MPL Music Publishing

What MPL Music Publishing does

MPL Music Publishing, Inc. is a privately held music publishing and licensing company founded in 1968 and headquartered at 41 West 54th Street, New York. It administers an extensive catalog of copyrighted songs through a network of 27+ wholly-owned publishing entities, including MPL Communications Inc., MPL Communications Ltd., Frank Music Corp., Edwin H. Morris & Company, Carl Perkins Music, and others. The catalog encompasses works from iconic songwriters spanning multiple genres and eras — most notably the complete Paul McCartney songwriting catalog, along with Buddy Holly, Carl Perkins, Frank Loesser, Jerry Herman, Bessie Smith, Louis Jordan, Fats Waller, and Jelly Roll Morton — administered across ASCAP, BMI, and PRS societies.

The company licenses music for synchronization in film, television, advertising, web, and merchandise; master recording licensing; mechanical licensing (through exclusive partner Kobalt Music Group); and print, arrangement, and lyric reprint licensing (through Hal Leonard Publishing). Its core technical platform is a web-based catalog search system with metadata filtering (title, artist, writer, decade, theme, genre, tempo, type, cues), supplemented by a DISCO integration that exposes the catalog to professional music supervisors. Marketing and acquisition are conducted almost entirely through the company website, artist spotlight pages, and a placements showcase.

MPL generates revenue exclusively through negotiated licensing royalties: synchronization and master license fees are individually negotiated based on usage type, duration, and distribution scope; mechanical royalties follow the US statutory rate of 9.1 cents per song per copy distributed via Kobalt. Customers include major Hollywood film studios, prestige television networks and streaming platforms, global brand advertisers, and merchandise manufacturers. The business is closely held, with no disclosed institutional investors, and ownership is widely associated with Paul McCartney and his estate.

Name

MPL Music Publishing

Legal name

MPL Music Publishing, Inc.

Website

https://mplcommunications.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1968

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

MPL Music Publishing is a private music licensing company that administers a catalog of iconic songwriters — including Paul McCartney, Buddy Holly, and Carl Perkins — licensing synchronization, master, mechanical, and print rights to film studios, TV networks, advertisers, and merchandise manufacturers globally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Music Publishing and Licensing

NAICS

Music Publishers (512230), Music Publishers (51223)

SIC

Miscellaneous Publishing (2741)

akta.pro primary industry

Sync Rights Representation (Pitching, Clearance, Negotiation) (MPAIABAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Songwriting & Composition (Topliners, Co-writers, Camps) (MPAIABAA), Music & Synchronization Rights for Film/TV (MPADALAC), Mechanical Licensing (MLC/Local Equivalents, D2C/Streaming Mechanical) (MPAIABAD), Music Rights & Clearances (Sync, Score, Publishing) (MPADAAAI)

Keywords

• Music publishing services
• Synchronization licensing
• Mechanical licensing
• Master recording rights
• Music catalog licensing

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Synchronization Licensing: MPL grants synchronization licenses for use of songs in film, TV, radio, advertising, web content, and merchandise. This involves licensing the copyright (song) for visual pairing with audio content. Fees are negotiated based on usage type, duration, and distribution scope.
2. Master Licensing: Fees for licensing master recordings (specific recordings of songs). Master licensing fees are negotiable and separate from copyright licensing.
3. Mechanical Licensing (via Kobalt): Licensing for recording and distributing songs on CD, digital download, or other audio-only formats. Handled exclusively through Kobalt Music Group. The US statutory royalty rate is 9.1 cents per song per copy distributed.
4. Print and Arrangement Licensing (via Hal Leonard): Licensing for new arrangements, lyric reprints, and sheet music. Handled through Hal Leonard Publishing. Includes uses in books, magazines, greeting cards, and other print media.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

MPL Music Publishing licenses songs from its catalog of iconic and legendary songwriters for synchronization uses in film, TV, advertising, web, and merchandise. The company grants master recording licenses and channels mechanical licensing through partner Kobalt Music Group and print/arrangement licensing through Hal Leonard Publishing. Fees are negotiated per use, with statutory mechanical royalties at 9.1 cents per song per copy.

