MCPS (Mechanical-Copyright Protection Society) paid out £204.3 million of mechanical royalties in 2023.
That represents an 8.5% year-on-year increase and a 43% uplift in annual distributions over the last five years, driven by the growth of streaming and vinyl, as well as increasing international royalty collections.
MCPS, which this year celebrates its 100th anniversary, represents and protects the mechanical copyrights of over 37,000 publisher, songwriter and composer members. Members are paid when their works are copied or reproduced in physical products, streaming, digital downloads and broadcast, all of which carry a mechanical royalty for the underlying song or composition.
In 2023, the organisation achieved further efficiencies, delivering a blended reduced commission rate of 6.5%, allowing for more monies to be distributed to its members. MCPS paid to its members all excess commissions it generated (after covering its overheads), amounting to £7.2 million during the year.
Over the last five years, MCPS has added over 9,000 new members, a 32% increase. As the company celebrates its 100th anniversary this year, it has now distributed over £4 billion of mechanical royalties to its members in the 21st century.
Paul Clements, CEO, MCPS & MPA Group, said: “There is no better way to celebrate our 100th anniversary than with our biggest distribution in almost 20 years and by surpassing £4 billion in total payments to publishers, songwriters and composers this century. These numbers are testament to the tireless work of our team as we grow our international reach, enhance our processes and take advantage of new licensing opportunities on behalf of our members. As we look to the future, it is more important than ever for us to continue to work closely with our members, to protect their mechanical rights and ensure our members are remunerated efficiently and accurately.”
Jackie Alway OBE, chair, MCPS, added: “For over a century now, MCPS has been providing invaluable income for music publishers, songwriters and composers. Our 2023 results are proof of our ongoing importance in the digital era, marking five consecutive years of growing revenues for our members. Preserving the strength of the mechanical copyright will be vital in the coming years to help ensure those who invest their time, talent, and money into creating music are fairly remunerated.”
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