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Mills Music Trust – ‘10-Q’ for 6/30/22

On:  Monday, 8/15/22, at 1:38pm ET   ·   For:  6/30/22   ·   Accession #:  1193125-22-221021   ·   File #:  0-02123

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  As Of               Filer                 Filing    For·On·As Docs:Size             Issuer                      Filing Agent

 8/15/22  Mills Music Trust                 10-Q        6/30/22   31:926K                                   Donnelley … Solutions/FA

Quarterly Report   —   Form 10-Q

Filing Table of Contents

Document/Exhibit                   Description                      Pages   Size 

 1: 10-Q        Quarterly Report                                    HTML    185K 
 2: EX-31.1     Certification -- §302 - SOA'02                      HTML     16K 
 3: EX-31.2     Certification -- §302 - SOA'02                      HTML     16K 
 4: EX-32.1     Certification -- §906 - SOA'02                      HTML     13K 
 5: EX-32.2     Certification -- §906 - SOA'02                      HTML     13K 
11: R1          Cover Page                                          HTML     59K 
12: R2          Statements of Cash Receipts and Disbursements       HTML     27K 
13: R3          Statements of Cash Receipts and Disbursements       HTML     17K 
                (Parenthetical)                                                  
14: R4          Organization and Summary of Significant Accounting  HTML     23K 
                Policies                                                         
15: R5          Income Taxes                                        HTML     16K 
16: R6          Governance of the Trust                             HTML     15K 
17: R7          Related Party Transactions                          HTML     31K 
18: R8          Contingency                                         HTML     15K 
19: R9          Subsequent Events                                   HTML     14K 
20: R10         Organization and Summary of Significant Accounting  HTML     30K 
                Policies (Policies)                                              
21: R11         Related Party Transactions (Tables)                 HTML     28K 
22: R12         Organization and Summary of Significant Accounting  HTML     23K 
                Policies - Additional Information (Detail)                       
23: R13         Income Taxes - Additional Information (Detail)      HTML     15K 
24: R14         Related Party Transactions - Additional             HTML     19K 
                Information (Detail)                                             
25: R15         Related Party Transactions - Disbursements to       HTML     24K 
                Trustees (Detail)                                                
26: R16         Related Party Transactions - Disbursements to       HTML     24K 
                Trustees (Parenthetical) (Detail)                                
29: XML         IDEA XML File -- Filing Summary                      XML     44K 
27: XML         XBRL Instance -- d624992d10q_htm                     XML    169K 
28: EXCEL       IDEA Workbook of Financial Reports                  XLSX     32K 
 7: EX-101.CAL  XBRL Calculations -- mmtrs-20220630_cal              XML     22K 
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31: ZIP         XBRL Zipped Folder -- 0001193125-22-221021-xbrl      Zip     57K 


‘10-Q’   —   Quarterly Report

Document Table of Contents

Page (sequential)   (alphabetic) Top
 
11st Page  –  Filing Submission
"Table of Contents
"Part I -- Financial Statements
"Item 2. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
"Item 3. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk
"Item 4. Controls and Procedures
"Part Ii -- Other Information
"Item 1. Legal Proceedings
"Item 1A. Risk Factors
"Item 2. Unregistered Sale of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds
"Item 3. Default Upon Senior Securities
"Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures
"Item 6. Exhibits
"Signatures

