The MLC’s Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Music Industry Roundtable

I’m grateful to be in a role where I can create opportunities for music creators and music industry professionals of diverse backgrounds. Year-round, I develop cultural initiatives to highlight the work and careers of underrepresented music creators. This month, to commemorate Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, I am proud to have put together the following webinar:
The Mechanical Licensing Collective presents Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Music Industry Roundtable
Wednesday, May 24th at 12pm PST / 2pm CST / 3pm EST
The MLC welcomes Amy Lui, Music Tech & Industry Studies Instructor at Francis Polytechnic High School and Contributor at Asian American Collective, to moderate a virtual roundtable with a panel of fellow AAPI music creators and music industry professionals. Join us via Zoom as the panelists explore the ways in which their upbringing, identity, and community has contributed to their journeys and work in the U.S. music industry.
Speakers:
- Alana Rich – Pop Singer-Songwriter
- Casper Sun – Recording Artist
- Chloe Duvall – Dark Pop Singer-Songwriter
- Dondi Iannucci – Singer-Songwriter
- Faith Rivera – Emmy Award-Winning Singer, Songwriter, Speaker, and Podcast Host
- Grace Lee – Creative Consultant and Co-Founder, Asian American Collective
- Michèle Vice-Maslin – Emmy Award-Winning Hit Music Producer, Songwriter, Publisher
- Soy Kim – Creator Product Marketing, Spotify & Korean Cultural Expert
Register: https://themlc.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_ef_QvXyYRR-hHu5baBhkag
The MLC presents Beats & Money: A Music Rights and Royalties Crash Course for Beatmakers

Attention Beatmakers: This one is for you!
The Mechanical Licensing Collective & RME present
Beats & Money: A Music Rights and Royalties Crash Course for Beatmakers
April 12 at 12PM PT / 2PM CT / 3PM ET
Today, there are more beatmakers creating and distributing beats into the global music ecosystem than ever before. While the cost of music production continues to fall, the assortment of creator tools have exploded thanks to innovation in the music technology space; making it easier to create, promote, and collaborate around new beats.
Gone are the days of waiting around to be discovered by a top record label A&R. So-called “bedroom producers” are already connecting with artists and musical groups over social media, beat marketplaces, creator networking platforms and chat rooms. All of this activity has resulted in more beatmakers entering the music business ecosystem and being entitled to certain rights, earning digital music royalties and launching careers. The 2020’s are certainly the decade for beatmakers.
Join Dae Bogan, Head of Third-Party Partnerships at The Mechanical Licensing Collective (The MLC), and Chris McMurtry, VP of Product at Pex and Head of RME, for an insightful crash course on the rights and royalties of a beatmaker and learn how to start properly administering your music to collect your digital music royalties.
Registration: https://themlc.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_k1jxYD6TSTOiNXgDphj9Eg
Dae Bogan’s Music Industry Entrepreneurship Winter 2023 Class At UCLA Wraps With Student Startup Presentations

An artificial intelligence music production platform. A global music mentorship and collaboration social media platform. An app to track your favorite artist shows and connect to attend with other solo concert-goers. A digital music service for independent music where artists can engage with their listeners. And a marketplace where musical artists can find visual artists to design album artwork.
Those were the startup ideas that my students pitched during their final presentations tonight in my Music Industry Entrepreneurship class at UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music.
They put in 10 weeks of market research and strategic business planning to conceptualize 5 highly feasible startup ideas while learning from my lectures and guest speakers including Jeff Ponchick (formerly of Repost by SoundCloud), Vickie Nauman (CrossBorderWorks), Shara Senderoff (Futureverse / Raised In Space), Josh Simons (Vampr), Darryl Reid (E-Mixed), and Kristin Graziani (Stem).
An intense 10-weeks series of 4-hour masterclasses (one per week) has come to an end. I am proud to know that another batch of tomorrow’s music industry game-changers are armed with the skillsets and entrepreneurial mindset to contribute to the continued evolution of the music industry.
One such example is my former student (2019) David Hartley, Founder & CEO of SoundSmith. David utilized my office hours to explore an idea at the intersection of music and influencers and express his interest in diving into entrepreneurship. After excelling in my music industry entrepreneurship class and graduating in 2020, he began to work on his idea with his friend/co-founder. Eventually, they were accepted into both the Startmate business accelerator and the Melbourne Accelerator Program. Recently, David was named a The Music Network 30 Under 30.
Dae Bogan Joins Music Administration Advisory Board at Los Angeles Mission College

