Unallocated Royalties

“Black box” royalties, also known as unknown royalties, are paid to publishers or writers but cannot be traced by the pay source. These royalties are often earned by writers for their work but they cannot be located, hence they are called “lost” writers. After a certain period of time, if the writers cannot be found, their royalties are no longer payable and are distributed among top earners based on their market share.