The MLC Launches New Portal for Independent Music Distributors to View Releases with Unclaimed Royalties for Their Artists

28 September 2022 - Press release

With input from the largest independent music distributors in the world, The MLC has developed a tool for distributors to interact with data on over 2M recordings and millions of dollars in associated unclaimed royalties.

The MLC has worked closely with seven key independent music distributors to create a new portal that distributors will be able to use to see the publicly available data for the unmatched recordings they’ve released. This will allow them to work with their customers to register their songs with The MLC and claim any unmatched royalties for their songs that The MLC has accrued. This new Distributor Unmatched Recordings Portal (DURP) joins The MLC’s growing suite of tools that leverage The MLC’s publicly available data to improve data quality and fulfill The MLC’s mission to pay rightsholders their mechanical royalties accurately and on time. 

Once a distributor sets up a DURP account, they will get access to a custom dashboard that shows them the publicly available data for sound recordings they have distributed for which The MLC has accrued unmatched mechanical royalties. The information about these recordings is derived from usage reports delivered to The MLC from digital service providers (DSPs), which generally include the name of the sound recording distributor along with the other metadata those distributors have provided to the DSPs. 

By making it easier for distributors to see the unmatched data for the sound recordings they have distributed, The MLC hopes that more distributors will share this information with their customers and encourage those customers to make sure their works are properly registered with The MLC. A “Play Your Part” page within DURP includes information about The MLC that distributors can use in outreach to their customers. 

Distributors who tested an early version of this new portal include TuneCore, CD Baby, Believe, Repost by SoundCloud, Symphonic Distribution, Empire and Vydia. The MLC will now make the portal available to the other distributors who have distributed recordings The MLC has not yet been able to match.

“Our data has identified millions of dollars in unmatched digital audio mechanical royalties due to creators for songs they’ve recorded and released through more than 1,800 independent music distributors, aggregators and labels around the world,” explains project lead Dae Bogan, The MLC’s Head of Third-Party Partnerships. “By giving these companies visibility into the data, we can help them serve their customers better and help The MLC reduce unclaimed royalties.”

DURP has already begun to have a positive impact on creators. Alexander Ryan, an Australian songwriter and Pop artist who goes by the name RØNIN, is one such artist. RØNIN recently learned about over $20,000 in previously unpaid royalties after his unmatched recordings were identified using DURP. He has since become a member of The MLC. 

“After connecting with Dae, I discovered unclaimed royalties in the thousands that I didn’t know existed,” says RØNIN. “This will help me a lot! I’m looking forward to continuing my relationship with The MLC and collecting my monthly checks!”

The MLC will be offering an informational webinar for distributors led by Bogan on October 14, 2022, to give prospective users an inside look into how they can use DURP to better serve the creators who use their distribution services. Distributors can sign up for this free webinar here. 

For more information about DURP and to request access, visit www.durp.themlc.com.

Hear From the Distributors Who Are Using DURP To Find Their Artist’s Unclaimed Royalties

"This portal will help us fulfill our mission to make sure independent artists at CD Baby get paid. Now we can do more to help ensure our customers receive all the royalties they deserve. CD Baby has supported The MLC's efforts since its inception, and we're excited to see the results of their hard work." -Alex Trevino, Strategic Partner Manager, CD Baby

“We are happy to partner with The MLC on the launch of their Distributor Unmatched Recordings Portal (DURP). As EMPIRE is a company with both Distribution and Publishing arms, DURP is an invaluable tool that will give us a clear view into our catalog to identify unmatched works. This type of transparency will allow us to effectively bridge the gap between our publishing and distribution clients and to identify unclaimed royalties for present songwriters as well as unpublished artists.” -Vinny Kumar, SVP Legal & Business Affairs, EMPIRE Publishing

“DURP has provided us with some well-organized data to help our clients find revenue they didn't know was there for them. Helping close the gap on unmatched revenue will benefit the whole ecosystem, and we're excited to be a part of the process.” -Matthew Skiba, VP of Rights & Content, Vydia