MLC and DLC Contact Information, Boards of Directors, and Committees
On July 8, 2019, the U.S. Copyright Office, with the Librarian of Congress’s approval, named Mechanical Licensing Collective and Digital Licensee Coordinator, Inc. as the designated mechanical licensing collective (MLC) and digital licensee coordinator (DLC), respectively, along with each of their proposed board members, pursuant to Title I of the Music Modernization Act (MMA).
Contact information for the MLC and DLC can be found below, along with the names of the members of their respective boards of directors. The members of the three statutorily mandated MLC committees are also listed.
Procedure to Fill MLC Vacancies
The MLC’s nomination and selection process for filling vacant publisher and songwriter seats on the MLC’s board of directors is laid out in the MLC’s bylaws. Only songwriters are involved in selecting candidates to fill songwriter seats and only publishers are involved in selecting candidates to fill publisher seats. The MLC’s candidate is then referred to the Register of Copyrights for evaluation, along with an explanation of how the candidate satisfies the MMA’s eligibility requirements. And for songwriter candidates, the referral must detail how the MLC’s selection is supported by, and stems from an inclusive and transparent process involving consultation with, a broad and diverse spectrum of songwriters across musical genres. The candidate only becomes a member of the board if, and after, the Librarian of Congress, upon the recommendation of and in consultation with the Register, appoints them to the board.
The process to fill any vacant MLC committee or nonvoting board seat is also laid out in the bylaws and is similar, except the MLC’s selection is not subject to the Register’s or Librarian’s prior approval given that these board members are nonvoting and the committees are advisory only. The MLC’s selection is still, however, subject to the Register’s evaluation for statutory compliance.
In all cases, the MLC must notify the Copyright Office of any vacancy on the board or a statutory committee within three business days.
MLC and DLC Contact Information, Boards, and Committees
Mechanical Licensing Collective
Contact Information
- Benjamin K. Semel
- Pryor Cashman LLP
- 7 Times Square
- New York, NY 10036
- www.themlc.com
Board of Directors
Music publisher representatives:
- Michael Abitbol (Sony)
- Jeff Brabec (BMG)
- Bob Bruderman (Kobalt)
- Tim Cohan (peermusic)
- Alisa Coleman (ABKCO) (Chairperson)
- Scott Cutler (Pulse)
- David Kokakis (Universal)
- Rell Lafargue (Reservoir Media Management)
- Claire McAuley (Warner/Chappell)
- Jason Rys (Wixen)
Professional songwriters:
- Kara DioGuardi
- Oak Felder
- Kevin Kadish
- Troy Verges
Nonvoting members:
- Danielle Aguirre (NMPA)
- Graham Davies (DLC)
- Bart Herbison (NSAI)
Operations Advisory Committee
Musical work copyright owners:
- Lidia Kim (Concord)
- Michael Lau (Round Hill)
- Ana Ruiz (Drive Music)
- Eric Scott (BMG)
- VACANT
- VACANT
Digital music provider representatives:
- Alan Jennings (Amazon)
- Jen Rosen (Google)
- Brandon Shevin (Beatport)
- Josephine Speranza (Spotify)
- Meghna Viswanadha (Apple)
- Alex Winck (Pandora)
Unclaimed Royalties Oversight Committee
Musical work copyright owners:
- Patrick Curley (Third Side)
- Michael Eames (PEN)
- Dale Esworthy (Sony)
- Frank Liwall (The Royalty Network)
- Kathryn Ostien (The Richmond Organization/Essex)
Professional songwriters:
- Kay Hanley
- Sam Hollander
- Dan Navarro
- Erika Nuri Taylor
- Bruce Waynne
Dispute Resolution Committee
Musical work copyright owner representatives:
- Ed Leonard (Daywind)
- Sean McGraw (Downtown)
- Jason Rys (Wixen)
- Consuelo Sayago (Spirit Music)
- Matthew Skiba (Vydia)
Professional songwriters:
- Aimée Allen
- Gary Burr
- Amanda Green
- Jennifer Schott
- David "DQ" Quiñones
Digital Licensee Coordinator, Inc.
Contact Information
- Alli Stillman
- Latham & Watkins, LLP
- 1271 Avenue of the Americas
- New York, NY 10020
https://digitallicenseecoordinator.org/
Board of Directors
- Nick Williamson (Apple)
- Josephine Speranza (Spotify)
- Jen Rosen (Google)
- Alan Jennings (Amazon)
- Iain Morris (Sirius XM/Pandora)