Music Copyright Society of China

What Music Copyright Society of China does

Music Copyright Society of China (MCSC / 中国音乐著作权协会, branded 音著协) is the sole statutory music copyright collective management organization in mainland China, established on December 17, 1992 jointly by the National Copyright Administration and the Chinese Musicians Association. Operating as a non-profit social organization under the guidance of the National Copyright Administration and supervision of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, MCSC represents 16,132 members as of end-2025 (64% composers, 29.66% lyricists, 2.98% heirs, 1.53% publishers) and manages over 24 million musical works covering more than 3 million global lyricists and composers through reciprocal agreements with 80+ overseas societies. It serves two counterparties: music copyright owners, who entrust their rights to MCSC for collective enforcement and royalty collection, and music users across broadcasting, live events, hospitality, retail, theme parks, and digital/online platforms, who obtain blanket licensing in lieu of negotiating with millions of individual rights holders.

MCSC's technology stack is anchored by two proprietary systems. DIVA, co-developed with Hong Kong CASH in 2002 and compliant with international IPI and ISWC standards, is the largest Chinese-language music copyright information management database globally. iSMC (Integrated System of Music Copyright), launched on August 20, 2021, is a one-stop platform integrating author enrollment, work registration, rights search, license management, royalty distribution, usage monitoring, and a Content Safety Audit sub-system that uses text comparison against sensitive word databases and exposes results via API to regulators and music platforms. MCSC is also the sole ISWC (International Standard Musical Work Code) agency in mainland China since March 2009, and is a member of CISAC (1994), BIEM (2007), and IFRRO (2012).

MCSC's revenue is generated entirely through copyright license fees collected from music users under four rights categories: performance (live events, background music at hotels, restaurants, malls, supermarkets, theme parks), reproduction (audio/video recordings, film/TV, advertising), broadcasting (radio/TV under the State Council's 2009 Measures), and information network transmission (streaming, downloads, ringtones). Published fee schedules are formula-based by usage category (e.g., live performance = seats × ticket price × 4%; hotel mechanical performance = RMB 10–45 per room per year by star rating; mobile ringtones = 14% of download fee with RMB 0.14 minimum). After deducting an average management fee of ~17.5–19.7%, the remainder is distributed to rights holders. Distribution is multi-cycle (14×/year), with RMB 604 million of licensing revenue collected in 2025 and cumulative licensing revenue of approximately RMB 4.954 billion since inception. Go-to-market combines direct licensing, 20+ branch offices across provinces, industry-association umbrella agreements, and strategic partnerships with major digital platforms.

Name

Music Copyright Society of China

Legal name

中国音乐著作权协会

Website

https://mcsc.com.cn

Company type

Private

Founded year

1992

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Music Copyright Society of China (MCSC) is the sole statutory music copyright collective management organization in mainland China, providing blanket licensing and royalty distribution across performance, reproduction, broadcasting, and digital rights for 16,000+ music creators and 20,000+ commercial users.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Music Rights Management / Music Copyright Collective Management

NAICS

Music Publishers (512230), Music Publishers (51223)

SIC

Patent Owners & Lessors (6794)

akta.pro primary industry

Performing Rights Organizations (PROs) & Public Performance Licensing (MPAIAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Music Rights Administration & Royalty Processing (Admin, Accounting, Statements) (MPAIAKAD), Royalty Accounting & Payment Services (Statements, Audits, Payee Management) (MPAIABAL), Copyright Registration & Catalog Management (Metadata, ISWC/ISRC Linking) (MPAIABAC), Mechanical Licensing (MLC/Local Equivalents, D2C/Streaming Mechanical) (MPAIABAD), Performance Rights Administration (PRO Affiliation, Cue Sheet/Setlist Processing) (MPAIABAE)

Keywords

• Music copyright licensing
• Royalty distribution
• Collective rights management
• Music rights administration
• Performance rights licensing

Headquarters

HQ city

Dongcheng

HQ country

China

HQ region

Asia

Offices20 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Copyright License Fees (Music Usage Fees): MCSC collects copyright license fees from music users (businesses and institutions) who use copyrighted musical works managed by the society. Fees are collected based on published fee standards covering performance rights, broadcasting rights, reproduction rights, and information network transmission rights. After deducting management fees (approximately 17.5-20% average), the remaining fees are distributed to music copyright holders (members). Revenue has grown to approximately RMB 604 million in 2025, with cumulative total royalty revenue of approximately RMB 4.954 billion since the society's establishment.
2. Legal Statutory License Fee Collection and Transfer: MCSC is designated by the National Copyright Administration as the statutory license fee collection and transfer unit for music copyright. It collects and transfers statutory license fees on behalf of both member and non-member copyright owners for statutory permitted uses (e.g., radio/TV broadcast of published music, reproduction of sound recordings).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

MCSC is the sole statutory music copyright collective management organization in mainland China, providing non-profit licensing of music rights (performance, mechanical/reproduction, broadcasting, and network/new media) to commercial music users and distributing royalties to over 16,132 members across a repertoire of more than 24 million musical works. It also operates as the sole ISWC agency in mainland China and maintains reciprocal agreements with 80+ foreign collective management organizations.

