The Mechanical Licensing Collective (The MLC) recently held its second Annual Membership Meeting, at which key metrics from the last year were shared. Additionally, three current members of The MLC Board of Directors were selected to serve a second three-year term on the Board.

In the year and a half since launching full operations, The MLC has met every milestone set by Congress in the Music Modernization Act of 2018 and distributed nearly $700 million in blanket royalties.

“We are incredibly proud of these accomplishments,” says The MLC CEO Kris Ahrend. “Our team has worked hard to build robust data processing systems that allow us to distribute royalties accurately and on time. We have also released a suite of tools for our members that enable them to manage their catalog data effectively and correct any missing or inaccurate data they find. While there is still more work to do, we are pleased with our progress and are deeply appreciative of all the support we have received from our members and from the broader industry at large.”

During the meeting, a representative from the accounting and audit firm, Withum, shared the results of The MLC’s recent Class B Board Seat election. Tim Cohan and Scott Cutler were each elected to serve as Board Directors for a second 3-year term. Similarly, The MLC’s Class A Members selected Kara DioGuardi to serve a second 3-year term as a Songwriter Director on the Board.

The MLC also announced that its Class C Members will not change in 2023, though Sony Music Publishing has selected Michael Abitbol to fill their Director seat, which was recently vacated by Peter Brodsky. More information on The MLC’s Board of Directors and Advisory Committees can be found here.

Meeting Highlights From The MLC’s Leadership Team included:

• The MLC has collected almost $1 billion in mechanical royalties.
• As a result of The MLC’s efforts, rightsholders have received more than $800 million in royalties–nearly $700 million in blanket royalties distributed directly by The MLC and nearly $120 million in royalties processed by The MLC but paid by DSPs pursuant to voluntary licenses.
• The MLC’s current match rate for all royalties processed through September’s royalty distribution is 89 percent, while The MLC’s initial match rates for newly reported usage has exceeded 85 percent for six straight months.
• The MLC now has more than 22,000 members, having added more than 6,000 to date in 2022.
• The MLC has received more than 17 million works registrations to date and has processed more than 98 percent of those registrations.
• The MLC has completed 19 monthly royalty distributions to date, every one of which has been completed on time or early.

MusicRow‘s 9th annual “Rising Women on the Row.” Photo: Steve Lowry

MusicRow Magazine proudly recognized six Nashville music industry executives during its 9th annual “Rising Women on the Row” Honors, on Oct. 20, 2022 at the Omni Nashville Hotel. City National Bank, Loeb & Loeb, and Tri Star Sports & Entertainment Group served as Presenting Sponsors.

The new class of honorees were Jen Conger (FBMM, Business Manager), JoJamie Hahr (BBR Music Group/BMG, Sr. VP), Mandy Morrison (City National Bank, Vice President/Senior Relationship Manager), Missy Roberts (Universal Music Publishing Group, VP, A&R), Jennie Smythe (Girlilla Marketing, CEO) and Stephanie Wright (UMG Nashville, Senior VP, A&R). Combined, the honorees have directly impacted the careers of recording artists Jason Aldean, Kacey Musgraves, Jordan Davis, Brandi Carlile, Ingrid Andress, Lainey Wilson, Parker McCollum, Little Big Town, Jimmie Allen and Sam Hunt, among others.

MusicRow‘s “Rising Women on the Row” Class of 2022 with MusicRow‘s Sherod Robertson. Pictured (L-R): Mandy Gallagher Morrison, Jen Conger, JoJamie Hahr, Jennie Smythe, Stephanie Wright, Missy Roberts, Sherod Robertson. Photo: Steve Lowry

Originally announced in 2020, the new class of honorees were finally honored in person nearly three years later. The event, originally scheduled to take place in March of 2020, was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Warner Music Nashville Co-President Cris Lacy served as the featured speaker for the event. Alongside Co-President Ben Kline, Lacy guides the highly successful country division of Warner Music Group that includes chart-topping artists such as Blake Shelton, Kenny Chesney, Dan + Shay, Brett Eldredge, Cole Swindell, Zac Brown Band, Ashley McBryde, and an array of skyrocketing artists who represent the genre’s next generation such as Ingrid Andress, Cody Johnson, Gabby Barrett, Bailey Zimmerman, and Ian Munsick.

Read Bobby Karl’s recap of the event here.

