Music Publishers Association

What is MCPS?

The MPA Group owns and operates the Mechanical-Copyright Protection Society (MCPS) on behalf of over 34,000 music publisher, songwriter and composer members. MCPS have a service agreement in place with PRS for Music who provide rights management and administrative services to MCPS.

The MCPS collects and pays royalties to members when their music is:

• copied and used as physical products (such as 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.
• on radio

About Sync Licensing

When music is synchronised with audio visual content such as TV programmes, films or video games, a separate synchronisation right is exploited.  Where commercially released music is used in this way, approval is required from the rightsholders prior to usage.  Where our members have mandated us to do so, MCPS will license the so-called ‘sync’ right. Not all members have mandated MCPS and those who have not have opted to license these uses directly.

How Can We Help?

Through our service partner PRS for Music, our sync licensing team can assist either by acquiring approvals from members or (where we do not have the mandate) by providing contact details for the member who has chosen to license directly.

The licensing team can offer general advice to those who want to use music – providing copyright, licensing and clearance information for our members repertoire to help with licensing music for your production.

 

MCPS Production Music
Production Music is made specifically for sync licensing and provides users with an alternative to licensing commercially released music.  MCPS offers quality production music written by professional songwriters and composers which is cost-effective and pre-cleared for any type of usage.  MCPS production music provides a library of a huge range of tracks to choose from and a simple application process, enabling you to obtain a licence in the same day. Please follow this link for more information about how to license MCPS Production Music –  prsformusic.com/licences/using-production-music

 

MCPS Membership and Sync

UK TV Broadcast Blanket Licences
As a publisher, composer or songwriter member, registering your repertoire with both MCPS and PRS can make your music standout to the teams that choose music for top UK TV broadcasters.

MCPS and PRS license UK broadcasters and TV production companies under what is known as blanket agreements. A blanket agreement allows the UK broadcaster to use any song without having to request permission directly from the publishing rights owner. The publishing rights are only covered to use under the blanket agreement when 100% of the mechanical right (MCPS) and 100% of the performing right (PRS) is registered, which is why joining both MCPS and PRS is advantageous to un-published composers looking to have their music included in UK based productions. This makes it far easier, and therefore more appealing, for broadcasters to use in their shows.

MCPS Sync Licensing
For unpublished writers and new publishers, MCPS represents a large number of its members for sync, handling the process of negotiation, licensing and invoicing on their behalf.  Visit this page to join MCPS.