Within Rights
How royalties get lost in the data
Bad or missing registrations can stop collected royalties from reaching the right songwriter, performer or owner.
On this page
- Which registrations can go missing
- How societies match money to owners
- Why independent artists face extra risk
Page outline Jump by section
Introduction
Music royalties are often described as a money problem, but many of the biggest payment failures begin as a data problem. Every stream, broadcast, download or public performance generates information that must be connected to the correct song, recording and rights owner. When those connections fail, royalties can be collected but remain unmatched, unclaimed or delayed because nobody can confidently identify who should be paid. The result is a persistent pool of so-called “black box” royalties: money that exists, has been earned, and may even have been collected, but cannot yet be allocated to the correct creator. The scale of the issue has been large enough to trigger regulatory reforms, industry databases and major matching projects, yet metadata failures remain one of the most important hidden risks in music rights administration. [Mechanical Licensing Collective]themlc.comMechanical Licensing CollectiveIlluminating Black BoxFor digital audio mechanicals in the U.S., the "black box" prior to The MLC's incept… [2blog.themlc.com]blog.themlc.comJanuary 1, 2021, will be held for a minimum of 3 years to find & pay the rightful owner…
Which registrations can go missing?
A modern music royalty system depends on several layers of identification data. A song is not simply recognised by its title. Databases typically rely on combinations of songwriter information, ownership shares, publisher details and industry-standard identifiers.
Common missing or defective registrations include:
- Musical works that were never registered with a collection society or publishing administrator.
- Recordings that lack complete recording identifiers such as an ISRC (International Standard Recording Code).
- Compositions that lack a properly linked ISWC (International Standard Musical Work Code).
- Incorrect songwriter splits, where ownership percentages do not total 100%.
- Variations in titles, featured-artist credits or writer names across databases.
- Ownership changes that are recorded in one system but not updated elsewhere. [Mechanical Licensing Collective]themlc.comMechanical Licensing CollectiveIlluminating Black BoxFor digital audio mechanicals in the U.S., the "black box" prior to The MLC's incept… SoundExchange The problem is often cumulative. A streaming service may know that a recording was played [soundexchange.com]soundexchange.commaximize your international royalties with augmented metadataMaximize Your International Royalties with Augmented…12 May 2020 — The more complete metadata we have for each of your sound recording…, but if the recording cannot be linked to the underlying composition, the publishing royalty side may remain unresolved. A songwriter may be correctly registered with a performance-rights organisation yet absent from another database responsible for mechanical royalties. The royalty exists, but the chain connecting usage to ownership is broken. [SSRN]papers.ssrn.comSSRNMusic Streaming Metadata Mapping ReportMismatch between DSP ISWC and ISRC data: ISRC and works title data from DSPs often do not matc… [Musosoup]musosoup.comMusosoupMechanical Licensing Collective: What It Is and How to Get…To maximise earnings, songwriters must register their works with th…
Why matching a song is harder than it sounds
From a listener’s perspective, a song appears to be a single object. Royalty systems see multiple datasets that must be reconciled.
