MLC rolls out two new initiatives to ensure correct data from stakeholders

By Emmanuel Legrand

The Mechanical Licensing Collective, the new entity in charge of licensing and administering mechanical rights in the US, has launched two new initiatives to help self-administered songwriters, composers, lyricists, administrators and music publishers "organise and prepare their musical works data." The two initiatives are designed so that "stakeholders can 'Play Their Part' in helping The MLC fulfill its important mission of paying royalties accurately and expediently for their benefit."

  The MLC is rolling out the Data Quality Initiative (DQI), described as "a streamlined way for music publishers, administrators and foreign collective management organisations (CMOs) to compare large schedules of their musical works’ data against The MLC’s data."

  The other initiative is the Music Data Organisation Form, destined "to help self-administered songwriters, composers and lyricists begin to organise their musical works’ data" ahead of The MLC’s roll-out of The MLC Portal.

Address discrepancies

  Through the DQI, The MLC said it would provide participants with reports "that highlight the discrepancies between the two sets of data so that they can more easily address those discrepancies and improve the quality of The MLC’s data." The MLC has begun working directly with a number of music publishers and administrators "to on-board them into the initiative." The MLC is also working with software vendors to help them enhance their platforms to enable users of their systems to participate in the initiative.

  “One of the biggest and most time-consuming challenges for music publishers, administrators and CMOs is checking the accuracy of their musical works’ data,” said Richard Thompson, CIO of The MLC. “We launched the Data Quality Initiative to help those parties increase the efficiency and effectiveness of this process. Participants in the initiative will be able to see where their musical works data does not match The MLC’s data, so that they can then take the necessary corrective action.” 

Guiding self-administered writers

  For Kris Ahrend, CEO of The MLC, the Music Data Organization Form is designed "as a worksheet to help guide self-administered writers through the process of collecting the data they’ll need to register with The MLC. The form essentially outlines the information self-administered writers will need to compile in order to register their musical works in The MLC Portal.”

  The MLC said it intends to begin rolling out the first version of its user portal later this quarter. "This version will enable users to set-up their accounts and then search, view and edit The MLC’s data for existing musical works and register new musical works," explained the Nashville-based organisation which is due to go live on January 1, 2021.