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 iX: 
  Form 10-Q  
 i false i Q2 i 0000066496 i --12-31Includes amounts reserved for administrative expenses in the aggregate amount of $51,115 attributable to the three-months ended March 31, 2021 which were actually paid by the Trust on April 15, 2021.Administrative expenses in the aggregate amount of $142,025, attributable to the three-months ended June 30, 2022 were actually paid by the Trust on July 5, 2022.Includes amounts reserved for administrative expenses in the aggregate amount of $142,025 attributable to the three-months ended June 30, 2022 which were actually paid by the Trust on July 5, 2022.These services are performed by the Corporate Trustee.Corporate Trustee Fees of $625, Individual Trustee Fees of $1,250 and Transfer Agent Registrar Fees of $3,750 attributable to the three-months ended March 31, 2022 were actually paid by the Trust on July 5, 2022.Includes amounts reserved for administrative expenses in the aggregate amount of $5,625 attributable to the three-months ended March 31, 2021 which were actually paid by the Trust on April 15, 2021. 0000066496 2022-01-01 2022-06-30 0000066496 2022-06-30 0000066496 2022-04-01 2022-06-30 0000066496 2021-04-01 2021-06-30 0000066496 2021-01-01 2021-06-30 0000066496 2022-07-05 2022-07-05 0000066496 2021-04-15 2021-04-15 0000066496 2021-01-01 2021-03-31 0000066496 2022-03-31 0000066496 2021-03-31 0000066496 2021-12-31 0000066496 2020-12-31 0000066496 2021-06-30 0000066496 mmtrs:CorporateTrusteeMember 2022-04-01 2022-06-30 0000066496 us-gaap:IndividualMember 2022-04-01 2022-06-30 0000066496 mmtrs:TransferAgentRegistrarFeesMember 2022-04-01 2022-06-30 0000066496 mmtrs:CorporateTrusteeMember 2021-04-01 2021-06-30 0000066496 us-gaap:IndividualMember 2021-04-01 2021-06-30 0000066496 mmtrs:TransferAgentRegistrarFeesMember 2021-04-01 2021-06-30 0000066496 srt:MaximumMember 2022-01-01 2022-06-30 0000066496 mmtrs:CorporateTrusteeMember 2022-01-01 2022-06-30 0000066496 us-gaap:IndividualMember 2022-01-01 2022-06-30 0000066496 mmtrs:TransferAgentRegistrarFeesMember 2022-01-01 2022-06-30 0000066496 mmtrs:TwoThousandTwentyListingEmiTopFiftyCatalogueMember 2022-01-01 2022-06-30 0000066496 mmtrs:CorporateTrusteeMember 2021-01-01 2021-06-30 0000066496 us-gaap:IndividualMember 2021-01-01 2021-06-30 0000066496 mmtrs:TransferAgentRegistrarFeesMember 2021-01-01 2021-06-30 0000066496 mmtrs:CorporateTrusteeMember 2022-01-01 2022-03-31 0000066496 us-gaap:IndividualMember 2022-01-01 2022-03-31 0000066496 mmtrs:TransferAgentRegistrarFeesMember 2022-01-01 2022-03-31 iso4217:USD xbrli:pure xbrli:shares mmtrs:Songs iso4217:USD xbrli:shares
Table of Contents
 
 
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
 
 
FORM
 i 10-Q
 
 
 
 i 
QUARTERLY REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
For the quarterly period ended  i June 30,  i 2022 / 
OR
 
 i 
TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
For the transition period from
                    
  to
                
Commission file Number —
 
 
 i MILLS MUSIC TRUST
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
 
 
 
 i New York
 
 i 13-6183792
(State or other jurisdiction of
 
(I.R.S. Employer
incorporation or organization)
 
Identification No.)
 i C/O HSBC Bank USA, N.A. Corporate Trust Issuer Services,
 i 452 Fifth Avenue,  i New York,  i New York 10018- i 2706
(Address of principal executive offices and ZIP Code) (Registrant’s telephone number, including area code) ( i 212)
 i 525-1349
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
 
Title of each class
 
Trading
Symbol(s)
 
Name of each exchange
on which registered
N/A
 
N/A
 
N/A
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.     i Yes  ☒    No  ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation
S-T
(§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files).     i Yes  ☒    No  ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a
non-accelerated
filer, smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,”
“non-accelerated
filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule
12b-2
of the Exchange Act.
 
Large accelerated filer      Accelerated filer  
 i Non-accelerated filer      Smaller reporting company    i 
     Emerging growth company    i 
If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act.  ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule
12b-2
of the Exchange Act).    Yes  ☐    No   i 
The number of the Registrant’s Trust Units outstanding as of June 30, 2022 was  i 277,712.
 
