Music Publishers Association

– MCPS collects royalties for and protects the rights of over 30,000 publishers, songwriters and composers
– Second consecutive year of increasing distributions despite having to contend with the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic
– Highest annual distributions since 2009
– Increased royalties for songwriters, composers and publishers from growth across multiple revenue streams
– Market leading operational efficiencies

MCPS, the Mechanical-Copyright Protection Society which collects royalties and protects the rights of over 30,000 publishers, songwriters and composers when their music is reproduced, announces increasing distributions (£181.7m) to members in 2021, a considerable 15% increase on 2020. 

MCPS, the not-for-profit collection society owned by the MPA (Music Publishers Association), is delighted to announce the highest per year distribution of royalties to its publisher, songwriter and composer members since 2009.

Total distributions for the year ended 31 December 2021 are £181.7m; a strong 15% increase of £23.8m over 2020.

These healthy returns can be attributed to the ever-increasing demand for entertainment streaming services in 2021, robust distributions from International receipts, increased consumer demand reflected by solid returns from both major and indie record labels, as well as consistent performance from broadcast revenues.

While increasing its Member distributions through revenue growth initiatives, MCPS 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), resulting in more than £7.2m in excess commission earnings to be refunded in 2022 to every Member who received a royalty distribution in 2021.

MCPS is proud to be the mechanical collection society of choice for the music publishing and creator communities, with a proven and sustained ambition for continued growth in support of its members.

MCPS CEO Paul Clements 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 OBE 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.”