AllTrack

Photo Credit: AllTrack Music Rights

Performing rights organization AllTrack launches a mechanical rights division — a potential competitive differentiator in a crowded US-based PRO field.

AllTrack, billed as a digital-era performing rights organization (PRO) with a focus on the independent music sector, has announced the launch of a mechanical rights division. According to the company, the move makes AllTrack the first PRO in the United States to offer integrated performance and mechanical rights collection services that music creators and publishers can manage through a single platform.

While performance royalties are compensation for rightsholders when their songs are ‘performed’ (either live or via an on-demand play), mechanical royalties are also part of the payout. These days, mechanical royalties are generated when music is streamed on demand, used in digital applications, downloaded, reproduced into physical products such as CDs and vinyl records, or utilized in various other means protected under copyright law.

Per details shared with DMN, AllTrack now collects mechanical royalties on behalf of its members throughout the world, both directly and through its relationships with international sister societies.

Traditionally, independent US creators have needed to register their songs with multiple platforms and societies to collect their global mechanical royalties. In some cases, if they wished to pursue a truly independent path, certain forms of mechanicals were inaccessible altogether. In other cases, they may have just registered with the MLC in the US, not realizing that the MLC only collects a portion of the overall mechanical royalties available to them.

AllTrack says they enable rightsholders to collect all forms of worldwide mechanical royalties through a single platform, including streaming, downloads, physical, lyrics, and any other forms protected under copyright law.

“We’re thrilled to expand our services to include mechanical rights, which typically represent a significant portion of a music creator’s published income,” said Hayden Bower, founder and CEO of AllTrack.

The launch of this division follows AllTrack’s recent acceptance into CISAC (International Confederation of Societies of Authors and Composers) as a rights management entity and completion of a first-of-its-kind integration with a streaming service (TIDAL). Creators and publishers can apply for AllTrack’s mechanical rights services starting today, subject to meeting certain minimum streaming thresholds.