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 do you do?
Locate the ticket in HubSpot and follow the pathway for "User requesting follow up from another team"
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 three 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
- Read the website/Portal resources (HUR website page, HUR notes in Portal) and 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?
Escalate to Tier 2
A user off-handedly mentions a "9.1 cents" rate 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.
The only kind of usage that The MLC collects for on YouTube
Art Tracks
Is the 75-day payment timeline the same as the Matching timeline?
No. Matching is 1-2 months.
A payee is experiencing an issue while trying to add a US bank account with a New Zealand address. What do you do?
Escalate to Senior Associates
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) Most likely December
An administrator asks if they can set up direct payments to multiple clients through their Member account. What do you do first?
[follow the pathway]
Check to see if they already have this type of payment hierarchy setup. If they do, you can escalate this request. If they do not, you need to instruct the administrator to create separate Members or explain that the statement will show them the breakdown.
User asks "How far back do the historical royalties go for Amazon Music?"
#1 - Find the language in ZT, #2 - Find the dates
#1 - "The historical unmatched royalties may date back to when each digital service provider (DSP) began operations in the United States. You can find the usage start date for each DSP by clicking the hyperlinks on this page: https://themlc.com/historical-unmatched-royalties"
#2 - July 1, 2012
A user reports that they are 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
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 about the unclaimed accrued royalties (UAR) market share distribution. What do you tell them?
[using the talking points] We will share updates via newsletter. All you need to do is play your part!
In your own words, explain the payment timeline
- snapshot / three month delay
- 75 day cycle
- monthly distributions
Dua Lipa thinks she hasn't received enough royalties for her hit song "New Rules" from the year 2018. What might explain this?
1) We haven't finished distributing Phono III HUR
2) Distribution Notes for Historic Activities
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