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Quick Tips & Tutorial Videos
Click to watch the videos below for quick tips and tutorials that will help you with The MLC Portal, learn more about The MLC and understand music industry terms. Check back often for new videos! Or view our "Quick Tips & Tutorial Videos" playlist on YouTube.
The MLC in 60 Seconds
Are you a songwriter, lyricist or composer with music available for streaming on digital platforms? Do you know about The Mechanical Licensing Collective (The MLC)? In this video, you’ll learn about the streaming royalties that music creators can collect and why you should join The MLC for free. Get paid the digital mechanical royalties you deserve every month for streams of your music! Watch the video here.
Four Ways to Get Paid Your Streaming Royalties
When your music is streaming, there are several different royalties that you earn. But how do you know if you should be collecting performance or mechanical royalties or both? Understanding the different royalties that are generated and how to collect them can be complex. We get it! At The MLC, we’ve mapped it out for you. In this video, we break down four separate ways you can get paid for your streaming royalties and explain the different rights involved and royalties due to creators of both songs and sound recordings. Watch the video here.
Metadata Equals Dollars
It’s important to understand the role metadata plays in receiving all the royalties you deserve for streams and downloads of your music. This video from the Mechanical Licensing Collective (The MLC) explains what metadata is, how it relates to your songs and the specific metadata elements you’ll need when registering those songs with The MLC. By learning about metadata, you can ensure complete and accurate song registrations with The MLC and help maximize your royalty income. Watch the video here.
The MLC Portal: How to Use the Matching Tool
This video provides a detailed, step-by-step walk-through of The MLC’s Matching Tool. Available to Members of The MLC through their accounts in The MLC Portal, the Matching Tool makes it easy for Members to search The MLC’s sound recording usage data that has yet to be matched to a musical work and propose matches to any works they have registered with The MLC. Spend some time learning about the Matching Tool and discover how using it can help maximize the mechanical royalties you receive from The MLC. Watch the video here.
The MLC Portal: How to Use the Claiming Tool
The MLC Claiming Tool helps Members claim their share of songs that are already registered in our database. Watch this short demo to learn how to search for your works in The MLC Portal and make sure 100% of your shares are claimed — ensuring you get paid all the royalties you have earned! Watch the video here.
The MLC Portal: How to Assign a Member
This video provides a quick tutorial on adding or assigning users to an existing MLC Member Account through The MLC Portal, covering the specific type of users that can be added (“Copyright”, “Finance” and “Super User”) and the capabilities and permissions of each in The Portal once they have been added. Watch the video here.
The MLC Portal: Bulk Upload Tutorial
In this short video tutorial, learn how to use the Bulk Upload function within The Mechanical Licensing Collective (The MLC) Portal. Great for self-administered songwriters and publishers with larger catalogues of musical works. Watch the video here.
How to find your IPI #
Interested Party Information (IPI) numbers are a key part of any musical work registration with The MLC that help you accurately register your musical works and receive all the royalties you’re owed. This video explains the basic difference between writer and publisher IPI numbers, and shows you how to locate your IPI numbers on four of the major performing rights organization (PRO) websites in the United States. Watch the video here.
What is an ISWC?
Listen to The MLC's Head of Third Party Partnerships, Dae Bogan, explain what an International Standard Musical Work Code (ISWC) is and how these identifiers are used to track and manage music metadata for musical works. Watch the video here.
What is an ISRC?
Listen to The MLC's Head of Third Party Partnerships, Dae Bogan, explain what an International Standard Recording Code (ISRC) is and how these identifiers are used to track and manage music metadata for recordings. Watch the video here.
The MLC Royalty Payment Timeline
This video explains The Mechanical Licensing Collective’s royalty distribution (payment) cycle—the timeline of key dates for how songs streamed in a particular month translate into royalty payments 75 days later. Watch the video here.