 
 

Table of Contents
 
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2

Table of Contents
PART I — FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
ITEM 1. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
MILLS MUSIC TRUST
STATEMENTS OF CASH RECEIPTS AND DISBURSEMENTS
THREE AND SIX MONTHS ENDED
(UNAUDITED)
 
 
  
Three Months
Ended June 30
 
 
Six Months
Ended June 30
 
 
  
2022
 
 
2021
 
 
2022
 
 
2021
 
Receipts from EMI
   $  i 207,916     $  i 240,626     $  i 428,645     $  i 521,538  
Undistributed Cash at Beginning of Period
      i 46        i 51,161
(1)
 
     i 46        i 46  
Disbursements - Administrative Expenses
     ( i 0 )
(2)
 
    ( i 134,242     ( i 65,429 )
(2)
 
    ( i 134,242
    
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
 
Balance Available for Distribution
      i 207,962        i 157,545        i 363,262        i 387,342  
Cash Distributions to Unit Holders
  
 
( i 65,891
 
 
( i 157,499
 
 
( i 221,191
 
 
( i 387,296
    
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
 
Undistributed Cash at End of Period
  
$
 i 142,071
(3)
 
 
$
 i 46
 
 
$
 i 142,071
(
3
)
 
 
$
 i 46
 
    
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
 
Cash Distributions Per Unit (based on  i  i  i  i 277,712 /  /  /  Trust Units Outstanding)
  
$
 i 0.24
 
 
$
 i 0.57
 
 
$
 i 0.80
 
 
$
 i 1.39
 
    
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
 
 
(1)
Includes amounts reserved for administrative expenses in the aggregate amount of $ i 51,115 attributable to the three-months ended March 31, 2021 which were actually paid by the Trust on April 15, 2021.
(2)
Administrative expenses in the aggregate amount of $ i 142,025, attributable to the three-months ended June 30, 2022 were actually paid by the Trust on July 5, 2022.
(3)
Includes amounts reserved for administrative expenses in the aggregate amount of $ i 142,025 attributable to the three-months ended June 30, 2022 which were actually paid by the Trust on July 5, 2 i  i  i 022.
The accompanying notes are an integral part of the unaudited financial statements.
The Trust does not prepare a balance sheet or a statement of cash flows.
 
