MCPS has announced the highest per-year distribution of royalties to its publisher, songwriter and composer members since 2009.
The not-for-profit mechanical collection society is owned by the Music Publishers Association (MPA).
Total distributions for the year ended December 31, 2021 are £181.7m, a 15% increase of £23.8m over 2020.
The result was attributed to the growing demand for entertainment streaming services in 2021; robust distributions from international collections; increased consumer demand reflected by solid returns from both major and indie record labels; and consistent performance from broadcast revenues.
The MCPS collects and pays royalties to members when their music is copied and used in physical products (records, CDs and DVDs); streamed or downloaded on services such as Spotify, Apple Music, Netflix and Amazon; synchronised into audio-visual entertainment including TV, film, video games and advertising; and used on radio.
The MPA owns and operates MCPS on behalf of over 30,000 music publisher, songwriter and composer members.
We are still in the early stages of delivering an ambitious growth strategy on behalf of our members
Paul Clements
While increasing its member distributions through revenue growth initiatives, MCPS said it has also continued to focus on efficiencies and optimising the costs associated with royalty delivery. This has resulted in an effective blended commission rate of 7.4% (down from 7.7% in 2020). It means that more than £7.2m in commission earnings will be refunded in 2022 to every member who received a royalty distribution in 2021.
MCPS CEO Paul Clements (pictured) said: “We are very proud to deliver these excellent results for our members. While encouraged to see progressive growth year-on-year, we are still in the early stages of delivering an ambitious growth strategy on behalf of our members, leveraging new licensing opportunities in the market, while maximising value in areas of licensing which are due for review. While we reflect on these financial achievements, we remain focused on protecting our members' rights, which are at the heart of everything we do.”
MCPS chair Jackie Alway said: “The MCPS team's diligence once again delivered record results for our members. We are committed to continued growth of distributions through new initiatives in 2022 and beyond - in consultation and partnership with our members. Many thanks to the MCPS board for their wise guidance and to the management team for their excellent work."
FOLLOW 
