Learn — By WATMM Desk —
Recipe: back-claim royalties after joining a PRO late
What you can still recover after joining a PRO, the MLC or SoundExchange late, with each claim window we could source. All three cost nothing to join. Short version: PROs rarely pay for plays before you joined; the MLC and SoundExchange hold unmatched money, and SoundExchange's window is three years.
Key facts
- SoundExchange and the MLC both say registration is free.
- Under 37 CFR 380.4, SoundExchange holds unclaimed webcasting royalties for three years from first distribution; after that no claim is valid.
- The MLC holds unmatched US digital mechanical royalties, including about $424.3 million from before 2021, until a member's song is matched to them.
- BMI adjustment claims must be made within nine months of the distribution in question.
If you joined late, you can still recover some money, but it depends on who holds it. PROs such as BMI generally do not pay for performances before you joined. The MLC (US streaming mechanicals) and SoundExchange (US digital radio for recordings) hold unmatched money until you claim it, and SoundExchange's legal window is three years.
Free first: none of this costs anything. SoundExchange says it encourages creators to register "at no cost", and the MLC says "connecting with The MLC is free and easy". Anyone charging a fee to "find your lost royalties" is charging for a form you can fill in yourself.
Time: about two hours for the sign-ups and a first search; approval and payouts take months. Cost: $0.
What you can still recover
| Who holds it | What it pays | Claim window | Can you get money from before you joined? |
|---|---|---|---|
| SoundExchange | US digital performance of the recording (webcasting, satellite) to artists and rights owners | 3 years from first distribution (37 CFR 380.4) | Yes, if it is still inside the three years |
| The MLC | US streaming and download mechanicals for the song | No published deadline; unmatched money is held until matched or released by market share (MLC) | Yes, once a match is approved |
| BMI | US performance royalties for the song | Adjustment claims within 9 months of the distribution (as summarised by Musosoup) | Generally no: you must be affiliated before the performance |
| ASCAP, PRS, IPRS and others | Performance royalties | We could not open a published window on the societies' own pages | Ask member services in writing |
The steps
- Register with SoundExchange first, because its clock is the hardest. The regulation says SoundExchange must keep unidentified money in a trust account "for a period of three years" from the first distribution of that payment, and "no claim to distribution shall be valid after the expiration of the three-year period" (37 CFR 380.4). The rule covers both copyright owners and performers, so a self-releasing artist who owns the master should register in both roles. Time: 30 minutes.
- Join the MLC and register your songs. Unmatched money from before 2021 alone came to some $424.3 million, and the Copyright Office recommended waiting at least five years, not the minimum three in the Music Modernization Act, before it is paid out by market share (MLC). That money is still claimable while it sits there. Our MLC explainer has the background. Time: 30 to 60 minutes.
- Use the MLC Matching Tool. It lets members search usage data that has not been matched to a song and propose matches to works they have registered (MLC). Search every spelling of your title and artist name. If you release through a distributor, ask it about the MLC's distributor portal, which shows releases with unmatched royalties (MLC).
- Register every song at your PRO now. For BMI, a guide summarising BMI's rules says not to budget for retroactive payment simply because you join later, and that an adjustment claim must reach BMI in writing within nine months of the distribution in question (Musosoup; we could not load BMI's own rules page, so treat the exact wording as [unverified] against BMI). Every quarter you delay is a quarter you may not get back. New to PROs? Start with what a PRO is; Indian songwriters can follow our IPRS recipe.
- File missing-performance claims for anything after you joined. Live sets, TV and radio plays after your join date are the realistic back-claim. Send setlists and dates in writing and keep copies.
- Calendar the windows. Put a reminder on each quarterly statement: check it, and file any claim inside the nine-month BMI window or your own society's equivalent.
What we think
The money most people can still get is not at their PRO; it is at the MLC and SoundExchange, which hold unmatched money by design. That is backwards from how most guides order the to-do list, which starts with "join ASCAP or BMI". If you are late, do it the other way round: SoundExchange today, because three years is a hard legal limit, then the MLC, then your PRO so the leak stops. And treat any society's "we can't pay for that" as a reason to register faster, not as a reason to give up. If you want the full picture of who pays what, our royalty splits guide maps the streams.
Sources
- 37 CFR 380.4: Distribution of royalties (unclaimed funds), Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School (primary source). Accessed 29 Oct 2026.
- Key terms, SoundExchange (primary source). Accessed 29 Oct 2026.
- Frequently asked questions, The MLC (primary source). Accessed 29 Oct 2026.
- Billboard: Copyright Office recommends MLC's distribution of pre-2021 unmatched royalties not occur for 5 years, The MLC (primary source). Accessed 29 Oct 2026.
- Let's make a match: the Matching Tool, The MLC (primary source). Accessed 29 Oct 2026.
- The MLC launches portal for distributors to view releases with unclaimed royalties, The MLC (primary source). Accessed 29 Oct 2026.
- BMI payment schedule: when royalties arrive, Musosoup. Accessed 29 Oct 2026.
Researched with AI assistance, written and checked by WATMM Desk.