Feb. 16, 2026, 3:12 a.m.
In the ever-evolving landscape of the music industry, data is the new currency and its value depends on accuracy. For music publishers and composers, the difference between a profitable quarter and a financial shortfall often comes down to the integrity of your data.
At WSB, we are committed to staying ahead ensuring our music composers never leave money on the table. That is why we are constantly, manually monitoring one by one, our copyrights registrations. The official incorporation of The MLC’s Song Code to our system is part of the internal registration and verification workflow.
Here is why this technical update matters for your bottom line and how it revolutionizes the way we handle copyright confirmation.
First of, What is The MLC Song Code?
For those who aren’t deep in the technical weeds, The MLC (Mechanical Licensing Collective) administers the blanket mechanical license for streaming services in the United States. To manage the massive influx of data, they assign a unique identifier to every musical work registered in their system: The MLC Song Code.
This isn't just another random string of numbers. It is the key that unlocks accurate matching, along with other data points such as the ISRC, between your musical works and the usage reported by Digital Service Providers (DSPs) like Spotify, Apple Music, and Amazon.
The "At The Source" Verification Process
In the past, music publishing and royalty administration often involved a reactive approach: waiting for statements, identifying errors, and then filing claims months later. We are changing that.
By double checking The MLC Song Code during the core registration process, we are shifting to a proactive, "at the source" verification model.
Here is how the new process works and why it benefits you:
1. Confirmation at the Point of Entry
When we onboard a new work or catalog our process cross-references the data directly with The MLC database reviewing the Song Code. This allows us to confirm that the copyright registration data at the source (The MLC) matches what properly represents the splits of the work and the claims are attached to it.
2. The "Double Check" Against Discrepancies
One of the biggest causes of lost royalties is what the industry calls a "mismatch" or "missing match". This happens when the recording ISRC data doesn't correctly align with the publishing ISWC or Song Code data or the relationship has not been created.
Our work and verification process acts as a failsafe. By double-checking the status of each registration at the source, we can identify issues such as:
* Incorrect ownership splits.
* Misspelled writer names.
* Wrongly assigned share percentages.
* Missing Digital Service Provides uses.
* Incorrect associations (incorrect matches).
3. Corrections
The beauty of verifying at the source is the speed of correction. If our process, manual one by one verification, flags a discrepancy, you don’t have to wait for the royalty statement to arrive to discover the gaps. We capture the issue at the early stages in the life of the work and initiate the correction with The MLC as soon as possible.
The Result: Maximized Royalty Collection of your digital mechanicals.
By capturing these errors on the front end, we ensure that when streaming services report usage on the back end, your data is clean, matched, and ready to generate revenue.
This means:
* Faster Payment: Clean data cycles faster through the mechanical licensing system.
* Higher Accuracy: You get paid the correct percentage the first time.
* Less Administrative Headache: No more spending months chasing down "black box" money that got lost due to bad data.
Is Your Operation already integrated with The MLC or needs to open this revenue stream?
Staying on top of these technical requirements is a full-time job. For small and mid-sized music composers and publishing companies, building the knowledge, process and infrastructure to constantly verify data against The MLC can be costly and time-consuming. It distracts from what you do best: creating and signing great music.
Let us help and handle your source verifications.
We specialize in sub-publishing services dedicated to The MLC and "at the source" administration. Whether you are looking for a dedicated The MLC sub-publisher to handle your US mechanical royalties or you are an established operation looking to incorporate extra set of hands and brains to verify your works regitrations, count with WSB.
Let correct data maximize your streaming revenue.
Contact us today to learn how we can integrate your catalog with our MLC verification process and know how, ensuring every stream counts and every penny is collected.
World Sound Bank
Burbank, CA 91504
Ph: (786) 560.9817
worldsoundbank@gmail.com
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