MLC vs Harry Fox — What’s the difference?

So you’ve heard of The Harry Fox Agency, and more recently The Mechanical Licensing Collective (MLC).

But understandably you’re confused as to who does what.

So here it goes…

What is the MLC and why does it exist?

Put simply, the MLC’s job is to collect royalties for songwriters and publishers from DSPs such as Spotify.

This emerged from the signing of the Music Modernization Act.

+ Music Modernization Act FAQ — copyright.gov

What about The Harry Fox Agency?

HFA contributed to the forming of the MLC’s database.

They used to be responsible for collecting mechanicals from DSPs, but now that role has been passed onto The MLC.

So where do I collect from?

If you are a songwriter, and you don’t have a publishing deal, then the simplest solution is to use a pub admin service to make sure you’re collecting your mechanicals.

Further reading

What is the MLC and do I still need a publisher? — CDBaby

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