Product overview

MPL Music Publishing is a music licensing and publishing company offering a unified platform for licensing songs from their extensive catalog for various commercial uses. The core offerings include Catalog Search for discovering songs, Music Licensing Services for synchronization and mechanical rights, Music Placements showcasing placement history, and Print/Arrangement Licensing through Hal Leonard. They represent catalogs from notable artists including Paul McCartney, Buddy Holly, Carl Perkins, Frank Loesser, Bert Berns, Jerry Herman, Bessie Smith, Louis Jordan, Fats Waller, and Jelly Roll Morton. The company operates catalog search through both their native platform and a DISCO integration.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Synchronization Licensing Services Grants synchronization (sync) licenses for use of catalog songs paired with visual media in film, TV, radio, advertising, web content, and merchandise applications. Available to film studios, TV networks, advertising agencies, brands, and production companies.
• Master Licensing Grants licenses for specific master recordings (specific recorded performances of catalog songs) for use across film, TV, advertising, and other media. Master licensing fees are negotiated separately from copyright/synchronization licensing.
• Mechanical Licensing (via Kobalt Music Group) Licensing for recording and distributing catalog songs on CD, digital download, or other audio-only formats. Handled exclusively through partner Kobalt Music Group. US statutory royalty rate is 9.1 cents per song per copy distributed.
• Print and Arrangement Licensing (via Hal Leonard Publishing) Licensing for new arrangements, lyric reprints in books, magazines, greeting cards, and other print media, plus sheet music distribution. Handled through partner Hal Leonard Publishing.
• Catalog Search Tool Web-based searchable music catalog allowing licensees to search MPL's published songs by title, artist, writer, decade, theme, genre, tempo, type, and cues. Accessible via MPL's native search and via DISCO platform integration.

Quantifiable outcome

• Songs licensed across hundreds of major film, TV, and advertising productions globally

Named customers15 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Kobalt Music GroupcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorKobalt Music Group serves as MPL's exclusive licensing agent for mechanical licenses. Customers seeking to record and distribute songs from MPL's catalog on CD, digital download, or other audio-only formats are directed to Kobalt. The current US statutory mechanical royalty rate is 9.1 cents per song per copy distributed.
• Hal Leonard PublishingcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorHal Leonard Publishing handles MPL's arrangement and lyric reprint licensing as well as sheet music distribution. Customers seeking new arrangements or lyric reprints for use in books, magazines, greeting cards, or other print media contact Hal Leonard directly. Hal Leonard can be reached at 414.774.3630 or through halleonard.com/permissions.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Spirit Music Group: Independent music publisher focused on legacy catalogs and active sync licensing. Comparable in the types of catalogs managed (classic-era songwriters) and the film/TV/ad licensing business model.
• Downtown Music Publishing: Independent music publisher and rights administrator serving songwriters, labels, and content creators. Comparable in operating model and active in sync licensing for film, TV, and advertising.
• Primary Wave Music Publishing: Independent music publisher with strong sync licensing operations and iconic legacy songwriter representation. Comparable in the mix of legacy catalog management, sync rights representation, and premium per-placement pricing.
• Sony Music Publishing: The world's largest music publisher, historically the joint administrator of the Beatles catalog alongside McCartney/MPL structures, with vast portfolios of contemporary and legacy songwriters. Directly comparable as a global music publishing and sync rights administrator with iconic catalog and similar customer base (film, TV, brands).
• Universal Music Publishing Group: Major music publishing division of Universal Music Group, administering a global catalog of legendary songwriters. Comparable in scale of legacy catalog administration, sync licensing infrastructure, and global PRO representation.
• Warner Chappell Music: Major music publishing arm of Warner Music Group, representing catalogs across pop, rock, and Broadway. Directly comparable in administering iconic legacy songwriters and pitching songs for major film, TV, and ad placements.
• BMG Rights Management: Major music publisher and rights administrator with a strong focus on sync licensing and a sizeable catalog of legacy songwriters. Comparable in operating model and customer segments (film, TV, advertising, brands).
• Concord Music Publishing: Independent music publisher administering legacy and contemporary songwriter catalogs with active film/TV sync licensing. Comparable in catalog breadth across pop, Broadway, and standards, and target customer base.

Broad incumbents

• Hal Leonard Publishing: MPL's exclusive print/arrangement licensing partner and the largest print music publisher in the world. Comparable in print music, lyric reprint, and arrangement licensing, and a direct business partner of MPL.
• Kobalt Music Group: MPL's exclusive mechanical licensing partner and a leading independent music publisher and rights administrator. Highly comparable in services offered (sync, mechanical, publishing admin) and a critical business partner of MPL.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/MplCommunications

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries28 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about MPL Music Publishing