A streaming platform generally supplies recording information. Rights organisations and publishers maintain composition information. Matching systems attempt to determine which composition belongs to which recording. That sounds straightforward until millions of recordings, multiple writers, alternate versions, remixes, translations and territory-specific ownership claims are involved. [Federal Register]federalregister.govFederal RegisterThe Public Musical Works Database and Transparency of…31 Dec 2020 — The MLC must establish and maintain a free-of-char…
Recent research commissioned by the UK government highlighted how incomplete these links can be. The report found that less than 0.1% of recordings arrived already mapped to an ISWC, while ISRC-to-ISWC matching rates varied dramatically depending on source data quality. In some datasets, matching rates were effectively zero. [GOV.UK]GOV.UKSummary: Music streaming metadata report14 Apr 2026 — less than 0.1% of recordings arrived mapped to an ISWC; ISRC – ISWC matching ranged…
That finding illustrates a central weakness of the music rights ecosystem: the industry has developed powerful royalty collection systems, but those systems remain dependent on metadata supplied by many different participants. If the input data is inconsistent, matching becomes slower, more expensive and less accurate. [GOV.UK]GOV.UKSummary: Music streaming metadata report14 Apr 2026 — less than 0.1% of recordings arrived mapped to an ISWC; ISRC – ISWC matching ranged…
How societies match money to owners
Collective management organisations, publishers and licensing bodies use increasingly sophisticated matching systems to connect royalty income with rights ownership. These systems compare titles, writer names, ownership shares, identifiers and other metadata fields against reference databases. [Federal Register]federalregister.govFederal RegisterThe Public Musical Works Database and Transparency of…31 Dec 2020 — The MLC must establish and maintain a free-of-char…
When a confident match can be made, royalties are distributed. When it cannot, the money is typically placed into an unmatched or unclaimed category while further investigation takes place. Organisations may:
- Run automated matching processes.
- Compare records against external databases.
- Invite rights holders to submit claims.
- Publish unmatched usage information for review.
- Conduct manual research on disputed ownership records. [Record of the Day]recordoftheday.comnoctil leverages the mlcs public musical works databaseRecord of the DayNoctil leverages The MLC's public musical works database24 Oct 2025 — Through The MLC's Portal, Members can already sear… [Mechanical Licensing Collective]themlc.comMechanical Licensing CollectiveIlluminating Black BoxFor digital audio mechanicals in the U.S., the "black box" prior to The MLC's incept…
The Mechanical Licensing Collective (MLC) in the United States, for example, maintains tools that allow rights holders to search for works, review unmatched recordings and submit claims. The organisation was specifically designed to improve the identification and payment of digital mechanical royalties generated by streaming services. [Mechanical Licensing Collective]themlc.comMechanical Licensing CollectiveIlluminating Black BoxFor digital audio mechanicals in the U.S., the "black box" prior to The MLC's incept… [Mechanical Licensing Collective]themlc.comMechanical Licensing CollectiveIlluminating Black BoxFor digital audio mechanicals in the U.S., the "black box" prior to The MLC's incept…
What happens when matching fails?
When ownership cannot be verified, royalties do not necessarily disappear immediately. Instead, they may be held for a defined period while efforts continue to locate the correct owner.
The MLC states that unmatched or unclaimed royalties generated after its launch are held for a minimum period before any redistribution process occurs. Historical unmatched royalties generated before the organisation began operating were transferred into a dedicated matching effort because the relevant compositions could not initially be connected to identifiable owners. [blog.themlc.com]blog.themlc.comJanuary 1, 2021, will be held for a minimum of 3 years to find & pay the rightful owner…
The sums involved have been substantial. The MLC reported receiving roughly $426.9 million in historical unmatched royalties that accumulated between 2007 and 2020. Those royalties were not necessarily unpaid because of bad faith or missing revenue collection. Rather, the underlying ownership information could not be matched with sufficient certainty to distribute the money. [Mechanical Licensing Collective]themlc.comMechanical Licensing CollectiveIlluminating Black BoxFor digital audio mechanicals in the U.S., the "black box" prior to The MLC's incept… [pitchfork]pitchfork.comThis follows the directives of the Music Modernization Act (MMA), which requires the MLC to distribute unmatched royalties to rightful ri… This is why metadata failures matter. The consequence is not merely administrative inconvenience. Delayed matching can postpone payments foryears, and in some systems unmatched funds may eventually be redistributed according to statutory or market-share formulas once matching efforts are exhausted. [blog.themlc.com]blog.themlc.comJanuary 1, 2021, will be held for a minimum of 3 years to find & pay the rightful owner… [Ari's Take]aristake.comsongwriters claim mlc moneyThe MLC is Sitting On $423 Million, How Songwriters Can…5 May 2021 — Here's the bad news: the law also states that the MLC only has to…
Why independent artists face extra risk
Large publishers and major labels generally employ dedicated teams responsible for registrations, ownership updates and catalogue maintenance. Independent artists often handle these responsibilities themselves or assume that distributors automatically manage everything.
