W
HEN THE MUSIC MODERNIZATION
Act was signed into law in October 2018,
it mandated the creation of a Mechanical
Licensing Collective, which is to be up
and running by Jan. 1, 2021. On Sept. 13, the MLC — which
must be able to administer the new U.S. blanket licensing
system for mechanical rights created by the MMA — filed
a proposal to the Copyright Royalty Board estimating it will
need $37.25 million to build its infrastructure and then have
a first-year operating budget of $29 million.
Those assessments are part of a proposal outlining the
structure of the collective and the funding required to
carry out the statutory demands of the MMA. That legisla-
tion mandates that digital services fund the operation, and
that the CRB assess how much it will cost.
“The CRB submission is the result of months of research
on the most efficient and effective way to run this new
collective that will serve the needs of both songwriters
and their music publishers as well as the digital music
services from Day One,” the MLC said in a statement.
“The MLC’s operating budget and staff must be capable
of comprehensively meeting and executing the extensive
requirements and responsibilities of the Collective under
the law less than 15 months from now.”
The funding requested by the MLC is in line with the
amounts it included in its proposal to the U.S. Copyright
Office when the MLC group was competing to be chosen
to set up the collective. Back then, the group said it antic-
ipated startup costs between $26 million and $48
million, with an annual operating cost of $25 million to
$40 million. The budget is also in line with the $30 million
projected by the Congressional Budget Office to ensure
the then-pending legislation would be fully funded.
When the MLC is functioning, “we have a mandate
to not just administer the mechanical licensing process,
but to improve it, make it more transparent and to better
serve songwriters and publishers of all sizes and around
the world,” MLC board chairman Alisa Coleman said in a
statement. “We have outlined what is necessary to achieve
these goals and advance the industry, and to fulfill Con-
gress’ mandate to end the status quo where undisclosed
millions of dollars owed to music creators are not paid.”
Next Up For The
MMA: A Budget
THE MECHANICAL LICENSING
COLLECTIVE SUBMITTED ESTIMATES FOR
BUILDING AND OPERATING ITS SYSTEM
BY ED CHRISTMAN
B
EATRIZ LUENGO WAS IN A
writing session for a major
female artist when another
writer volunteered a lyric for
the chorus that went, “I want
you to spray me with your hose all night.”
Luengo bristled: Her label, Sony Latin, had
brought her in to provide a female perspec-
tive in the songwriting process. “If we’re
going to talk sex, let’s talk sex that’s good for
both sides,” says Luengo, 36. “Music has
influence. I don’t want to tell young girls that
‘getting sprayed’ is the new sexy.”
The Latin Grammy-nominated artist and
songwriter, who has penned hits for Ricky
Martin and CNCO, is one of just a handful
of Latina songwriters working on charting
Latin hits. That scarcity goes to the core of a
long-standing issue in the genre: With fewer
women writing, it’s harder for them to get on
the charts than men.
Sony Latin is trying to change this dynamic
by bringing in established writers like Luengo
to better accommodate young Latina singers,
one of many efforts the music industry has
made in the last two years. Latin labels are
actively pushing new female acts like Lali and
Paloma Mami (Sony), Greeicy and Mariah
(Universal), and Cazzu (Rimas) — a major
shift in focus. Univision’s Premios lo Nues-
tro and Telemundo’s Latin American Music
Awards both had all female hosts for their
most recent editions for the first time in their
histories, and Spotify and Apple Music active-
ly promote female artists on their platforms.
And there has been a tangible effect. In
2015 and 2016, the percentage of titles with
women on Billboard’s Hot Latin Songs chart
hovered around 8%. Once the push to pro-
mote Latina talent kicked up in 2017, the dial
began to shift. In 2018, there were 36 such
songs on the chart, approaching 15%.
Yet the number has slipped again this year,
and among those tracks that have reached
the top 10, just four songs include women,
down from 10 in 2018. Of those four, the two
that made it to No. 1 — Shakira’s “Chantaje”
(featuring Maluma) and “Dame Tu Cosita” by
Pitbull, El Chombo and Karol G — featured
men. On Country Airplay, which also has
come under scrutiny for a lack of diversity,
women were featured on 21% of the songs be-
tween January 2018 and July 2019, according
to a SongData study.
Part of the issue is that the dominant sub-
genres on the Latin charts are reggaetón and
urban, which historically favor male singers.
Becky G, Karol G and Natti Natasha, who
crossed over from pop to urban music, are
exceptions, but they are outliers in that they
write most of their own songs. The majority
of urban music is written for male artists from
a male perspective because virtually all
of the Latin producers, engineers, DJs
and songwriters creating the material
are men. “The lack of women in the
creative space [is worrisome],” says Nir
Seroussi, executive vp at Interscope
Geffen A&M. “There isn’t one female
producer I know.”
In June, Spotify launched the Casa de
Música — Escuta as Minas initiative, a
recording studio in São Paulo. “The goal
was to create a safe space and environ-
ment in an all-female-led studio,” says
Mia Nygren, Spotify’s managing director
for Latin America. Casa de Música is
part of a Listen to Women initiative
Spotify debuted in Brazil in 2018.
Erika Ender, who co-wrote “Despaci-
to,” is excited to see more female
colleagues in writing sessions. But, she
says, “my personal perception is it’s
still not being reflected in the charts.
Perhaps it’s a matter of time.”
‘Spray Me With Your Hose’?
As Men Pen Most Latin Hits,
Women Struggle On Charts
Latina pop stars are everywhere — except behind the boards
BY LEILA COBO
From left: Natti Natasha,
Karol G and Anitta.
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AROL^ G:^ CHRISBRUNSKILL/FANTASISTA/GETTY^IMAGES.^ N
ATASHA:^ ALEXANDERTAMARGO/GETTY^IMAGES.^ A
NITTA:MAURICIO^SANTANA/GETTY^IMAGES.66 BILLBOARD • SEPTEMBER 21, 2019 PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY MAX-O-MATIC
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