Show HN: Check if any of the $656M in unclaimed royalties at The MLC is yours
Recover Your Missing Money: The Doubly Blackbox Checker
🔍 What is the Blackbox Checker?
The Blackbox Checker is a tool designed to help musicians identify which of their recordings are currently unregistered or unclaimed within The MLC (Mechanical Licensing Collective). By analyzing your catalog, the tool estimates the amount of revenue you are currently losing.
How to use it:
- Provide a link to a Spotify artist, album, or specific song.
- Alternatively, search using an artist's name.
- Cost: Completely free; no account registration is required.
💰 The "Black Box" Crisis
The MLC is currently holding $656 million in royalties that have not been claimed by anyone. In the industry, this unallocated pool of money is known as the "Black Box."
The Deadline: Starting in January 2027 (specifically the 14th), The MLC will begin distributing these funds. They will start with the oldest usage months first.
The first $6.41 million (dating back to January 2021) will be distributed based on market share. This means the money is split among publishers and writers who are already collecting, proportional to their current earnings.
Once this money is distributed by market share, it is gone forever.
⏳ The Countdown
The clock is ticking for the oldest funds. The current window for the January 2021 payout is roughly:
146 days, 04 hours, 51 minutes, and 37 seconds
📊 Understanding Your Status
When you check your catalog, you will see various symbols indicating the health of your royalties.
| Symbol | Status | Meaning | Action/Nuance |
|---|---|---|---|
✓ | Looks good | Linked to an MLC work; all shares claimed. | No action needed. |
◈ | Needs matching | The recording isn't linked to the work for a specific service. | Money is sitting there; needs a manual match. |
◐ | Missing shares | Linked to a work, but some ownership is unclaimed. | Could be a co-writer's share. |
○ | Fully unclaimed | Linked to a work, but no one has claimed any part. | High priority for recovery. |
✕ | Missing work | Recording exists, but no underlying work is registered. | Register the composition immediately. |
– | Not in MLC data | Recording isn't in the database yet. | Register now to avoid the black box later. |
🛠️ The Mechanics of Royalties
It is vital to understand the distinction between a Recording and a Work.
In the United States, The MLC (a non-profit created by the Music Modernization Act) handles the mechanical royalties for the composition (the song's writing), not the audio recording itself.
How the Estimated Loss is Calculated
The tool doesn't guess randomly; it uses a specific logic flow:
Key Calculation Details:
- The Rate: Derived from MLC distributions and historical CRB Phonorecords rates.
- Conservative Approach: The tool uses a "measured" rate (roughly half the headline figure) based on actual administered catalogs to ensure accuracy.
- The Range: Estimates are provided as a range () because industry averages are used.
- The
+Sign: If you see a trailing plus sign, it means the value is in the MLC's highest band, which has no ceiling.
⚠️ The "Registration vs. Matching" Trap
A common misconception is that registering a song is enough. It is not.
- Registration: Creating the "Work" in the MLC database.
- Matching: Linking that "Work" to every single version of the recording across different platforms.
Because Spotify, Apple Music, and Pandora all report recordings differently (sometimes with slight variations in title or duration), they are treated as separate entities.
Example: One song in a tested catalog had 48 different copies across 13 services. Even though the work was perfectly registered, over $1,000 was trapped because the recordings weren't "matched."
Your Recovery Checklist:
- Register the underlying composition (The Work).
- Claim your percentage shares.
- Use the Matching Tool in the MLC portal to link recordings to the work.
🎸 A Note on Cover Songs
If you recorded a cover of someone else's song, you will see that it is unclaimed or belongs to someone else. This is correct.
- The Recording: You own this (and get paid via other channels).
- The Work: The original songwriter owns this.
The MLC pays the writer, not the performer. Therefore, there is nothing for a cover artist to claim at the MLC for that specific recording.
🖼️ System Assets