US mechanical rights collecting society The MLC has announced the launch of a Supplemental Matching Network. And as dull as that sounds, it's about trying to put more money into the bank accounts of songwriters, which is definitely a good thing.
Through this new network, the MLC will be utilising the services of Blokur, Jaxsta, Pex, Salt and SX Works. Because, says the society's Head Of Analytics & Automation Andrew Mitchell, “these vendors bring complementary technologies and capabilities that can be effectively leveraged to serve our members. This network reflects our ongoing commitment to evolve in innovative ways to best achieve The MLC’s mission”.
The MLC was created by the US Music Modernization Act and administrates the mechanical royalties paid by streaming services to songwriters and music publishers within the American market. To do that, it needs to match each recording streamed to the song contained in that recording - in data terms matching an ISRC to an ISWC - and then figure out who owns the copyright in that song and therefore who needs to be paid.
Mitchell adds that, in putting together this network to help with the matching process, “we conducted an extensive due diligence process to select the initial set of vendors".
The boss of one of the selected companies, Phil Barry at London-based Blokur, is "THRILLED to be working with The MLC to help drive incremental royalty distributions to songwriters and publishers in the biggest digital music market in the world".