I am pleased to announce that I’ve joined the Music Administration Advisory Board at Los Angeles Mission College to help advise the school’s development of curriculum for offering music industry certification programs.
As an alumnus of the California community college system — Los Angeles Valley College ‘06 — it means a lot me to give back to the California community college system by helping to shape the academic journey of future alumni.
The MLC x Culture: Call For Speakers [Asian and Pacific Islander, Black, Latin, LGBTQ, Native American]











The MLC x Culture
🔊 CALL FOR SPEAKERS • CREATORS & PROFESSIONALS
For the past three years, among other responsibilities, I’ve had the honor of developing cultural initiatives at The Mechanical Licensing Collective (The MLC) that shines a spotlight on the works and careers of music creators and music industry professionals from historically underrepresented cultural groups. Through a variety of curated virtual and in-person programs, we’ve unpacked and engaged in discussions on issues impacting the careers and creative expressions of individuals from maginalized groups while conducting outreach and education to welcome songwriters, composers, and lyricists from these groups to join The MLC.
I am pleased to announce my 2023 call for Asian American and Pacific Islander, Black, Latin, LGBTQ, and Native American and Alaska Native music creators and music industry professionals to be considered for cultural programming throughout the year, including key culture/heritage months.
Key months for cultural programming includes:
- Black History Month (February)
- Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month (May)
- Black Music Month (June)
- LGBT Pride Month (June)
- Hispanic Heritage Month (September-October)
- American Island and Alaska Native Heritage Month (November)
If you are an emerging or established music creator (songwriter, composer, lyricist) or working music industry professional who identifies as a member of one of the aforementioned cultural groups and would like to be considered for participation in upcoming virtual programs, please contact me to discuss. (dae.bogan [at] themlc.com)
If you know of someone who you believe would be a good fit, I would appreciate an introduction.
Dae Bogan To Host The MLC’s Black History-in-the-Making Instagram Live Series

I am thrilled to curate and host for the second year The Mechanical Licensing Collective’s “Black History-in-the-Making” Instagram Live Series.
On February 28, 2023, The MLC will host a short but meaningful series of Instagram Live sessions with inspirational Black founders and changemakers in music.
The MLC’s “Black History-in-the-Making” Instagram Live Series recognizes three Black founders of forward-thinking organizations that aim to effect change in the music industry through service and/or innovation. Hosted by Dae Bogan (@daeboganmusic), The MLC’s Head of Third-Party Partnerships, each Instagram Live episode will serve as a virtual fireside chat conversation between Bogan and the featured guest to discuss and unpack the core issues centering each founder’s work and their challenges and achievements thus far.
Viewers can watch and engage in the chat room on The MLC’s Instagram account @mlc_us.
2:00pm CST: Daouda Leonard (@daoudaleonard), Founder of CreateSafe (@createos.app)
In their effort to build a new operating system for the music business, Daouda and CreateSafe’s record deal and publishing deal simulators brought eye-opening transparency to music agreements.
2:30pm CST: Thalia “Muziqueen” Ewing, Founder of Nashville Is Not Just Country Music (@ninjcm)
Thalia and her organization have conducted groundbreaking research into the disconnect between who lives in Music City and who drives the music industry.
3:00pm CST: Randy Savvy, Founder of Compton Cowboys (@comptoncowboys)
Produced by Dr. Dre, Savvy is an artist and a leading light in the Compton Cowboys, a unique program that combines equestrian excellence and community uplift.
The MLC is governed by a Board of Directors comprised of songwriters and representatives of music publishers. For more background on The MLC and its Board and Committee members, go to http://www.TheMLC.com.
Happy New Year Songwriters! You’ve Got New Royalties
Happy New Year Songwriters & Music Publishers!
Take note of the new mechanical royalty rates that are now in effect for the use of your songs in the United States:
As of January 1, 2023, royalty rates are as follows:
• Physical / Permeant Download: 12¢ per minute or 2.31¢ per minute or fraction thereof, whichever amount is greater
• Interactive Streaming / Limited Downloads / Locker Services / Other Digital Deliveries: 15.1% of Service Revenue or Total Content Cost Prong Calculation, whichever amount is greater by offering.
As a reminder, if you own the publishing in your songs, you may be eligible to join The Mechanical Licensing Collective to get paid directly 100% of your digital audio mechanical royalties. This is a separate royalty stream, which your PRO (ASCAP / BMI / SESAC) does not collect or pay out. You earn two songwriter royalties when your songs are streamed on Spotify, Apple Music, Tidal, and other digital music services. You earn a performance royalty (ASCAP, BMI, SESAC) and a mechanical royalty (The MLC).
Learn more about The MLC at http://www.themlc.com and join for free today!
About The MLC in 60 Seconds:
DJs, You’re Next


