Data Programs at The MLC

The MLC’s data programs support the efforts of dozens of digital media and technology companies around the world to gain insight into the ownership of musical works and to develop and offer a variety of solutions to businesses, rightsholders, and consumers where musical works and related sound recording data is paramount. To discuss how your company can leverage The MLC’s data programs to improve your dealings with The MLC or to power your music industry services, feel free to contact partnerships@themlc.com.

Bulk Data Access Subscription

 The Music Modernization Act of 2018 requires The MLC to make its database of musical works available in a bulk, machine/computer-readable format and through a widely available software application. 

 

Supported by a new DDEX technical standard called “BWARM” (Bulk Works and Recording Metadata), the Bulk Data Access Subscription makes it easy to access data from The MLC’s database on musical works, parties, sound recordings, products and releases and more. This comprehensive and invaluable resource is available to digital service providers, music publishers, collective management organizations, record labels, metadata companies and others throughout the industry. 

 

Sign up here  to register for access to The MLC's Bulk Data Access Subscription. 

 

Video: The MLC’s Bulk Data Access Subscription:

In this December 2020 webinar, The MLC’s Richard Thompson (CIO) and Raphael Amselli (Technical Consultant) provide an overview of the format, features, timing and pricing of The MLC’s Bulk Data Access Subscription (formerly known as Bulk Database Feed) and answer questions from participants. Watch webinar here.  

 

DDEX BWARM Standard:

To learn more about the DDEX BWARM Standards click here. 

 

Public Search API

Music publishers and administrators, DSPs, CMOs, music technology companies, and others can use the first version of The MLC’s Public Search API in BETA to retrieve information about musical works in The MLC database. For more information, contact bulk.data@themlc.com.

Sign up here to register for access to The MLC's Public Search API.

 

Distributor Unmatched Recordings Portal (DURP)

The MLC invites Music Distributors to join our mission to pay out every mechanical royalty.

Every day hundreds of music distributors deliver thousands of recordings to digital service providers (DSPs) on behalf of music creators and rightsholders from around the world. These recordings embody musical works for which digital audio mechanical royalties are earned when the recording is streamed or downloaded. Every month, in accordance with the Music Modernization Act, DSPs report the usage of these recordings and the earned royalties to The MLC. Then, The MLC attempts to match the recordings referenced in these reports to musical works registered at The MLC. The recordings that we are unable to match are added to The MLC's unmatched recordings database.

Distributor Unmatched Recordings Portal (DURP) will enable music distributors, aggregators, and other eligible sound recording distributors to gain visibility into recordings that The MLC has been unable to fully match to musical works registered with The MLC. The information about these recordings is derived from usage reports delivered to The MLC from DSPs containing metadata delivered to DSPs from distributors. The purpose of offering such an unprecedented view into The MLC's unmatched recordings data via DURP is to encourage distributors to explore ways in which the distributor can help The MLC pay out the associated unclaimed royalties to the appropriate rightsholders.

To learn more or to request access to DURP, visit http://www.durp.themlc.com.  

 

Data Quality Initiative (DQI)

The MLC created the Data Quality Initiative (DQI) to provide a streamlined way for music publishers, administrators, self-administered songwriters and foreign collective management organizations (CMOs) to compare large schedules of their musical works’ data against The MLC’s data. Through the DQI, The MLC will 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 works directly with a number of music publishers, self-administered songwriters and administrators to onboard them into the initiative. The MLC also works with software vendors to help them enhance their platforms to enable users of their systems to participate in the initiative. The MLC looks forward to working with other music publishers, self-administered songwriters, administrators, CMOs and software system vendors interested in participating in The MLC’s Data Quality Initiative.

The MLC is committed to fulfilling its mission to ensure that self-administered songwriters, composers, lyricists and music publishers receive timely and accurate mechanical royalties from streaming and download services (DSPs) in the United States. 

As part of our overall vision to serve our Members and be an active and engaged participant in the music industry, The MLC has embarked on a comprehensive plan to engage in strategic partnerships with third parties. Such partnerships add value to our services and create opportunities for The MLC to develop or support initiatives that empower our niche member communities. 

Among those partnerships is our Data Quality Initiative Partner Program. The companies listed below demonstrate the ability to enable music publishers and self-administered songwriters to participate in The MLC's DQI process to check their data against our data. 

DQI Partner Companies: 

• Blokur
• Music Data Services 
• Simply Royalties
• TuneRegistry
• Verifi Media
• Vistex

If you are interested in exploring a partnership on the DQI please click here.

To watch various DQI educational webinars, click to watch here.

To get started with the DQI:

•    Prepare your data: You will need to supply the work title, writer names, MLC/HFA song codes, ISWC, your proprietary work identifier number and your collection share for the work. We have different file formats to suit your system capabilities.

•    Manage your submissions: If you have a large catalog, you may want to prioritize your works based by active titles, writers or other criteria. Remember, there is no limit to the number or frequency of your submissions to the DQI. 

•    Review your responses: Once your DQI file is processed, you will receive an output report highlighting any discrepancies. It is up to you to determine what steps need to be taken to address these discrepancies.

•    Update your works with The MLC: Once you have reviewed the discrepancies in the output report, you will need to register or update the corresponding works with The MLC using CWR or the work registration tools available in The MLC’s Portal.

•    Fill out this form to start the process