3

Table of Contents
MILLS MUSIC TRUST
NOTES TO STATEMENTS OF CASH RECEIPTS AND DISBURSEMENTS
THREE AND SIX MONTHS ENDED
(UNAUDITED)
 i 
NOTE 1. ORGANIZATION AND SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES
 i 
Organization and Background
Mills Music Trust (the
Trust”
) was created by a Declaration of Trust, dated  i December 3, 1964 (the
Declaration of Trust”
), for the purpose of acquiring from Mills Music, Inc. (“
Old Mills”
), the rights to receive payment of a deferred contingent purchase price obligation (the
Contingent Portion”
) payable to Old Mills. The obligation to pay the Contingent Portion arose as the result of the sale by Old Mills of its music and lyric copyright catalogue (the
Catalogue”
) to a newly formed company pursuant to an asset purchase agreement dated December 5, 1964 (the
Asset Purchase Agreement”
). Pursuant to the Asset Purchase Agreement, payment of the Contingent Portion to the Trust continues until the end of the year in which the last copyright in the Catalogue expires and cannot be renewed.
The Contingent Portion amounts are currently payable by EMI Mills Music Inc. (“
EMI”
), the owner of the copyrighted materials contained in the Catalogue. The Trust has been advised that Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC is the administrator and manager of EMI and the Catalogue.
HSBC Bank, USA, N.A. is the Corporate Trustee of the Trust (the
Corporate Trustee”
), and Lee Eastman and Michael E. Reiss are the Individual Trustees of the Trust (the “
Individual Trustees
” and together with the Corporate Trustee, the
Trustees”
).
 / 
 i 
Proceeds from Contingent Portion Payments
The Trust receives quarterly payments of the Contingent Portion from EMI and distributes the amounts it receives to the registered owners of Trust certificates (the
Unit Holders”
) representing interests in the Trust (the
Trust Units”
), after payment of, or withholdings in connection with, expenses and liabilities of the Trust. The Declaration of Trust provides that these are the Trust’s sole responsibilities and that the Trust is prohibited from engaging in any business activities.
Payments of the Contingent Portion to the Trust are based on royalty income which the Catalogue generates. The Trust does not own the Catalogue or any copyrights or other intellectual property rights and is not responsible for collecting royalties in connection with the Catalogue. As the current owner and administrator of the Catalogue, EMI is obligated under the Asset Purchase Agreement to use its best efforts to collect all royalties, domestic and foreign, in connection with the Catalogue and to remit a portion of its royalty income to the Trust as its Contingent Portion payment obligation, in accordance with the terms of the Asset Purchase Agreement.
 i 
Calculation of Contingent Portion
The amount of each payment of the Contingent Portion is based on a formula set forth in the Asset Purchase Agreement. For information regarding the calculation of the Contingent Portion and a related dispute between EMI and the Trust see “Contingent Portion Payments” under Part I — Item 2, “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations”.
 i 
Cash Distributions to Unit Holders
The Declaration of Trust provides for the distribution to the Unit Holders of all funds the Trust receives after payment of, or withholdings in connection with, expenses and liabilities of the Trust. For information regarding cash disbursements made to Unit Holders for the three and six months ended June 30, 2022 and June 30, 2021 see the table headed “Statements of Cash Receipts and Disbursements” under Part I — Item 1, “Financial Statements”.
 
 / 
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Table of Contents
 i 
The Copyright Catalogue
The Catalogue is estimated to be composed of over  i 12,000 music titles (the
Copyrighted Songs”
), of which approximately  i 1,430 produced royalty income in recent years.  i EMI has provided the Trust with a listing of the top  i 50 earning songs in the Catalogue during the 2021 calendar year (the
Top 50 Songs”
), together with certain copyright information with respect to each of the Top 50 Songs (the
Listing”
). A copy of the Listing, as provided by EMI, is included in the Trust’s annual report on Form
10-K
