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International Collections

CMRRA, via SX Works, is proud to collaborate with global partners to provide music publishers and self-published songwriters an option to facilitate international licensing and royalty collection on their behalf.

Through partnerships with the Mechanical Licensing Collective (MLC) and The International Collective of Independent Music Publishers (IMPEL), we’re simplifying the process for you to receive royalties from around the world.

 

The MLC: Streamlining US Mechanical Royalties

Mandated by the US Congress via the Music Modernization Act, the Mechanical Licensing Collective (MLC) launched on January 1, 2021. The MLC collects mechanical royalties for streaming and downloads from digital service providers (DSPs) in the United States.

As a CMO member of the MLC, CMRRA ensures that publishers signed up for MLC collection have their repertoire properly registered. This means that your US digital mechanical royalties, past and future, flow smoothly and efficiently, with the same level of service that we provide for Canadian royalties.

If you’re already a direct member of the MLC, you do not need to sign up for CMRRA’s International Collections service for the USA. However, if you want CMRRA to handle these royalties, you can opt out of your direct membership and switch to our service.

 

IMPEL: Broadening Horizons Beyond North America

Our partnership with IMPEL allows us to collect digital royalties from territories outside of North America, focusing initially on their Core Territories, including the European Economic Area, the UK, Switzerland, and extending to regions like Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa. Future phases will expand coverage to Latin America and India.

IMPEL’s transparent collective administration aligns perfectly with CMRRA’s mission to provide accurate and detailed royalty collection and distribution for rights holders.

IMPEL’s Core Territories:

  • Europe: Including the UK, Switzerland, and all states within the European Economic Area.
  • Additional Regions: Eastern Europe, Middle East and North Africa, Gulf countries, and beyond.
  • Future Coverage: Latin America and India.

Note: If you have sub-publishing agreements in territories outside of North America, you should only sign up for our International Collections service for regions where you are not otherwise collecting royalties.

Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, Djibouti, Egypt, Gabon, Gambia, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Madagascar, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Niger, Senegal, Togo.
Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Belarus, Georgia, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Montenegro, Oman, Palestinian Territories, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan, Yemen.
French Polynesia, New Caledonia.
Albania, Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Gibraltar, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Kosovo, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malta, Monaco, Moldova, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, San Marino, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, United Kingdom.
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map of zone asia
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map of zone euro
map of zone nora
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What Royalties Are Collected and Distributed?

CMRRA, through the MLC and IMPEL, collects digital mechanical royalties to maximize your earnings. This includes:

  • MLC: Streaming royalties from US digital services.
  • IMPEL: Streaming, digital downloads, and audiovisual royalties from platforms like Facebook and YouTube across their represented territories.

Upon receipt, these royalties are distributed as part of our regular quarterly payment cycles (March, June, September, and December). Detailed statements with share-by-share payment information are provided.

The administration fee for International Collections from IMPEL and MLC is 5% of the royalties collected. There are no up-front costs to affiliating with CMRRA.

 

Has CMRRA been collecting digital royalties outside of Canada previously?

CMRRA’s International Collections for digital royalties is a new offering to clients starting in 2021.

Does this service conflict with collections from other agencies?

  • SoundExchange, PPL, Panorama (Previously SOPROQ): There is no conflict. These organizations collect royalties for sound recordings and performances, whereas the MLC collects mechanical royalties for publishing rights.
  • SOCAN: If you are signed up with SOCAN for international collections, you should not sign up with CMRRA for the same purpose to avoid conflicts and delays.
  • Harry Fox (for US International Collections): Members of the Harry Fox Agency do not automatically collect royalties from the MLC. Rights owners are required to opt in to collect royalties from the MLC, either as a direct MLC member or through a third party like CMRRA or HFA. If you have not opted in for HFA to collect on your behalf for this particular service, you can sign up with our International Collections service to collect your MLC royalties.

What about the “black box” royalties for unidentified songs?

Signing up for CMRRA’s International Collections for the USA allows us to register your repertoire and claim royalties for previously unidentified songs in the MLC’s “black box.” There is a three-year window to claim these royalties.

SX Works Affiliation

Download the International Collections addendum and submit your completed form to SX Works Registrations

New to CMRRA?

Download our Affiliation Agreement and submit your completed file to CMRRA Registrations

Need more information? Visit our International Collections FAQ to guide you through these new services and help answer your questions.

Let CMRRA simplify your global royalty collection today!

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