Music Library Association

What Music Library Association does

The Music Library Association (MLA) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit professional association founded in 1931, headquartered in Middleton, Wisconsin with operational offices in Albany, New York managed by Capitol Hill Management Services. It has been the U.S. branch of the International Association of Music Libraries, Archives and Documentation Centres (IAML) since July 1, 2011. MLA serves an international membership of music librarians, musicians, scholars, educators, and members of the book and music trades through 10 regional chapters and 25+ interest groups. Its core products are publications, including the quarterly journal Notes (the field's leading journal), the monthly Music Cataloging Bulletin, and three monographic series (Technical Reports, Index & Bibliography, Basic Manual); member services including a Job Placement Service clearinghouse, Résumé and Cover Letter Review Service, Career Advisory Service, and Instruction Consultation Service; professional development via workshops, webinars, and e-courses delivered in partnership with the American Library Association; and an annual conference with preconference workshops. Underlying technology consists of an association management platform with online community portal, social login (Facebook, LinkedIn), email distribution via the Indiana University-hosted MLA-L listserv, and journal access through Project MUSE.

MLA operates a hybrid community-led and subscription-driven business model. Revenue streams include annual membership dues at tiered price points from $50 (student/hardship) to $880 (corporate patron), publication sales, annual conference registration and exhibit fees, advertising in Notes and on the MLA website, and individual and corporate donations supporting scholarships and awards. The association is governed by a Board of Directors including elected officers and financial officers, and employs approximately 8 staff. Strategic partners include ALA, AMS, NISO, RILM, RISM, RIPM, RIdIM, Music Publishers Association, Library Binding Institute, Indiana University, the University of Maryland, and Capitol Hill Management Services.

Name

Music Library Association

Legal name

Music Library Association, Inc.

Website

https://musiclibraryassoc.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1931

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Music Library Association is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit professional association founded in 1931, serving music librarians, musicians, scholars, and educators through publications (Notes journal), career services, professional development, and an annual conference. It operates as the U.S. branch of IAML.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Association Services

NAICS

Libraries and Archives (51921)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721), Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731)

akta.pro primary industry

Academic & Research Library Operations (College/University Libraries) (EDAEAGAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Special Libraries (Law, Medical, Corporate, Government) Operations (EDAEAGAD), Libraries, Archives & Special Collections (BPAGAHAF)

Keywords

• Music librarianship
• Professional association
• Library publications
• Cataloging standards
• Music research

Headquarters

HQ city

Albany

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, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual membership dues collected from individuals, institutions, and corporations at various tier levels. Dues range from $50 for student/hardship to $880 for corporate patron.
2. Publications: Sales of publications including the quarterly journal Notes, Technical Reports, Index & Bibliography Series, Basic Manual Series, Music Cataloging Bulletin, and MLA Newsletter.
3. Conference Revenue: Annual conference registration fees, preconference workshops, and exhibit booth rentals.
4. Advertising: Advertising sales in Notes journal and on MLA website managed by the Advertising Manager.
5. Donations: Individual and corporate donations supporting scholarships, awards, and organizational mission.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Music Library Association is a nonprofit professional association founded in 1931 that supports music librarians and the broader music library profession. It delivers its value through membership programs, scholarly and trade publications (including the Notes journal, Music Cataloging Bulletin, MLA News, Technical Reports, Index & Bibliography Series, and Basic Manual Series), professional development workshops, an annual conference, and career and placement services.

Product overview

The Music Library Association is a professional association offering a comprehensive ecosystem of publications, career services, professional development, and community resources for music librarianship. The core offerings include the quarterly journal Notes (the world's leading journal in its field), the monthly Music Cataloging Bulletin, and three monographic series (Technical Reports, Index & Bibliography, and Basic Manual). Member services encompass a Job Placement Service clearinghouse, résumé and cover letter review, career advisory consultations, professional development workshops and webinars (partnered with American Library Association), an email discussion list (MLA-L hosted by Indiana University), and an annual conference with preconference workshops. The association also maintains ten regional chapters and administers various awards and grants including a Diversity Scholarship. Members access an online community portal with social login (Facebook/LinkedIn), Project MUSE integration for journal content, and various interest groups focused on library systems like Ex Libris Alma, SirsiDynix, and WMS.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Notes (Quarterly Journal of the Music Library Association)

Named customers10 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration8 records