That assumption can be costly. Distribution services typically focus on delivering recordings and collecting recording-side income. Publishing registrations, songwriter registrations and composition ownership records frequently require separate action. If those registrations never occur, the recording may generate income while parts of the publishing revenue remain unmatched. [Musosoup]musosoup.comMusosoupMechanical Licensing Collective: What It Is and How to Get…To maximise earnings, songwriters must register their works with th… [The Library of Congress]blogs.loc.govThe Library of Congress“Mechanical,” “Unmatched,” “Historical”: What Are the…13 Mar 2023 — Registering your musical works with The MLC…
Independent creators are also more likely to encounter metadata inconsistencies because they may use multiple platforms, collaborators and administrators without a central rights-management workflow. A title variation, missing writer identifier or unregistered ownership split can be enough to prevent automatic matching. [Mechanical Licensing Collective]themlc.comMechanical Licensing CollectiveIlluminating Black BoxFor digital audio mechanicals in the U.S., the "black box" prior to The MLC's incept… SoundExchange The growth of self-releasing artists has therefore increased the importance of accurate metadata management. Modern royalty systems can proce [soundexchange.com]soundexchange.commaximize your international royalties with augmented metadataMaximize Your International Royalties with Augmented…12 May 2020 — The more complete metadata we have for each of your sound recording… ss enormous volumes of usage data, but they still depend on creators supplying consistent ownership information at the start of the chain. [GOV.UK]GOV.UKSummary: Music streaming metadata report14 Apr 2026 — less than 0.1% of recordings arrived mapped to an ISWC; ISRC – ISWC matching ranged… [SoundExchange]soundexchange.commaximize your international royalties with augmented metadataMaximize Your International Royalties with Augmented…12 May 2020 — The more complete metadata we have for each of your sound recording…
The hidden lesson of the black box
The persistence of unmatched royalties demonstrates that music rights complexity is not caused only by copyright law. It is also caused by information management. A song may have the correct legal owners, the correct licences and real commercial usage, yet still fail to generate timely payments if databases cannot agree on who owns what. [arXiv]arxiv.orgarXiv Towards an Open and Scalable Music Metadata LayerarXiv Towards an Open and Scalable Music Metadata Layer
In that sense, metadata has become part of the royalty infrastructure itself. Identifiers, registrations and ownership records are no longer administrative details added after creation. They are increasingly the mechanism that determines whether collected money reaches the right songwriter, performer, publisher or rights holder at all. [Mechanical Licensing Collective]themlc.comMechanical Licensing CollectiveIlluminating Black BoxFor digital audio mechanicals in the U.S., the "black box" prior to The MLC's incept… [SoundExchange]soundexchange.commaximize your international royalties with augmented metadataMaximize Your International Royalties with Augmented…12 May 2020 — The more complete metadata we have for each of your sound recording…
Amazon book picks
Further Reading
Books and field guides related to How royalties get lost in the data. Use these as the next step if you want deeper reading beyond the article.
All You Need to Know About the Music Business
Explains the infrastructure behind royalty collection and payments.
Music Business Handbook and Career Guide
Provides industry context for metadata and rights administration.
The plain and simple guide to music publishing
First published 2005. Subjects: Copyright, Economic aspects of Music, Music publishing, Music, Economic aspects.
Music, money, and success
First published 1994. Subjects: Vocational guidance, Economic aspects of Music, Music, Music trade, Economic aspects.
eBay marketplace picks
Marketplace Samples
Example marketplace items related to this page. Use the search link to explore similar finds on eBay.
Endnotes
-
Source: themlc.com
Link: https://www.themlc.com/illuminating-black-boxSource snippet
Mechanical Licensing CollectiveIlluminating Black BoxFor digital audio mechanicals in the U.S., the "black box" prior to The MLC's incept...