DJs, You’re next! 😊
After 10+ years of building software to help recording artists, songwriters, composers, lyricists, background vocalists, session musicians, independent labels, and music publishers with their music copyrights and royalties; and on the back of helping thousands of the aforementioned administer thousands of copyrights while unlocking tens of millions of dollars in royalties, it’s time to turn my attention to another group of underserved music creators: DJs
There are over 13,000 DJs in the United States and over 56,000 DJs around the world.
There are more DJ/Producers collaborating with independent music creators and influencers than ever before, and DJ/Producers creating new expressions of original music and derivative works for which they often undervalue and underrepresent their own rights and entitlements (that’s if they’re even aware of their entitlements).
I entered the music industry in 2008, while a senior at UCLA, when I formed Renaissance Artist Management (RAM Artist) and began representing DJs, DJ/Producers, and DJ/Remixers. From local up-and-coming DJs to GRAMMY-nominated festival DJs, I’ve had the pleasure of advising, representing, educating, and collaborating with DJs of all walks of life.
Over the past few years, I’ve been privately advising a number of DJ/Producers on their business and careers. From helping to clear samples, to advising remix negotiations, to pitching mix sets to DJ playlists, to web3 experiences (metaverse and NFTs), to setting the music rights administration plan for collaborations on original songs I’ve been having fun guiding and advising a small group of DJ friends.
Now, I’m looking to my next side project: DJ Music Rights
If you’re a DJ/Producer or represent a DJ/Producer, sign up to be the first to know about my forthcoming side project at http://www.djmusicrights.com
The MLC Unveils New Portal For Independent Music Distributors





I am extremely proud 😁 to announce the launch of a game-changing program that I’ve been championing and developing at The Mechanical Licensing Collective for over 2 years:
The MLC’s Distributor Unmatched Recordings Portal (DURP) is a first-of-its-kind portal that enables independent music distributors to, for the first time, view the recordings they’ve distributed to digital music services (e.g. Spotify, Apple, Amazon, Google, Pandora, Tidal) that may be accruing unclaimed digital audio mechanical royalties for artists and songwriters.
After 12+ years of representing and advising music creators, advocating for music creators, and empowering music creators with education and resources to protect their copyrights and unlock royalties, I am thrilled to offer independent music distributors a tool to help music creators claim millions of dollars in unclaimed royalties from over 2 million unmatched recordings at The MLC.
I would like to thank DURP beta users Believe, TuneCore, CD Baby, Symphonic Distribution, EMPIRE, Vydia, and Repost by SoundCloud for their support and early feedback.
Music distributors can learn more, register for our upcoming info webinar, and request access to DURP at http://www.durp.themlc.com.