The Mechanical Licensing Collective (The MLC) is a Nashville-based non-profit organization established by the historic Music Modernization Act of 2018 to serve as the exclusive administrator of a new blanket mechanical license to U.S.-based digital service providers (DSPs) for the use of musical works on their platforms. The MLC then collects and distributes the mechanical royalties due under those licenses to songwriters, composers, lyricists, music publishers, administrators and collective management organizations (CMOs). The MLC also built and maintains both a publicly accessible database of musical works that is free for anyone to use and The MLC Portal – where MLC Members register, maintain and update their catalogs of musical works data. Founded on four guiding principles – excellence, diversity, transparency and service – which are the driving force behind everything the organization does, The MLC is governed by a Board of Directors and advisory committees that are comprised of songwriters and music publishers. Their experience and input help shape The MLC’s overall work, which is carried out by a staff of approximately 50 individuals operating in 11 U.S. states as well as the United Kingdom. The MLC officially began administering the new blanket mechanical license to DSPs on January 1, 2021 and completed its first monthly mechanical royalty distribution to Members in April of 2021. By law, all of The MLC’s services are offered to its Members completely free of charge. Learn more at TheMLC.com.