-
Source: blog.themlc.com
Link: https://blog.themlc.com/resources/what-happens-to-unmatched-or-unclaimed-royaltiesSource snippet
January 1, 2021, will be held for a minimum of 3 years to find & pay the rightful owner...
Published: January 1, 2021
-
Source: arxiv.org
Title: arXiv Towards an Open and Scalable Music Metadata Layer
Link: https://arxiv.org/abs/1911.08278 -
Source: themlc.com
Link: https://www.themlc.com/organize-your-song-dataSource snippet
royalties you are due. When you're sitting down to write, it's essential to capture the right information...Read more...
-
Source: soundexchange.com
Title: maximize your international royalties with augmented metadata
Link: https://www.soundexchange.com/2020/05/12/maximize-your-international-royalties-with-augmented-metadata/Source snippet
Maximize Your International Royalties with Augmented...12 May 2020 — The more complete metadata we have for each of your sound recording...
Published: May 2020
-
Source: papers.ssrn.com
Link: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/Delivery.cfm/6575858.pdf?abstractid=6575858&mirid=1Source snippet
SSRNMusic Streaming Metadata Mapping ReportMismatch between DSP ISWC and ISRC data: ISRC and works title data from DSPs often do not matc...
-
Source: musosoup.com
Link: https://musosoup.com/blog/mechanical-licensing-collectiveSource snippet
MusosoupMechanical Licensing Collective: What It Is and How to Get...To maximise earnings, songwriters must register their works with th...
-
Source: GOV.UK
Link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/music-streaming-metadata-report-and-project-update/executive-summary-music-streaming-metadata-reportSource snippet
Summary: Music streaming metadata report14 Apr 2026 — less than 0.1% of recordings arrived mapped to an ISWC; ISRC – ISWC matching ranged...
-
Source: themlc.com
Link: https://www.themlc.com/toolsSource snippet
Mechanical Licensing CollectiveThe MLC's ToolsThe MLC offers a suite of tools to help you find, register, claim, and manage your musical...
-
Source: copyright.gov
Title: unclaimed royalties final report
Link: https://www.copyright.gov/policy/unclaimed-royalties/unclaimed-royalties-final-report.pdfSource snippet
Copyright OfficeUnclaimed Royalties: Best Practice Recommendations for...08 Jul 2021 — SoundExchange's ISRC database, SoundExchange's MD...
-
Source: themlc.com
Link: https://www.themlc.com/Source snippet
Mechanical Licensing CollectiveMechanical Licensing Collective: HomeThe MLC distributes digital audio mechanical royalties to eligible se...
-
Source: help.themlc.com
Link: https://help.themlc.com/en/support/what-are-historical-unmatched-royaltiesSource snippet
are historical unmatched royalties?Historical unmatched royalties are digital audio mechanical royalties that were generated before Janua...
-
Source: pitchfork.com
Link: https://pitchfork.com/news/streaming-services-pay-dollar424-million-in-unmatched-royalties-to-mechanical-licensing-collectiveSource snippet
This follows the directives of the Music Modernization Act (MMA), which requires the MLC to distribute unmatched royalties to rightful ri...
-
Source: themlc.com
Link: https://www.themlc.com/historical-royaltiesSource snippet
Historical RoyaltiesThe above graphic shows the final, adjusted amount of the historical unmatched royalties that were transferred by DSP...
-
Source: blogs.loc.gov
Link: https://blogs.loc.gov/copyright/2023/03/mechanical-unmatched-historical-what-are-the-differences-between-all-these-royalties/Source snippet
The Library of Congress“Mechanical,” “Unmatched,” “Historical”: What Are the...13 Mar 2023 — Registering your musical works with The MLC...
-
Source: federalregister.gov
Link: https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2020/12/31/2020-28958/the-public-musical-works-database-and-transparency-of-the-mechanical-licensing-collectiveSource snippet
Federal RegisterThe Public Musical Works Database and Transparency of...31 Dec 2020 — The MLC must establish and maintain a free-of-char...
