The overview
Separate systems
Music royalties flow through several separate systems, and each one requires its own registration. That is where many independent artists miss money they have already earned.
Unclaimed Royalties Don't Wait Forever. Eventually, They're Paid to Someone Else.
The song · MLC
$4.2 billion+
The Mechanical Licensing Collective (MLC) collects the U.S. digital mechanical royalties that streaming and download services owe to songwriters and music publishers. It has distributed more than $4.2 billion since 2021. But some royalties still go unmatched when songs are not registered correctly: the MLC's match rate is above 92%, and by its own figures roughly $160 million in royalties from pre-2021 streaming has not yet been matched and paid out.
The recording · SoundExchange
Nearly $1 billion
Separately, SoundExchange collects an entirely different royalty: digital performance royalties for sound recordings played on services such as satellite and internet radio. It distributed nearly $1 billion in 2025. These are two separate pools of money, run by two different organizations, and they pay for two different copyrights: the song (MLC) and the recording (SoundExchange). Registering with one does not register you with the other.
Joining a PRO (ASCAP, BMI, SESAC) does not register your songs — each one earns $0 in mechanical or performance royalties until it's individually entered into the relevant system.
SoundExchange and The MLC are completely separate from your distributor (DistroKid, TuneCore, etc.) — most distributors don't register you with either, and many independent artists have never registered with either on their own.
International neighboring rights — royalties paid to performers when recordings are broadcast abroad — exist in something like 80–90+ countries. Very few independent artists ever register for them, leaving international airplay money uncollected.
How it works
1
Step 1
Complete the 18-point royalty assessment
Check off what you have already set up.
2
Step 2
Get your free Royalty Health Score
Enter your name and email to unlock your personalized score and a written summary of your gaps.
3
Step 3
See exactly where you're losing money
Your results highlight every royalty stream you haven't set up yet — so you know precisely what to fix next.