Should Independent Artists Register With The MLC and SoundExchange?
A rights-aware guide to when independent artists should look at The MLC, SoundExchange, PROs, publishers, distributors, and qualified legal counsel before and after a release.
The short answer
Independent artists should review The MLC and SoundExchange when they control relevant songwriter, publisher, performer, or sound-recording rights and are not already covered by a publisher, administrator, label, or collective. This is not legal advice. Rights, agreements, territory, and royalty collection can be complex, so artists should use qualified legal counsel for uncertainty.
Three things to know
- 01
The MLC and SoundExchange deal with different rights and royalty lanes, so registering with one does not automatically cover the other.
- 02
Self-administered songwriters, publishers, featured artists, and sound-recording owners should check who already administers each right before registering.
- 03
Artists should get qualified legal counsel for unclear ownership, publishing deals, label deals, samples, producer agreements, disputes, or international collection questions.
How do the main rights and collection lanes differ?
Use this as a starting map before asking a lawyer, publisher, administrator, label, or collection organization specific questions.
Distributor
Delivery of recordings to platforms and certain streaming or sales revenue accounting from those platforms.
- Artist keeps
- A delivery and payment dashboard for the recording catalog, depending on distributor terms.
- Risk
- Distribution does not automatically administer every publishing, neighboring, or performance-rights lane.
- Best fit
- Getting releases live and tracking platform delivery revenue.
PRO
Public-performance royalty collection for musical works in the organization's covered territories and use cases.
- Artist keeps
- A composition-side collection path that is separate from distributor recording revenue.
- Risk
- PRO affiliation does not replace every mechanical or sound-recording collection step.
- Best fit
- Songwriters and publishers managing public-performance royalties.
The MLC
Eligible U.S. digital audio mechanical royalties for musical works under its blanket-license role.
- Artist keeps
- A way for qualifying members to register and maintain musical work data for that lane.
- Risk
- Publisher or administrator relationships can change whether the artist should register directly.
- Best fit
- Self-administered songwriters or publishers with retained rights to register their shares.
SoundExchange
Certain U.S. non-interactive digital performance royalties for sound recordings.
- Artist keeps
- Collection related to featured artist and sound-recording copyright owner interests where applicable.
- Risk
- Master ownership, label deals, performer status, and international choices can complicate claims.
- Best fit
- Featured artists and recording owners checking whether this royalty lane applies.
What is the basic difference between The MLC and SoundExchange?
The MLC focuses on eligible digital audio mechanical royalties for musical works in the United States. SoundExchange collects and distributes certain digital performance royalties for sound recordings from non-interactive digital sources in the United States. The simple distinction is composition-side collection versus sound-recording-side collection, but real situations can involve publishers, administrators, labels, featured artists, producers, and international societies.
Who should look at The MLC before a release?
The MLC says self-administered songwriters are writers who retained the right to register their own musical works and collect digital audio mechanical royalties. If a publisher or publishing administrator already handles those rights, the artist may not need to register the same shares directly. Co-written songs need careful share information. This is education, not legal advice, so unclear publishing rights should be reviewed by qualified counsel.
Who should look at SoundExchange before a release?
SoundExchange says it administers the statutory license for non-interactive digital sources and distributes royalties to featured artists and sound-recording copyright owners. Independent artists who own their masters or perform on recordings should check whether they have already registered and whether a label, distributor, or representative is handling any part of that collection. The details depend on ownership and agreements.
Does a distributor or PRO cover everything?
No single account should be assumed to cover every royalty lane. A distributor may deliver recordings and pay certain streaming or sales revenue. A PRO handles public-performance royalties for compositions in its own lane. The MLC addresses eligible U.S. digital audio mechanicals for musical works. SoundExchange addresses a different sound-recording performance lane. Artists should map each right, each organization, and each administrator separately.
What should artists gather before registering?
Gather songwriter names, publisher names, shares, ISWCs if available, ISRCs, recording titles, release dates, label or master-owner details, featured artist information, producer agreements, sample notes, publishing administrator details, PRO affiliations, and distributor records. Clean data matters because mismatched names, missing splits, wrong recordings, or incomplete ownership notes can delay matching and create avoidable royalty confusion.
When should artists get qualified legal help?
Get qualified legal counsel when there are unclear splits, producer points, publishing deals, label agreements, samples, covers, work-for-hire claims, band-member disputes, international collection questions, or conflicting administrator claims. This guide is not legal advice and cannot decide who owns or controls a right. A release campaign should not wait until royalties are missing to clarify ownership and authority.
How this guide uses evidence
Practical notes
- The MLC says parties who have the right to register and collect their own musical work shares should register those shares, and that membership does not replace other registration activities.
- SoundExchange says it collects and distributes royalties for featured artists and sound-recording copyright owners from non-interactive digital sources in the United States.
- The guide includes legal-advice guardrails because rights ownership, agreements, disputes, samples, and territory questions require qualified counsel.
Source notes
- The MLC Songwriter Resources: https://www.themlc.com/resources-songwriters
- The MLC, Not sure if you are a Self-Administered Songwriter?: https://blog.themlc.com/resources/are-you-a-self-administered-songwriter
- SoundExchange FAQ: https://www.soundexchange.com/frequently-asked-questions/
Frequently asked questions
- Is this legal advice about music royalties?
- No. This is educational campaign and rights context. Artists should use qualified legal counsel for ownership and agreement questions.
- Does joining a PRO mean The MLC is unnecessary?
- Not automatically. PROs and The MLC address different composition royalty lanes, so artists should map what each account covers.
- Does a distributor collect SoundExchange royalties?
- Do not assume that. Check the distributor agreement, master ownership, label relationship, and SoundExchange account status directly.
- Should co-writers register the same song?
- The MLC says parties with the right to register and collect their own shares should register those shares, but unclear splits need review.
- When should registrations happen in the release timeline?
- Start before release when possible, after splits and ownership are clear, so data cleanup does not collide with campaign work.