for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021. The Listing does not include any information regarding Copyrighted Songs for the 2022 calendar year. / 
 / 
 i 
Accounting Policies
EMI typically makes payments to the Trust of the Contingent Portion in March, June, September and December for the prior calendar quarter. The payments received are accounted for on a cash basis, as are expenses of the Trust. The Declaration of Trust provides for the distribution of the amounts it receives in Contingent Portion payments to the Unit Holders after payment of, or withholdings in connection with, expenses and liabilities of the Trust.
The Trust’s financial statements reflect only cash transactions and do not include transactions that would be recorded in financial statements presented on the accrual basis of accounting, as contemplated by generally accepted accounting principles in the United States. The Trust does not prepare a balance sheet or a statement of cash flows.
These unaudited financial statements should be read in conjunction with the financial statements and related notes in the Trust’s Annual Report on Form
10-K
for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021. The cash receipts and distributions for the interim periods presented are not necessarily indicative of the results to be expected for the full year.
 i 
NOTE 2. INCOME TAXES
 i No provision for income taxes has been made since the liability thereof is that of the Unit Holders and not the Trust.
 / 
 i 
NOTE 3. GOVERNANCE OF THE TRUST
The Trust does not have, nor does the Declaration of Trust provide for, officers, a board of directors or any employees. HSBC Bank, USA, N.A. is the Corporate Trustee of the Trust, and Lee Eastman and Michael E. Reiss are the Individual Trustees of the Trust. Pursuant to the Declaration of Trust, Trustees of the Trust serve until their removal, resignation, incapacity, or in the case of Individual Trustees, their death.
On December 23, 2014, the Trust adopted a code of ethics (as defined in Item 406 of Regulation
S-K
under the Securities Exchange Act of 1933) applicable to the Individual Trustees and the trust officers of the Corporate Trustee. A copy of the Code of Ethics will be provided to any person without charge upon written request to the Trust at its administrative office, c/o HSBC BANK USA, N.A., Corporate Trust, Issuer Services, 452 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY. In addition, the Trust relies on the Corporate Trustee to abide by HSBC Bank, USA, N.A.’s Statement of Business Principles and Code of Ethics, which is available on the Corporate Trustee’s website at http://www.us.hsbc.com.
The Trust is not a corporate entity and thus does not have an Audit Committee. The Trust has established a policy with regard to audit, audit-related and certain
non-audit
engagements of its independent auditors. Under this policy, the Trust annually approves certain limited, specified recurring services which may be provided by the Trust’s accountant or independent auditors. All other engagements for services to be performed by the Trust’s independent auditors must be separately
pre-approved
by the Trust. Joel Faden acts as Chief Financial Individual providing accounting services for the Trust.
 i 
NOTE 4. RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS
The Trustees are paid in accordance with the Declaration of Trust, which provides that each Trustee shall receive annual compensation of $ i 2,500, provided that such aggregate compensation to the Trustees as a group may not
exceed  i 3% of the Contingent Portion amounts received by the Trust in any year. The Declaration of Trust also provides for the reimbursement of expenses reasonably incurred in the performance of a Trustee’s duties to the Trust, including clerical and administrative services. Accordingly, the Trustees are entitled to receive annual compensation and reimbursement for services performed for the Trust, including the Corporate Trustee’s services as the Registrar and Transfer Agent of the certificates representing the Trust Units. The Declaration of Trust also provides that if a Trustee performs unusual or extraordinary services, reasonable compensation for such services shall be paid, subject to the terms and conditions of the Declaration of Trust.
 