-
Source: recordoftheday.com
Title: noctil leverages the mlcs public musical works database
Link: https://www.recordoftheday.com/on-the-move/news-press/noctil-leverages-the-mlcs-public-musical-works-databaseSource snippet
Record of the DayNoctil leverages The MLC's public musical works database24 Oct 2025 — Through The MLC's Portal, Members can already sear...
-
Source: aristake.com
Title: songwriters claim mlc money
Link: https://aristake.com/songwriters-claim-mlc-money/Source snippet
The MLC is Sitting On $423 Million, How Songwriters Can...5 May 2021 — Here's the bad news: the law also states that the MLC only has to...
Published: May 2021
-
Source: recordingacademy.com
Link: https://www.recordingacademy.com/advocacy/news/2021-mechanical-licensing-collective-distributes-first-music-royalty-paymentsSource snippet
million, includes royalties distributed to MLC creator members and rights holders...Read more...
-
Source: musictech.solutions
Link: https://musictech.solutions/category/the-mlc/Source snippet
d contested, yet royalties...Read more...
Additional References
-
Source: instagram.com
Link: https://www.instagram.com/cisacnews/Source snippet
CISAC (@cisacnews) · Neuilly-sur-Seine2.3K+ followers · 326 posts · CISAC is the leading network of authors' societies representing 5 mil...
-
Source: linkedin.com
Link: https://www.linkedin.com/top-content/supply-chain-management/ensuring-data-quality/ensuring-accurate-music-metadata-for-royalties/Source snippet
Ensuring Accurate Music Metadata for RoyaltiesThe “black box” in music publishing is essentially an industry-wide unmatched royalties poo...
-
Source: cisac.org
Link: https://www.cisac.org/homeSource snippet
CISAC: HomepageCISAC's mission is to serve creators around the world. We support our members' licenses and collections, help ensure fair...
-
Source: help.songtrust.com
Link: https://help.songtrust.com/knowledge/what-is-the-international-confederation-of-societies-of-authors-and-composers-cisacSource snippet
Is CISAC? - HELP CENTER - SongtrustThe International Confederation of Societies of Authors and Composers (CISAC) advocates for the rights...
-
Source: linkedin.com
Link: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/christopheredmonds_some-quick-thoughts-on-the-isrc-and-how-we-activity-7353770897217884164-xciYSource snippet
Improving ISRCs for music metadata clarity and accuracyAt SyncLodge, we search and find the ISRC, ISWC, IPI codes, but the ISRC codes for...
-
Source: artists.spotify.com
Title: for Artists Collecting Mechanical Royalties Can Be Tricky
Link: https://artists.spotify.com/blog/collecting-mechanical-royalties-can-be-tricky-the-mlc-is-here-to-fix-thatSource snippet
The MLC...21 Mar 2022 — It happens so much that we, as an organization, received $424 million in historical unmatched and unclaimed roya...
-
Source: synchtank.com
Title: the big clean up how do we improve music rights data
Link: https://www.synchtank.com/blog/the-big-clean-up-how-do-we-improve-music-rights-data/Source snippet
The Big Clean Up: How Do We Improve Music Rights Data?Apr 28, 2021 — It continued, “The MLC was then able to match approximately 80 perce...
-
Source: music.amazon.com.au
Link: https://music.amazon.com.au/Source snippet
Listen to your favourite playlists from over 100 million songs on Amazon Music...
-
Source: medium.com
Link: https://medium.com/%40ARIPO/what-you-should-know-about-the-mechanical-licensing-collective-the-mlc-9a92f5aec1c8Source snippet
hing and Claiming tools and make claims on historical...Read more...
-
Source: instagram.com
Link: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DMiVEsWu9S1/Source snippet
alties from digital streaming but most artists don't use it right...
Topic Tree