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.

Stats and Facts

Stat: The MLC has distributed $3.3–3.9 billion in total royalties to songwriters and publishers since 2021.

Source: Music Business Worldwide — https://www.musicbusinessworldwide.com/the-mechanical-licensing-collective-has-distributed-3bn-to-songwriters-and-publishers-since-2021/

Stat: The MLC’s 92% match rate for royalties processed — royalties successfully matched to the correct rights holders.

Source: Music Connection — https://www.musicconnection.com/the-mlc-holds-annual-membership-meeting-highlighting-more-than-3-billion-in-royalties-distributed/

Stat: Current mechanical rate for pressed copies and downloads: 12.7 cents per track (2025).

Source: Royalty Exchange — https://royaltyexchange.com/blog/mechanical-royalties

Stat: Streaming mechanical rates set to reach 15.35% of service revenue by 2027.

Source: Royalty Exchange — https://royaltyexchange.com/blog/mechanical-royalties

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Which DSPs Does the MLC Cover?

The MLC collects blanket mechanicals from the following on-demand streaming platforms in the United States:

• Spotify
• Apple Music
• Amazon Music
• YouTube Music
• Tidal
• Other on-demand DSPs

Source: Orphiq — https://orphiq.com/resources/mlc-mechanical-licensing-collective

Photo by blocks on Unsplash