In this newsletter, we highlight the key metrics from this month’s royalty distribution, along with new enhancements in The MLC Portal designed to streamline the overclaims process.
In this newsletter, we highlight key metrics from this month’s royalty distribution, along with new enhancements in The MLC Portal that streamline the overclaims process. We also share details about a special Financial Literacy Month webinar designed to inform and empower. Plus, learn how to submit suggestions for open Publisher seats on The MLC’s Board of Directors and advisory committees.
The MLC completed its fourth royalty distribution of the year on April 16, bringing us to 49 total royalty distributions since we began full operations — all of which were completed on time or early. April’s distribution primarily covered newly reported usage that took place in January 2025. The total of all royalty pools reported to The MLC for this cycle was approximately $75.7 million.
Every month, our team attempts to match the newly reported sound recording uses we receive to the musical works data in our public database and then distributes the resulting matched royalties to our Members. This month, we were able to match nearly 86 percent of the total royalty pools reported to us by DSPs for their January 2025 usage to songs registered in our database.
After deducting royalties for usage covered by voluntary licenses maintained by DSPs with rightsholders, we collected approximately $73.7 million in royalties and distributed approximately $55.4 million to our Members. To learn more about our April 2025 distribution, click here:
We continue to process adjustments to blanket usage from the last two years of the Phono 3 rate period (i.e., 2021 and 2022). These adjustments represent the difference between the royalties we initially processed for the usage periods from those two years at the Phono 2 rates and the royalties that are due at the final Phono 3 rates. In the April distribution, we processed blanket royalty adjustments totaling $7 million.
At the same time, we continued to process adjustments for 2023 delivered to us by certain DSPs in connection with their Annual Reports of Usage (ARoU), which reflected an overpayment of $50k. To the extent any of these adjustments pertained to works in your catalog, you will see them identified on your statement by the category type ["Adjustments"], along with the names of the specific DSP for which the adjustment was made.
Since April 2024, we have been distributing matched historical royalties in sets. For each set of royalties from a given DSP (or DSPs), we first distribute matched historical royalties for previously unpaid uses reported by the DSP(s) concerned, then we aim to distribute matched historical royalties for previously partially paid uses from the same DSP(s) the following month. This month, we distributed the first set of royalties for Amazon Music in the amount of $15 million.
We also continued to reprocess the remaining unmatched historical royalties from previous distributions. This month’s distribution included newly matched historical royalties for uses that took place between 2007 and 2017 during the Phono 1 and 2 rate periods, and between 2018 and 2020 during the Phono 3 rate period. As a result of reprocessing these remaining unmatched historical usages, we were able to distribute approximately $390k in additional historical royalties this month, plus interest, from a number of digital services.
To read more about the historical royalties we have distributed so far, click here:
This month, we’re introducing two new enhancements in The MLC Portal that make it easier than ever to submit and track the status of overclaims.
What is an Overclaim?
An overclaim occurs when the total ownership shares submitted by all Members for a registered work add up to more than 100%. The Overclaims Tool allows Members to view affected works and communicate directly with the other Members claiming shares to resolve the overclaim.
New Document Upload Feature
You can now upload documentation to support your claimed shares on an overclaimed work directly through The MLC Portal. Simply navigate to the Overclaims Tool, search for the relevant work title, and click on the work. Then, go to the Documents tab and click “Upload Documents” to attach your files.
New In-Portal Notifications
We’ve also added a new notification feature for overclaims. When you log into The MLC Portal, you will now see a bell icon in the top right corner near your profile icon. Click on the bell to view status updates for the document(s) you've submitted for overclaims.
Stay tuned for more updates and enhancements coming soon!
The MLC is now accepting suggestions of Publisher candidates for its Board of Directors and Dispute Resolution, Operations Advisory, and Unclaimed Royalties Oversight committees. The terms of several Publisher seats on The MLC’s Board and committees are slated to end later this year. Elections to determine who will fill the open Board seats will be held this summer. Open seats include:
Two (2) Publisher seats on the Board of Directors;
One (1) Publisher seat on the Dispute Resolution Committee;
Two (2) Publisher seats on the Operations Advisory Committee; and
Two (2) Publisher seats on the Unclaimed Royalties Oversight Committee.
More information on The MLC’s Board of Directors and advisory committees can be found here. To suggest a candidate, please complete this form by Thursday, May 22, 2025.
Did you know April is Financial Literacy Month? Now is the perfect time to take control of your financial future! Join us on Tuesday, April 29 for a webinar designed to help you build a strong and sustainable financial foundation. Learn to manage your royalty income, understand your rights, and develop sound financial practices to grow personally and professionally.
Hear from industry leaders from The MLC (Jamie Dominguez), MBK Entertainment Inc. (Jeanine McLean-Williams), and Hudson Point Capital (Terron Tidwell) as they share expert advice and real-world strategies to help you navigate your financial journey with confidence. To register, click here.
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