Payment Basics
The board that determines the royalty rates
Copyright Royalty Board (CRB)
User says they had a hit song in 2014 and they're wondering where those royalties are. What "type" of royalty is this?
Historical unmatched royalties (HUR)
A user needs help entering their banking information. Please give instructions on how to do that in the Portal.
Login to the Portal, click "View Member," then click "Banking Information" on the left-hand side
User says they received an email saying that their payments are on hold for a review of their works. What's the first thing you should do?
Find the ticket with the email they're referencing. The ticket name should start with "Notice of Royalty Hold."
When did we begin making "true-up" adjustments for Phono III (2021-2022)?
September 2024
The usage for July will be paid out in this month
October
What are four things MLC Members can do if they are concerned about historical unmatched royalties?
- Ensure works are registered and data is accurate
- Use the Matching Tool
- Reference the website (https://www.themlc.com/historical-royalties)
- Sign up for updates (newsletter)
This information is no longer transferred between HFA and The MLC
Banking and tax information
User says they got a payment for $42.55 but they can't find a statement to match in their Portal. How do you help?
Check their Portal to confirm. If you can't find the statement either, escalate to Tier 2 following the pathway.
ZT: Payments > Statement > User is unable to find a statement that matches their payment
A user off-handedly says they're supposed to be getting paid 12 cents per stream when ranting that they haven't been paid enough by The MLC. What should you tell them?
The fixed rates only apply to permanent downloads. The MLC mostly pays for limited downloads and interactive streams which variable rates.
More information here: https://www.themlc.com/rates
The only kind of usage that The MLC collects for on YouTube
Art Tracks
A user is having an issue trying to add a US bank account with their New Zealand address. What do you do?
Escalate to Tier 2
ZT: Payments > Banking + Tax > Issues updating Banking and Tax info
A user calls a week after distribution day. They haven't receive their direct deposit payment yet. You look at the Portal and the payment status says "Deferred." What does this mean?
The payee was not payable during the distribution / there was an issue with the payee account
Earth Wind & Fire registered their song "September" today (September 20th) after finding out about The MLC. You check their Registration History and see the work is on the Pending tab.
1) Tell them when they can expect their first royalty statement, and 2) When they can expect the usage from September 21
1) Most likely December 2) December
A user asks you why The MLC hasn't paid them any royalties for Amazon Music permanent downloads. Which Portal resource should you direct them to for more information?
Distribution Notes for Blanket Licensing Activities (found on the Royalties Summary tab)
Reference the "PASS THROUGH DOWNLOAD LICENSEES" section.
User asks "how far back" The MLC collects. What do you tell them?
"As part of the Music Modernization Act (MMA), digital service providers (DSPs) were given an opportunity to transfer their “historical unmatched royalties” to The MLC. These royalties may date back to when each digital service provider (DSP) began operations in the United States."
ZT: "General concerns about historical unmatched royalties (HUR)"
A user is getting an error while filling out Banking Information - "The email does not match the one on file." What do you do?
Escalate to Tier 2
ZT: Payments > Banking + Tax > Issues updating Banking and Tax info
Name four pieces of data that appear on the Royalty Detail statement
Usage period start date/end date, processing type, royalty amount, ISRC, ISWC, MLC song code...
User calls you in a panic after learning about the market share distributions. What do you do?
Use the Unclaimed Accrued Royalties talking points to clarify that we'll be making these distributions in phases starting with January 2021 usage in early 2027. They should focus on getting their works registered/matched and sign up for the newsletter to stay informed.
In your own words, explain the payment timeline
- 75-day cycle - snapshot on day 10
- monthly distributions
Dua Lipa asks why she hasn't received enough royalties from the year 2018 for her hit song "New Rules." 1 - What might explain this? and 2 - Which resource can you point her to?
1) We haven't finished distributing Phono III HUR yet.
2) The MLC HUR website page: https://www.themlc.com/historical-royalties
What is the transfer time for paper check payments (domestic and international)?
Depends on postal service - but approx. 15 business days for domestic, and 30-45 for international
User asks "Why didn't I get paid?" Name at least three reasons why this could be
- works weren't captured in the snapshot
- didn't meet the threshold
- banking/tax issues
- suspended
- didn't generate any royalties
User is upset they can't find the total payment amount in the Portal. How do you help them?
Help them find the Royalties Summary; they are most likely looking at the Statements page