Product overview

Music Copyright Society of China (MCSC) is a collective copyright management organization providing integrated services for music copyright holders and users. The core offering is collective rights management across four copyright types: performance rights, reproduction rights, broadcasting rights, and network (information network dissemination) rights. The primary technology platform is iSMC (Music Copyright Integration Service System), which unifies rights information management through the DIVA big data system and offers member services including the MORP digital copyright registration system. Additional modules include the fee distribution system, user service system, music usage monitoring system, and content safety audit system. Services are delivered through online portals, a member app, and branch offices across China.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Performance Rights Licensing Statutory blanket licensing of public performance rights for copyrighted musical works, enabling commercial music users (venues, broadcasters, digital platforms, live event organizers) to legally use MCSC's repertoire of 24 million+ works in public performance contexts. Licensed under MCSC's role as the sole statutory collective management organization in mainland China.
• Mechanical/Reproduction Rights Licensing Licensing of mechanical/reproduction rights for copyrighted musical works, authorizing commercial users to reproduce songs on physical media, digital downloads, or other recorded formats. Issued under MCSC's statutory collective management mandate.
• Broadcasting Rights Licensing Licensing of broadcasting rights for copyrighted musical works, authorizing radio and television broadcasters to transmit MCSC's repertoire of 24 million+ works via broadcast channels. Issued under MCSC's statutory collective management mandate.
• Network/New Media Rights Licensing Licensing of network/new media rights for copyrighted musical works, authorizing digital platforms, streaming services, and online content providers to use MCSC's repertoire via internet and mobile channels. Issued under MCSC's statutory collective management mandate.
• iSMC Cloud Platform Proprietary cloud-based music rights platform developed by MCSC, providing digital infrastructure for music rights administration, licensing, and royalty management services to members and music users.
• MORP Digital Copyright Registration Proprietary digital copyright registration system that allows music creators and rights holders to register musical works with MCSC for collective administration, supporting the organization of the 24 million+ works under management.
• DIVA Rights Information Management System Proprietary rights information management system that maintains metadata, ownership records, and licensing status for MCSC's repertoire of 24 million+ works, supporting accurate royalty distribution to members.
• ISWC Agency Services International Standard Musical Work Code (ISWC) agency services, issuing globally recognized unique identifiers for musical works; MCSC operates as the sole ISWC agency in mainland China since 2009.

Quantifiable outcome

• Annual royalty collection reached RMB 604 million in 2025, with cumulative royalty revenue of approximately RMB 4.954 billion since establishment
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability2 records

Feature4 records

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• JASRAC (Japanese Society for Rights of Authors, Composers and Publishers): JASRAC is Japan's statutory music copyright collective, the largest PRO in Asia by collection volume, and a CISAC peer of MCSC. It operates under a similar legislative framework (Japanese Copyright Act) with comparable functions across performance, mechanical, broadcast and online rights.
• CASH (Composers and Authors Society of Hong Kong): CASH is Hong Kong's music copyright collective management organization and is MCSC's most direct peer — they co-developed the DIVA rights information system in 2002. CASH administers performing, mechanical and synchronization rights for the HK music market and shares reciprocal representation with MCSC across Chinese-language repertoire.
• KOMCA (Korea Music Copyright Association): KOMCA is Korea's dominant music copyright CMO, with whom MCSC has direct cross-border arrangements including the NetEase Cloud Music Korean music deal. KOMCA manages a comparable repertoire across performance and digital rights and operates as a CISAC member peer to MCSC.
• GEMA (Gesellschaft für musikalische Aufführungs- und mechanische Vervielfältigungsrechte): GEMA is Germany's music copyright CMO with a statutory-monopoly structure analogous to MCSC's, administering performing, mechanical and synchronization rights for the world's third-largest music market. It is a direct peer in regulatory design, fee-setting governance, and reciprocal CISAC representation.
• PRS for Music: PRS for Music is the UK's combined PRO and mechanical rights CMO and a CISAC member with reciprocal agreements covering MCSC's repertoire globally. It is a structural peer in business model (non-profit CMO, blanket licensing, fee distribution) though it operates in a much more mature market.
• ASCAP (American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers): ASCAP is a US PRO administering public performance rights for its members' musical works, with reciprocal agreements covering MCSC's catalog in North America. It is a direct functional peer in blank licensing of performance rights, although structurally it is a member-governed non-profit competing against BMI in the same market.
• SACEM (Société des Auteurs, Compositeurs et Éditeurs de Musique): SACEM is France's music copyright CMO operating under a similar collective-management framework with reciprocal representation covering MCSC's French-exposed repertoire. It is a direct peer in administering performing, mechanical, and audiovisual reproduction rights across a major market.
• BMI (Broadcast Music, Inc.): BMI is the second US PRO and a CISAC member with reciprocal ties to MCSC. It is a direct peer in administering public performance rights, blanket licensing to broadcasters and digital platforms, and operating as a non-profit collecting/distributing CMO.

Regional players

• COMPASS (Composers and Authors Society of Singapore): COMPASS is Singapore's music copyright CMO and a CISAC peer with reciprocal ties to MCSC for cross-border Chinese-language repertoire collection. It operates as a regional peer with comparable CMO functions but a smaller domestic market scope.
• MACP (Music Authors' Copyright Protection) Malaysia: MACP administers music copyright for Malaysian rights holders and maintains reciprocal agreements with MCSC. It is a regional CMO peer operating in an adjacent Southeast Asian market with similar CMO functions but smaller scale and a more limited catalog.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Music Copyright Society of China