What Happens to the Royalties You Don’t Claim? The Mystery of the Black Box

Imagine this: your music is being streamed, played on the radio, or even featured in a movie. You should be getting paid for those plays, right? Well, it’s not always that simple. Sometimes, royalties generated by your music get stuck in the “Black Box.”

What is the Black Box?

The Black Box refers to unclaimed royalties that get “lost” along the way. If your songs aren’t properly registered, don’t have the correct metadata, or have unresolved rights conflicts, those royalties won’t reach you. Instead, they sit in limbo, waiting to be claimed.

Why Do Royalties End Up in the Black Box?

There are a few common reasons why royalties can get trapped:

• Incorrect metadata: If your song’s information (like artist names or ISRC codes) is wrong, tracking who to pay is tough.
• Incomplete registration: If you don’t properly register your songs with rights organizations, your royalties might go to someone else or just remain unpaid.
• Split conflicts: If there are disagreements about how the song’s rights are divided, those royalties could be frozen.
• Lack of tracking: Your music generates royalties in many territories and platforms. If you’re not registered in all the right places, you’ll miss out on some payments.

What Happens If You Don’t Claim Your Royalties?

If your royalties sit in the Black Box for too long and no one claims them, they can be redistributed to other rights holders. That means you could be losing money just because your catalog isn’t properly registered or updated.

How does ONE Publishing help with this?

At ONE Publishing, we make sure our clients don’t just collect future royalties, but also any past royalties that may have been left unclaimed in the Black Box. Here’s how we do it:

• Retroactive claims: We review and claim any past unpaid royalties from streaming platforms or CMOs, ensuring that our artists get what they deserve.
• Smart Matching Technology: With our matching technology, songs are easily linked to their corresponding ISRCs, ensuring no royalties are lost.
• Simplified catalog management: Our system allows you to register your songs once in our dashboard, and they’ll automatically be managed and registered with rights entities worldwide.
• Split conflict resolution: If there are disagreements about how a song’s rights are divided, we resolve them so you always get your fair share.

Protect your royalties and maximize your income

The Black Box can trap unclaimed royalties, but it doesn’t have to for you. At ONE Publishing, we ensure that our artists’ music is properly registered and that they receive all the royalties they are entitled to, both past and future.