[2] The company is a member-based organization representing the digital licensing rights for hundreds of independent labels and distributors in nearly every country around the globe.

The company was founded by Alison Wenham (WIN), Michel Lambot (PIAS), Tom Silverman (Tommy Boy) and Martin Mills (Beggars Group);[5] Charles Caldas was the first chief executive.

Its content has been distributed through TikTok, Facebook/Instagram, Deezer, Pandora Music, SoundCloud, Spotify, Vevo, YouTube Premium and other services.

[9] In March 2018 the company entered into agreements with the three Chinese streaming services – NetEase, Alibaba, and Tencent – for digital music distribution in China.

[16] Merlin added to its list of partners in October 2021 when it announced a deal with TREBEL, the maker of a licensed music app with on-demand and offline play sponsored by brand advertisers.

[17] The company ended the year by announcing an expanded licensing agreement with African music streaming service Boomplay.

[19] Next, in early February 2022, Merlin announced a partnership with Twitch, the interactive live streaming service for content spanning gaming, entertainment, sports, music, and more.

[24] Merlin announced two new partnerships in December 2022: first with VR fitness app Supernatural[25] and then with STYNGR, a gaming music platform.