 / 
5

Table of Contents
 i 
Pursuant to the Declaration of Trust, disbursements were made as follows to the Trustees for the three and six months ended June 30, 2022 and June 30, 2021:
 
    
Three Months
Ended June 30
   
Six Months
Ended June 30
 
    
2022
   
2021
   
2022
    
2021
 
Corporate Trustee Fees and Expenses
   $  i        $  i 1,250     $  i 625      $  i 1,250  
Individual Trustee Fees and Expenses
      i           i 2,500        i 1,250         i 2,500  
Transfer Agent and Registrar
(1)
      i           i 7,500        i 3,750         i 7,500  
    
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
    
 
 
 
TOTALS
  
$
 i   
(2)
 
 
$
 i 11,250
(3)
 
 
$
 i 5,625
 
  
$
 i 11,250
 
    
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
    
 
 
 
 
(1)
These services are performed by the Corporate Trustee.
(2)
Corporate Trustee Fees of $ i 625, Individual Trustee Fees of $ i 1,250 and Transfer Agent Registrar Fees of $ i 3,750 attributable to the three-months ended March 31, 2022 were actually paid by the Trust on July 5, 2022.
(3)
Includes amounts reserved for administrative expenses in the aggregate amount of $ i 5,625 attributable to the three-months
ended
which were actually paid by the Trust on April 15, 2021.
 / 
The administrative office of the Trust is located at the offices of the Corporate Trustee, HSBC Bank, USA, N.A., Corporate Trust Issuer Services, 452 Fifth Avenue, New York, New York 10018. Except for fees paid to the Corporate Trustee in accordance with the Declaration of Trust,  i no expense is being charged or paid by the Trust for the office space and office equipment of the Corporate Trustee that is being utilized for the Trust.
 i 
NOTE 5. CONTINGENCY
On October 1, 2020, the Trust engaged Citrin Cooperman & Company LLP, an accounting firm specializing in auditing royalty income (“
Citrin
”), to conduct a special audit of the books and records of EMI administered by Sony/ATV to determine the areas and extent of underpayment, if any, of quarterly Contingent Portion payments payable to the Trust for the periods beginning January 1, 2016 and ended December 31, 2020 (the “
Audit Period
”). Citrin’s final report (the “
Citrin Report
”) was delivered to the Trustees on April 4, 2022. The Citrin Report identified multiple asserted royalty omissions and expense over-deductions from the Contingent Portion during the Audit Period. The Trust distributed the Citrin Report to EMI on April 13, 2022.
 i 
NOTE 6. SUBSEQUENT EVENTS
None.
ITEM 2. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
The Copyright Catalogue
The Catalogue is estimated to be composed of over 12,000 music titles, of which approximately 1,430 produced royalty income in recent years. Based on the Listing, the majority of the Trust’s receipts are derived principally from copyrights established prior to 1960 in the Unites States. The receipts fluctuate based on consumer interest in the nostalgia appeal of older songs and the overall popularity of the songs contained in the Catalogue. The Catalogue also generates royalty income in Canada and other foreign countries in which copyright is claimed.
A number of factors create uncertainties with respect to the Catalogue’s ability to continue to generate royalty income on a continuing, long-term basis for the Trust. These factors include: (i) the effect that foreign and domestic copyright laws and any changes thereto have or will have on renewal rights (e.g., vesting of renewal term rights), (ii) the length of the term of copyright protection under foreign and domestic copyright laws, (iii) reversionary rights that may affect whether EMI is able to retain its rights to the Copyrighted Songs during certain renewal terms (e.g., statutory termination of transfers or “copyright recapture”) and (iv) ongoing disputes regarding the payment and calculation of the Contingent Portion.
The Trust does not own the Catalogue or any copyrights or other intellectual property rights and is not responsible for collecting royalties in connection with the Catalogue. As the current owner and administrator of the Catalogue, EMI is obligated under the Asset Purchase Agreement to use its best efforts to collect all royalties, domestic and foreign, in connection with the Catalogue and to remit a portion of its royalty income to the Trust in accordance with its Contingent Portion payment obligation.
 
6

Table of Contents
The Trust’s income is dependent, in part, on EMI’s ability to maintain its rights in the Copyrighted Songs through copyright protection. Although Copyrighted Songs may continue to generate royalty revenue after their copyrights have expired, in general as the copyrights for the Copyrighted Songs expire, less royalty income will be generated, and the size of each payment of the Contingent Portion will be reduced accordingly.
Based on the Listing, the Top 50 Songs obtained copyright registration under the United States Copyright Act of 1909 (the
1909 Act”
) between 1918 and 1971. For copyrighted works subject to the 1909 Act, copyright law generally provides for a possible 95 years of copyright protection, subject to certain factors, including the initial registration date of each copyright and compliance with certain statutory provisions including notice and renewal. The Copyright expiration dates for the Top 50 Songs range between 2013 and 2066, as set forth in the Listing.
The Copyrighted Songs are subject to statutory rights of termination of transfers, which may impact whether EMI is able to retain its ownership of the Copyrighted Songs during their respective terms of copyright protection. For copyrights governed by the 1909 Act, this termination right vests at the end of two different renewal terms, which vary for each Copyrighted Song. As the owner of the Catalogue, EMI (and not the Trust) is responsible for administrating the Catalogue and seeking renewals of the Copyrighted Songs. The Asset Purchase Agreement provides that EMI is obligated to use its best efforts to secure renewals.
Contingent Portion Payments
Payments of the Contingent Portion to the Trust are ordinarily made on a quarterly basis, approximately two to three months after a quarter ends. The Trust distributes the amounts it receives in Contingent Portion payments to the Unit Holders after payment of, or withholdings in connection with, expenses and liabilities of the Trust.
The amount of each payment of the Contingent Portion is based on a formula provided in the Asset Purchase Agreement. Prior to the first quarter of 2010, the Contingent Portion was calculated as an amount ranging from 65% to 75% of gross royalty income from the exploitation of the Catalogue for each quarterly period, less royalty expenses. In addition, the Contingent Portion was guaranteed to be at least a minimum of $167,500 per quarter (the
Minimum Payment Obligation”
).
Beginning with the first quarter of 2010, the Asset Purchase Agreement provides for certain changes with respect to the calculation of the Contingent Portion. One such change is that the Minimum Payment Obligation is no longer in effect. The Trust is also of the view that the Contingent Portion payable to the Trust changed to a fixed 75% of gross royalty income from the exploitation of the Catalogue for each quarterly period, less royalty related expenses (the
New Calculation Method”
). However, EMI has disputed that the New Calculation Method is the correct interpretation of the Asset Purchase Agreement. As a result of the New Calculation Method not being applied, EMI’s payments of the Contingent Portion have been deficient, in the Trust’s view, by the following amounts (the
Underpayments”
):
 
