Credit: Jason Leung
The Mechanical-Copyright Protection Society (MCPS) says it has increased distributions to its members to £188.4 ($232m) in 2022.
The MCPS collects mechanical royalties on behalf of 34,000 publishers, songwriters and composers when their music is copied or reproduced. This includes music copied and used in physical products such as vinyl records, CDs or cassettes, when their music is streamed or downloaded on DSPs such as Spotify, Apple Music or Amazon, or when their music is dubbed into audiovisual entertainment, including television, films , video games, commercials or on the radio.
After a period of sales decline MCPS says it’s bounced back and has increased its membership payouts for the fourth straight year. Last year, MCPS grew its membership by 7.5%, with 2,284 members joining the society. The organization was able to maximize payouts through a combination of groundbreaking strategies. MCPS is focused on streamlining its business practices internationally to accelerate royalties to creatives.
“Looking at the broader industry, these breakthrough returns are driven by the popularity of entertainment streaming services, robust payouts from international earnings and increased consumer demand for physical products (especially vinyl),” reads the MCP report.
“MCPS strives to increase value and efficiency, leaving nothing up to publishers, songwriters and composers,” adds Paul Clements, CEO of MCPS. “We pride ourselves on optimizing our service through effective and innovative strategies, protecting mechanical rights and providing our members with maximum returns. We are very much looking forward to celebrating our 100th anniversary next year in 2024 but will of course remain our focus on continuing to grow distributions to our members and on the most cost effective terms.”
“We are proud to present our 2022 financial results and a milestone for our fourth consecutive year of growth,” said Jackie Alway, OBE, Chair of MCPS. “Despite recent challenges such as the global pandemic, the combined MCPS board and management team have worked tirelessly for our members. As we approach our centenary, we reflect on our achievements and are determined to press ahead with continued positive innovation for our members.”