MusicRow‘s 9th annual “Rising Women on the Row.” Photo: Steve Lowry

MusicRow‘s 9th annual “Rising Women on the Row.” Photo: Steve Lowry

MusicRow’s 9th annual “Rising Women on the Row.” Photo: Steve Lowry

MusicRow‘s 9th annual “Rising Women on the Row.” Photo: Steve Lowry

MusicRow‘s 9th annual “Rising Women on the Row.” Photo: Steve Lowry

MusicRow‘s 9th annual “Rising Women on the Row.” Photo: Steve Lowry

MusicRow‘s 9th annual “Rising Women on the Row.” Photo: Steve Lowry

MusicRow‘s 9th annual Rising Women on the Row. Photo: Steve Lowry

MusicRow‘s 9th annual “Rising Women on the Row.” Photo: Steve Lowry

MusicRow‘s 9th annual “Rising Women on the Row.” Photo: Steve Lowry

Pictured (L-R): Carly Strickland (A&R Director, Big Machine Label Group); Allison Jones (A&R Evp, Big Machine Label Group); Jordan Pettit (Director of Artist Relations and Programming Strategy, Grand Ole Opry); Brian Kelley; Jenn Tressler (Senior Manager, Artist & Label Strategy, Grand Ole Opry); Clay Hunnicutt (Gm, Big Machine Records); Kevin Spellman (Manager, Vector Management); Darielle Schroeder (A&R Manager, Big Machine Label Group). Photo: Chris Hollo

Brian Kelley brought that laid-back, beach vibe to the Grand Ole Opry stage in Nashville Wednesday night (Oct. 19) during his solo debut on the show.

Brian Kelley. Photo: Chris Hollo

The Ormond Beach, Florida native performed three songs from his breakout solo project, Sunshine State Of Mind, for the packed house, including “Boat Names,” and the spirited “Sunday Service In The Sand.”

“I’m on cloud nine. Those three songs flew by in the blink of an eye, and I wish I could stay here all night and play,” shared Kelley backstage. “It was a dream come true standing in that circle and extra special to have my parents in the audience tonight. I’m definitely humbled by this huge honor and already can’t wait to come back. I’ll be here whenever the Opry will have me.”

Kelly returns to Florida this week for the last batch of shows on his “Surf Post Sessions’ Second Wave Of Summer” residency. He’ll wrap the 20-date run and celebrate Halloween in the backyard of the Tribe Kelley Surf Post in Grayton Beach, Florida in costume at a Halloween bash on Oct. 31.

Pictured (L-R): Grand Ole Opry’s Jordan Pettit, Eighteen Company’s Basak Kizilisk, Alana Springsteen, 650 AM WSM’s Bill Cody, Grand Ole Opry’s Dan Rogers and Jenn Tressler. Photo: David Bradley.

Rising artist Alana Springsteen rang in her 22nd birthday with two career milestones.

Tuesday night (Oct. 18), she made her Grand Ole Opry debut and announced her recently inked record deal with Columbia Records NY/Sony Music Nashville onstage, with her family amongst the crowd.

Alana Springsteen. Photo: Chris Hollo.

“Another reason tonight is so special is that I get to announce that I just signed a record deal with Columbia Records NY/Sony Music Nashville,” she shared from the stage. “I can’t imagine a better way to celebrate my birthday! So many dreams are coming true tonight. My heart is so full.”

Springsteen performed “While You’re At It,” off her recent EP History Of Breaking Up (Part Two). She also took the audience back to her childhood in Virginia Beach with “Hate It When I’m Right,” a song she wrote when she was 12 years old. Springsteen dedicated the latter to her 10-year-old self who sat in the Opry’s pews for the first time and to those in the audience chasing a dream, a full-circle moment for the singer-songwriter.

Backstage, her father surprised her with a hand-painted pair of Dickies–as Springsteen has been known to paint her own pairs–featuring Opry-themed drawings to further celebrate the dream come true.

“Coal Miner’s Daughter: A Celebration Of The Life & Music Of Loretta Lynn,” a live celebration from the Grand Ole Opry House will take place Oct. 30. Presented by CMT and Sandbox Live, and held in partnership with Lynn’s family, the public memorial service will be hosted by NBC’s Today Show co-host and family friend Jenna Bush Hager.

The celebration will feature performances from Brandi Carlile, Crystal Gayle, Darius Rucker, Emmy Russell & Lukas Nelson, George Strait, The Highwomen with Brittney Spencer, Keith Urban, Little Big Town, Margo Price, Tanya Tucker and Wynonna. There will also be a handful of special appearances from Lynn’s closest friends and family, including Barbara Mandrell, Faith Hill, Martina McBride, Sheryl Crow and Tim McGraw. Additional performers and guests will be announced in the coming days.

“Coal Miner’s Daughter: A Celebration Of The Life & Music Of Loretta Lynn,” will air commercial-free on Oct. 30 at 6 p.m. CT exclusively on CMT. The special will also be made available on Paramount+ in early 2023.

“We are truly honored to work closely alongside Loretta’s family to create a celebration of life fit for a true queen of country music, Loretta Lynn. She was a true original, a woman who always sang from her heart, never shied away from challenging the status quo and blazed the path forward for her fellow female artists,” CMT Producers share. “From her firecracker spirit and signature musicality to her unmistakable country style and unparalleled authenticity, we look forward to honoring her in the best way we know how: sharing stories and songs with her family, friends and the legions of fans she loved dearly.”

Lynn’s memorial service will be open to the public with a limited number of tickets available.