Quarterly Payment Period
  
Amount of
Deficiency
 
   $ 79,889  
     37,529  
     85,359  
     41,557  
     98,901  
     75,712  
     71,489  
     41,786  
     68,571  
     42,572  
     40,025  
     15,557  
     40,085  
     42,742  
     43,148  
     38,846  
     38,112  
     0  
     70,709  
    
 
 
 
Total
  
$
962,589
 
    
 
 
 
 
7

Table of Contents
As of the date hereof, the Trust has not received the Underpayments, and EMI has expressly disagreed with the Trust. The Trust can offer no assurance that it will be able to recover any of the Underpayments or that it will resolve favorably the
on-going
dispute relating to the New Calculation Method with respect to future payments of the Contingent Portion.
Audit Report
On October 1, 2020, the Trust engaged Citrin Cooperman & Company LLP, an accounting firm specializing in auditing royalty income (“
Citrin
”), to conduct a special audit of the books and records of EMI administered by Sony/ATV to determine the areas and extent of underpayment, if any, of quarterly Contingent Portion payments payable to the Trust for the periods beginning January 1, 2016 and ended December 31, 2020 (the “
Audit Period
”). Citrin’s final report (the “
Citrin
 Report
”) was delivered to the Trustees on April 4, 2022. The Citrin Report identified multiple asserted royalty omissions and expense over-deductions from the Contingent Portion during the Audit Period. The Trust distributed the Citrin Report to EMI on or about April 18, 2022. The Trust can offer no assurance that it will be able to recover any of the underpayments identified in the Citrin Report.
Recent Contingent Portion Payment
On May 31, 2022, the Trust received $207,916 ($0.7487 per Trust Unit) from EMI for royalty income generated by the Catalog during the first quarter of 2022, as compared to $240,626 ($0.8664 per Trust Unit) for the payment attributable to the first quarter of 2021.
Recent Distributions to Unit Holders
On June 21, 2022, the Trust made a distribution of $65,891 ($0.2373 per Trust Unit) to the Trust’s Unit Holders of record at the close of business on June 20, 2022. For computation details regarding the distribution please refer to the quarterly distribution report, dated June 21, 2022, attached as Exhibit 99.1 to the Current Report on Form
8-K,
filed by the Trust with the Securities and Exchange Commission on June 22, 2022.
Cash and Administrative Expenses
As of June 30, 2022, the Trust was holding $142,071 in cash and had $142,025 unpaid administrative expenses for services rendered to the Trust. The full amount of such administrative expenses was attributable to the three-months ended June 30, 2022 and was actually paid by the Trust on July 5, 2022.
As of August 1, 2022, the Trust was holding $46 in cash and had $8,959 in unpaid administrative expenses for services rendered to the Trust.
Inflation
The Trust does not believe that inflation has materially affected its activities.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
The Declaration of Trust provides for the distribution to the Unit Holders of all funds the Trust receives after payment of, or withholdings in connection with, expenses and liabilities of the Trust.
See the table headed “Statements of Cash Receipts and Disbursements” under Part 1 — Item 1, “Financial Statements” for information regarding cash disbursements made to Unit Holders during the three and six months ended June 30, 2022 and June 30, 2021.
Off-Balance
Sheet Arrangements
There are no
off-balance
sheet arrangements that have or are reasonably likely to have a current or future effect on the Trust’s financial condition, changes in financial condition, revenues or expenses, results of operations or liquidity that is material to investors.
 
