The Mechanical Licensing Collective (The MLC) has promoted five execs in key leadership positions within its organization.
First up, Ellen Truley has been promoted to Chief Marketing and External Affairs Officer. Truley has played a key role in The MLC’s outreach efforts, helping to enroll over 45,000 members. In her new role, she will continue to oversee marketing, communications, songwriter relations, and industry partnerships. Her expanded role will see her coordinating The MLC’s educational activities, songwriter relations, industry partnerships, government relations, and other external affairs.
Lindsey Major, a key figure behind The MLC’s member services, has been elevated to Chief Member Experience Officer. Major created and managed The MLC’s Support Team, carrying out an instrumental role in designing the organization’s member support programs, including developing tools that assist members in registering works and claiming royalties. In her new role, Major will focus on improving and expanding The MLC’s service offerings.
Andrew Mitchell, who has led The MLC’s data and matching efforts, is now Chief Analytics and Automation Officer. Mitchell has been responsible for overseeing the organization’s initiatives to match sound recordings with corresponding musical works, a critical role for ensuring rightsholders receive royalties. In his expanded role, he will continue to lead these efforts while also focusing on automating The MLC’s processes and preventing fraud.
Last month, Mitchell led The MLC’s effort in partnering with music streaming fraud detection company Beatdapp to “complement and enhance” The MLC’s existing streaming fraud detection capabilities.
Meanwhile, Joya Carmichael, who has led The MLC’s royalty distribution process since the first distribution in April 2021, has been promoted to Chief Administrative Officer. Under her leadership, The MLC says it has consistently distributed royalties on time, with the organization reaching the $2 billion milestone in distributed royalties earlier this year. In her new role, Carmichael will continue to manage royalty distributions while also overseeing internal process improvements.
Additionally, Rick Marshall was elevated earlier this summer to General Counsel, where manages The MLC’s legal affairs. Marshall has helped the organization ensure its compliance with US Copyright Office regulations and oversee interactions with digital service providers. As General Counsel, he will lead the legal team, handle any ongoing litigation, and guide The MLC in navigating its statutory responsibilities under the Music Modernization Act (MMA).
The MLC says the promotions reflect its dedication to addressing the specific needs and priorities identified by its membership, and “will allow The MLC to amplify its efforts to engage and educate more new members, enhance the support services it provides to those members, and continue to improve its internal operations for the benefit of its members and its other stakeholders.”
The MLC was designated by the US Register of Copyrights in July 2019 as the organization responsible for licensing and exclusively managing rights following the passage of the MMA in 2018. The MLC oversees the administration of the blanket compulsory license for the use of musical works by digital music services.
Earlier this year, The MLC sued Spotify in the US for allegedly underpaying royalties to songwriters and publishers as a result of the streaming service’s decision in March to reclassify its Premium Individual, Duo, and Family subscription streaming plans as Bundled Subscription Offerings, as those plans now offer audiobooks.
In August, Spotify asked a US federal court to dismiss the lawsuit, saying it would be “a substantial waste of time and resources” for the case to go forward. However, the MLC fired back at Spotify, saying Spotify’s proposed motion to dismiss “is based on mischaracterizations of the well-pleaded allegations in the MLC’s complaint.”
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