Indie Songwriters Demand Changes to Streaming Royalties Setup

Groups representing independent songwriters asked the US Copyright Office to implement sweeping changes to how the nonprofit that collects and distributes streaming royalties to their members operates.

The Songwriters Guild of America, Society of Composers & Lyricists, and Music Creators of North America want the Mechanical Licensing Collective to rework its royalty-payment system, reconstruct their board of directors, and use a different analytics firm, among other changes, according to a joint letter sent to the US Copyright Office on Wednesday.

The MLC, a nonprofit created by copyright owners under by the Music Modernization Act to act as a clearinghouse between ...