A new tool aims to help songwriters recover a portion of the $656 million in unclaimed mechanical royalties sitting at the Mechanical Licensing Collective (MLC). The service, posted on Hacker News as a Show HN project, allows users to search for unpaid funds tied to their registered works. Called simply Check, the tool provides a direct lookup interface against the MLC's public database of unmatched royalties.

What You Need to Know

The MLC was created by the Music Modernization Act to collect and distribute mechanical royalties from streaming platforms. Because songwriters often change publishers or are hard to locate, millions of dollars go unclaimed each quarter. Check lets anyone search the MLC's unmatched royalty roster without registering an account. The tool does not process claims directly but points users to the official MLC claim process.

The Scale of Unclaimed Royalties

The $656 million figure represents accrued royalties that the MLC has been unable to deliver since it began operations in 2021. Each month, streaming services such as Spotify and Apple Music pay mechanical royalties into the MLC's system. When the collective cannot match a payment to a registered copyright owner, the funds go into a holding account. The balance has grown rapidly as streaming consumption expands and legacy catalog owners remain unidentified.

How the MLC Operates

The MLC is a nonprofit designated by the US Copyright Office. It maintains a database of musical works and copyright ownership. When a stream occurs, the service reports usage to the MLC, which then distributes payments to publishers and songwriters. Unmatched royalties occur when the metadata in a usage report does not align with any entry in the MLC's database. The collective publishes a public list of unmatched works to encourage claimants to come forward.

How Check Works

Check is a lightweight web application that scans the MLC's publicly available unmatched royalty data. A user enters a songwriter name, publisher name or song title and the tool returns any matches found. It does not store personal data or require login credentials. The tool's creator released it as a Show HN post to draw attention to the unclaimed funds problem and to provide a simpler alternative to the MLC's own search interface. Check currently covers only the MLC's unmatched records and does not look at other royalty pools such as performance or sync licensing.

Who Might Find Money

The tool is most useful for independent songwriters, self-published artists and estate representatives. Many creators are unaware that royalties from streaming services flow through the MLC. Typical scenarios include:

  • Songwriters who changed publishers: Ownership records held by the MLC may still point to a former publisher, causing payments to go unmatched.
  • Estate representatives: Posthumous royalties for deceased songwriters are often unmatched because the MLC lacks updated contact information for the estate.
  • Collaborators on older works: Co-writers of songs registered before 2021 may find their share of mechanical royalties sitting in the MLC's holding account.

Why This Matters

Unclaimed royalties represent a structural inefficiency in the modern music economy. The $656 million figure is not static; it grows each quarter as streaming consumption increases and the MLC struggles to locate rightful owners. Tools like Check put pressure on the MLC to improve its matching algorithms and outreach efforts. For individual songwriters, the tool offers a quick way to discover unexpected income that may have been owed for years. Even if only a small fraction of the total is claimed, the aggregate payout could materially affect thousands of independent creators. The MLC has stated it continues to work on reducing its unmatched pool, but the current balance suggests that progress remains slow.

Practical Steps for Claimants

Songwriters who find a match through Check should visit the MLC's official website to initiate a formal claim. The process typically requires proof of ownership, such as a copyright registration or a signed agreement. The MLC does not charge fees to claim royalties. Once the claim is verified, the MLC releases the accumulated funds along with future payments.