Per the statutory requirements of the Music Modernization Act, a new digital music mechanical licensing entity is being formed called the Music Licensing Collective (MLC). By statute, there will be songwriter representatives on the Board of Directors of the Music Licensing Collective (MLC) as well as the Unclaimed Funds Committee and Dispute Resolution Committee. Four (4) self-published songwriters will be selected for the Board of Directors; these positions require that an individual be a professional songwriter who currently controls his/her own publishing. Additionally, five (5) professional songwriters will be selected for the Unclaimed Funds Committee and five (5) professional songwriters will be selected for the Dispute Resolution Committee. (The only requirement for these positions is that a songwriter be eligible to collect royalties in the US.)
American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP), Broadcast Music Inc. (BMI), Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI), Songwriter’s Guild of America (SGA) and Songwriters of North America (SONA) have combined to form the Songwriter MLC Selection Committee and have each named two songwriters to review nominations, evaluate candidates through a multi-step process and ultimately select songwriters for service to the original Board and Committees of the Music Licensing Collective (MLC) that will then be submitted to the US Copyright Office. The selection committee members are Steve Bogard (NSAI), Lynn Gillespie Chater (SGA), Dallas Davidson (BMI), Chris DeStefano (NSAI), Bob DiPiero (BMI), Dan Foliart (ASCAP), Adam Gorgoni (SONA), Michelle Lewis (SONA), Michelle Shocke