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• IAML-US (U.S. Branch of International Association of Music Libraries)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2011On July 1, 2011, operations of IAML-US and MLA were combined and MLA officially became the United States branch of IAML (International Association of Music Libraries, Archives and Documentation Centres). This merger allows MLA to represent the full spectrum of music librarianship in the United States and participate as partners and equals with other national branches of IAML.
• RILM (Répertoire International de Littérature Musicale)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMLA is a major sponsor of the U.S. office of RILM Abstracts of Music Literature, compiling and editing 2,500 citations and abstracts annually representing books, articles, and dissertations published in the United States.
• RISM (Répertoire International des Sources Musicales)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMLA shares with the American Musicological Society the responsibility for organizing and implementing U.S. contributions to the International Inventory of Musical Sources, identifying locations of music manuscripts and publications from earliest times through early 19th century.
• RIPM (Répertoire International de Publications Musicales)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMLA endorses RIPM as part of the R projects supporting international cooperative music-bibliographical projects.
• RIdIM (Répertoire International d'Iconographie Musicale)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMLA endorses RIdIM as part of the R projects supporting international cooperative music-bibliographical projects.
• University of Maryland (Special Collections in Performing Arts)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe MLA Archives are housed at Special Collections in Performing Arts of the University of Maryland in College Park. The collection contains official records of MLA since 1931, including manuscripts, publications, sound recordings, oral histories, and born-digital files.
• Indiana University (MLA-L Listserv)coreTechnology or IntegrationIndiana University hosts MLA-L, the email distribution list for MLA. The list provides mail distribution and archiving services. MLA-L was founded in March 1989 and is overseen by MLA with Code of Conduct enforcement.
• American Library Association (ALA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMLA works with ALA in development of cataloging codes including RDA, and collaborates on standards for music materials in librarianship through Cataloging and Metadata Committee partnerships.
• American Musicological Society (AMS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint Committee: MLA/AMS Joint Committee on RISM coordinates U.S. contributions to the International Inventory of Musical Sources.
• National Information Standards Organization (NISO)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMLA collaborates with NISO in formulating and promoting standards for music materials in the field of librarianship.
• Music Publishers AssociationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMLA collaborates with Music Publishers Association in formulating and promoting standards for music materials.
• Library Binding InstituteminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMLA collaborates with Library Binding Institute in formulating and promoting standards for music materials.
• Capitol Hill Management ServicescoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerProvides association management services for MLA including membership management, convention registration, and administrative support at the Albany office location.
• American Library Association (Continuing Education Partnership)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIn partnership with ALA, MLA Education Committee sponsors webinars and e-courses on variety of topics related to music librarianship.
• IAML (International Association of Music Libraries, Archives and Documentation Centres)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerIAML encourages and promotes activities of music libraries at national and international levels. Official languages are English, French, and German. MLA is the U.S. national branch.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Medical Library Association (MLA): Coincidentally shares the MLA acronym and provides a directly comparable specialist library association model: membership tiers, professional development, publications, and career services for a niche (medical) librarianship audience.
• Art Libraries Society of North America (ARLIS/NA): Specialist library association serving art and design librarians with comparable structure, publications, and conference programming. Mirrors MLA's niche-association model in a different discipline.
• American Musicological Society (AMS): Scholarly society for musicology that co-runs the MLA/AMS Joint Committee on RISM with MLA. Shares a closely overlapping membership base of music scholars and librarians.
• Special Libraries Association (SLA): Closest structural peer, serving librarians in corporate, government, and specialized settings. Operates with similar membership tiers, publications, and continuing education offerings.
• Theatre Library Association (TLA): Small performing-arts-focused library association with a similar membership model, awards program, and publication offerings. Provides a structural parallel for an even smaller performing-arts archive/librarianship community.
• Society of American Archivists (SAA): National professional association for archivists with parallel membership, certification, publications, and conference models. Overlaps with MLA's interest groups in archives management and digital preservation.

Broad incumbents

• American Library Association (ALA): The largest U.S. library association, providing broad professional development, cataloging standards (jointly with MLA via RDA), and continuing education that partially overlaps with MLA's offerings. MLA partners with ALA on webinars and e-courses.
• International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA): Global umbrella for national library associations, providing international standards, advocacy, and programming that overlaps with MLA's role as the U.S. representative to IAML.

Emerging players

• Association for Library Collections & Technical Services (ALCTS), now Core: Leadership, Infrastructure, Futures: ALA division focused on collection development and technical services, including music cataloging. Publishes standards and continuing education that compete with MLA's Basic Manual Series and cataloging bulletins.

Regional players

• International Association of Music Libraries, Archives and Documentation Centres (IAML): Global parent organization of which MLA is the U.S. national branch. Operates in English, French, and German; provides the international umbrella under which MLA functions and travels.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/musiclibraryassn
• Facebookfacebook.com/MusicLibraryAssociation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/music-library-association

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Music Library Association