What Is MCPS? The Mechanical Copyright Protection Society Explained

What MCPS does

MCPS (the Mechanical Copyright Protection Society) is the UK organisation responsible for licensing and collecting mechanical royalties on behalf of music publishers and songwriters. Mechanical royalties are generated whenever a musical composition is reproduced in a fixed form: pressed onto a physical format, encoded into a digital file, or reproduced in a streaming transaction. MCPS licenses these reproduction rights to record labels, streaming services, broadcasters, and anyone else who needs to reproduce music commercially.

MCPS and PRS for Music: the relationship

MCPS and PRS for Music merged their operations in the 1990s and now operate as a single organisation from a practical standpoint; both are administered under the PRS for Music umbrella. However, they remain legally distinct societies with separate functions. PRS collects performance royalties (when music is publicly performed or broadcast). MCPS collects mechanical royalties (when music is reproduced). Joining PRS for Music as a songwriter member grants access to both PRS distributions and MCPS distributions for certain income streams, but the registration requirements differ.

MCPS licence types explained

MCPS issues several distinct licence types depending on the use case. Understanding which licence applies to a given situation matters for rights holders and music users alike:

• AP2 (Audio Products): the standard licence for record labels releasing physical and digital products. Covers CDs, vinyl, digital albums, and singles. The rate is a percentage of the published price to dealer (PPD), typically 8.5% of PPD for physical formats.
• MR (Multi-channel Radio): for radio stations reproducing music in broadcasts and online streams.
• OS (Online Service): the blanket licence for digital streaming platforms including Spotify, Apple Music, and Amazon Music. This covers the reproduction element of the stream (separate from PRS performance licence).
• CS (Commercial Service): for background music service providers who reproduce music for use in commercial premises.
• Limited Manufacturing Licence (LML): for small-run physical releases (typically under 500 units), used by independent artists for vinyl and CD pressing at a fixed per-unit rate rather than PPD percentage.

What MCPS licensing covers

MCPS holds licensing agreements with the following categories of music users:

• Major record labels and independent record labels: for physical and digital reproduction
• Digital streaming platforms: Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music and others have MCPS licences covering UK mechanical royalties
• Download platforms: iTunes, Beatport, and equivalent download stores
• Broadcasters: for reproductions made in the course of broadcast production
• Background music services: providers of licensed music for commercial premises

How MCPS distributes mechanical royalties

MCPS receives reports from licensees detailing which works have been reproduced and in what quantity. It matches these reports against its register of works to identify which rights holders are owed royalties, calculates the amounts based on the applicable rate, and distributes the income to the relevant publishers and songwriters. The accuracy of this distribution depends on the quality of the works register data; incomplete registrations or metadata errors result in unmatched income.

MCPS for independent songwriters who self-release

If you are releasing your own recordings on your own label, you are simultaneously the recording rights holder and the composition rights holder. This creates a useful but sometimes confusing position with MCPS: you need an MCPS licence to reproduce your own compositions, but as the rights holder you are also the one receiving MCPS royalties. In practice, most self-releasing songwriters on major streaming platforms are covered by the platform's blanket OS licence with MCPS. Your income then depends on correct work registration in the MCPS/PRS database. The most common failure point is songwriters who register with PRS but do not confirm their works appear in the MCPS works register with accurate ISWCs.

MCPS vs MLC: mechanical royalties in the UK and US

In the UK, MCPS is the primary mechanical licensing body. In the US, since the Music Modernization Act 2018, the Mechanical Licensing Collective (MLC) handles digital mechanical royalties for the US market. UK songwriters whose music is streamed in the US generate MLC-administered mechanical royalties. If you have no US publishing administration, these royalties may sit in the MLC's unmatched works database. A publishing administrator with US connections ensures your works are registered with both MCPS and MLC so that both UK and US mechanical income is recovered.

How to register a cover version with MCPS

If you are recording and releasing a cover version, you need an MCPS licence before manufacturing or distributing the recording. For digital releases via UK distributors, the distributor typically handles the MCPS licence on your behalf under their own AP2 or OS licence arrangements. For physical releases, you need to apply for a licence directly - either via your distributor or through the MCPS online licensing portal for eligible release sizes. The licence fee is typically calculated as a percentage of the release price or a per-unit rate, and it is passed to the original songwriter via MCPS.

Registering with MCPS

Most independent songwriters access MCPS through their PRS for Music membership; when you register a work with PRS, a simultaneous registration with MCPS is typically created for the mechanical rights. However, independent artists who self-release should confirm that their works are correctly registered on both the PRS and MCPS databases, particularly for digital streaming mechanicals. There are also specific registration requirements for works that are physically manufactured or broadcast.

Where MCPS income commonly goes uncollected

The most frequent gap is digital streaming mechanicals. While major streaming platforms have blanket MCPS licences, the royalty distribution to individual rights holders requires correct work registration and accurate usage reporting. Works with incomplete metadata, missing ISWCs, or non-standard title variants are frequently unmatched in streaming reports. Physical manufacturing outside the UK and international mechanical royalties require additional registration steps that many independent artists are not aware of.

MCPS and international mechanical royalties

MCPS has reciprocal agreements with mechanical rights organisations in other countries, including GEMA in Germany, SACEM in France, SOCAN in Canada, and equivalents globally. International mechanical royalties flow back to MCPS for distribution to UK members via these agreements. As with PRS performance royalties, the reciprocal system only works correctly when your works are registered with sufficient metadata for the overseas society to match them. Gaps in international mechanical collection are often addressed through multi-territory registration via a publishing administrator.

If you are unsure whether your MCPS registration is complete and whether your mechanical royalties are being correctly collected, our free Catalog Assessment will provide a clear picture of your current setup.

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