Guides for musicians' families

Plain-language explanations of where a musician's unclaimed royalties sit, who holds them, and how an estate actually claims them. Every figure is sourced.

• What an estate needs to claim a musician's royalties

  Every royalty organisation asks the same underlying question: prove the person died, and prove you may act for them. Here is what that means in practice, and how to avoid full probate.

• The MLC's 2027 deadline, explained accurately

  You will read that unclaimed music royalties vanish in 2027. That is close enough to be persuasive and wrong in the ways that matter. Here is what The MLC actually says, and what it means for an estate.

• State unclaimed property: the easiest place to start

  Uncashed cheques from labels and publishers end up with state treasuries, which hold them indefinitely. It is free to search, has no deadline, and is the one families most often skip.

• Where a musician's unclaimed royalties actually sit

  Four organisations hold money for musicians who never collected it. Here is what each one holds, and the free public search for each, so a family can look without paying anyone.