United Kingdom · Performance + mechanical
PRS/MCPS
What counts as black box here
Unpaid-work files and distribution holds are published for members to claim. Money becomes non-distributable 3 years after the end of the collection financial year under the UK 2016 Regulations.
Mini box
Lit: compartments used and exit chute(s).
Its rules
Governed by EU/UK collective-management law: unpaid money must be identified, reported and eventually redistributed within set deadlines.
- Rights it handles
- Performance + mechanical
- Holds a pool?
- Yes
- Evidence level
- Official policy only
How it distributes money
How often matched money is paid out, and how members can find what's theirs.
- Payment cadence
- PRS Apr/Jul/Oct/Dec; MCPS monthly
- Data maturity tier
- C
How it handles unresolved royalties
How long money waits, when the clock starts, and where it goes if nobody claims it.
- Holding clock
- 3 yrs
- Clock starts
- End of collection financial year
- Exit chute
- Use decided under society governance
- Late claims after expiry
- Claims preserved subject to limitation law
Lifecycle path
- 1
Distribute
Regular distributions
- 2
Publish unpaid works
Files released for claiming
- 3
Back-claim
Members claim missed royalties
PRS ~3 yrs; MCPS physical up to 6 yrs
- 4
Expire
Non-distributable
3 yrs after collection FY
- 5
Decide use
Society governance decides
Published figures
No balance publicly disclosed (not the same as zero)