8

Table of Contents
ITEM 3. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK Not applicable
ITEM 4. CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES
Controls and Procedures
As of the end of the period covered by this quarterly report, the Trust carried out an evaluation of the effectiveness of the design and operation of the Trust’s “disclosure controls and procedures” (as defined in Rules
13a-15(e)
and
15d-15(e)
of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the
Exchange Act”
)) under the supervision and with the participation of the Trust’s management, including the Chief Financial Individual providing accounting services and the trust officers of the Corporate Trustee. Based on that evaluation, the Chief Financial Individual providing accounting services and the trust officer of the Corporate Trustee concluded that the Trust’s disclosure controls and procedures are effective.
Disclosure controls and procedures are controls and other procedures that are designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed in the Trust’s reports filed or submitted under the Exchange Act are recorded, processed, summarized and reported, within the time periods specified in the SEC’s rules and forms. Disclosure controls and procedures include, without limitation, controls and procedures designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed in the Trust’s reports filed under the Exchange Act is accumulated and communicated to Trust’s management, including the Chief Financial Individual providing accounting services and the trust officer of the Corporate Trustee, to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure.
Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting
There were no changes in the Trust’s internal control over financial reporting (as such term in defined in Rule
13a-15(f)
under the Exchange Act) during the fiscal period covered by this quarterly report that materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, the Trust’s internal control over financial reporting.
PART II — OTHER INFORMATION
ITEM 1. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS
None.
ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS
The Trust is a smaller reporting company as defined by Rule
12b-2
of the Exchange Act and is not required to provide the information under this item.
 
9

ITEM 2. UNREGISTERED SALE OF EQUITY SECURITIES AND USE OF PROCEEDS
None.
ITEM 3. DEFAULT UPON SENIOR SECURITIES
None.
ITEM 4. MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES
Not applicable.
ITEM 5. OTHER INFORMATION
None.
ITEM 6. EXHIBITS
 
Exhibit
No.
  
Description
31.1    Certification by the Chief Financial Individual providing accounting services pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (filed herewith)
31.2    Certification by the trust officer of the Corporate Trustee pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (filed herewith)
32.1*    Certification by the Chief Financial Individual providing accounting services pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (furnished herewith)
32.2*    Certification by the trust officer for the Corporate Trustee Pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (furnished herewith)
101.1NS    XBRL Instance Document
101.SCH    XBRL Schema Document
101.CAL    XBRL Calculation Linkbase Documents
101.DEF    XBRL Taxonomy Extension Definition Linkbase Document
101.LAB    XBRL Labels Linkbase Documents
101.PRE    XBRL Presentation Linkbase Documents
104    Cover Page Interactive Data File (formatted as inline XBRL and contained in Exhibit 101)
 
*
Furnished, not filed
 
10

SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.
 
August 15, 2022    
Mills Music Trust
    (Registrant)
    By:  
      Garfield Barrett
      Trust Officer of the Corporate Trustee
      HSBC Bank USA, NA
 
11

Dates Referenced Herein   and   Documents Incorporated by Reference

This ‘10-Q’ Filing    Date    Other Filings
Filed on:8/15/22
8/1/22
7/5/22
For Period end:6/30/22
6/22/228-K
6/21/228-K
6/20/22
5/31/22
4/18/22
4/13/22
4/4/22
3/31/2210-K,  10-Q
12/31/2110-K
9/30/2110-Q
6/30/2110-Q
4/15/21
3/31/2110-K,  10-Q
12/31/2010-K
10/1/20
9/30/2010-Q
6/30/2010-Q
3/31/2010-Q
12/31/1910-K
9/30/1910-Q
6/30/1910-Q
3/31/1910-Q
9/30/1810-Q
3/31/1810-Q
9/30/1710-Q
3/31/1710-K,  10-Q
9/30/1610-Q
3/31/1610-Q,  8-K
1/1/16
12/23/148-K
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