Music Licensing Collective
Organization that collects and distributes royalties on behalf of rights holders.
Definition
Music licensing collectives are organizations authorized to license copyrighted works on behalf of their members and collect royalties from music users. They simplify the licensing process by offering blanket licenses covering entire catalogs rather than requiring individual negotiations.
Different collectives focus on different rights: performing rights organizations (PROs) handle public performance royalties, mechanical collectives manage reproduction rights, and neighboring rights organizations collect for sound recording performers and owners.
Why It Matters
Registration with appropriate collectives ensures artists receive royalties they're legally entitled to from radio play, streaming services, venues, and other music users. Many income streams go uncollected because artists fail to register properly.
Understanding which collectives control which rights helps artists and managers maximize income capture across all revenue streams and territories.
Examples in Practice
A songwriter registers the same composition with ASCAP for public performance rights and the MLC for mechanical streaming royalties, ensuring complete royalty capture.
An international artist registers with collection societies in their home country, then uses sub-publishing deals to capture royalties generated in other territories.
A venue pays a single blanket license fee to ASCAP, BMI, and SESAC, covering legal use of millions of songs rather than negotiating individual permissions.