The first half of this month’s meet up will introduce creators to the Mechanical Licensing Collective (MLC) in the USA and why it’s important for UK songwriters to check their songs are correctly registered and royalties distributed.
“Say the word metadata, and the eyes of most music creators glaze over. Yet it’s the key to us getting paid and credited correctly.
This is our chance to help sort out the metadata mess that has lead to so much money ending up in the wrong hands. The MLC received $424m in unmatched royalties that should have ended up in songwriters’ and publishers’ pockets. Chances are that much of it belongs to independent music creators who have not had the means, infrastructure or backup of big managers, accountants and major publishing companies to track down missing payments. But even if you do have that backup, anecdotal evidence shows major gaps exist, with missing or conflicting information, as well as songs being credited to the wrong writers and publishers, altogether.
I know none of us became songwriters and composers to spend our time doing administration, but everyone – from the cashier in your local supermarket to the district manager – knows that the most important thing to do, in order to get paid for your work, is to log the work you put in correctly.
Don’t lose out, put aside some time to check your song registrations on the MLC site. There may just be unclaimed royalties waiting for you. Take control of your copyrights, and don’t let someone else get the royalties that are rightfully yours”
Helienne Lindvall, Board Director and Chair of The Ivors Academy’s Songwriter Committee
Join The Ivors Academy’s Monthly Member Socials to network with The Ivors Academy community and meet other members. Each third Monday of the month, we will give an update on The Ivors Academy activities, give members the opportunity to get involved in projects and introduce new members to the community.
We encourage members from across the country to join the online sessions, which will take place as Zoom meetings and include rotating breakout rooms for networking and socialising.
This event is for members of The Ivors Academy only.
If you have any questions, please email the Membership Manager – Nicky Carder nicky@ivorsacademy.com
