MUSIC PUBLISHING
GLOSSARY

Retroactive Royalties

Retroactive royalties are unallocated royalties that are waiting to be paid out to the copyright owners. This happens when songs aren’t registered correctly or the contact information for the songwriter is unavailable. These royalties generally sit at the collection society for a length of time, which varies based on the society, until they enter the black box. Refer to unallocated royalties for more. 

Related Terms:

• Unallocated Royalties
• Royalties
• Music Publishing

Related Articles:

• What's The Deal With Unallocated Royalties?
• What are Music Royalties? The Difference Between Recording and Composition Royalties
• What is the Music Modernization Act?
• Songtrust: The Music Modernization Act and You
• Help Center: Retroactive Royalties

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