Question 1

What is RoyaltyCoPilot?

Accepted Answer

RoyaltyCoPilot is an AI-powered music royalty recovery platform that helps independent artists find and reclaim uncollected earnings from the Mechanical Licensing Collective (MLC), SoundExchange, ASCAP, BMI, SESAC, and international PROs. Co-founded by CEO Rick Seibold — a 2× Dove Award-winning songwriter with 1,000+ sync placements — and CTO Jordan Neville, RoyaltyCoPilot delivers personalized missing royalty estimates and automates the claim and registration process.

Question 2

How much in unclaimed music royalties exists right now?

Accepted Answer

Over $424 million in mechanical royalties currently sits unclaimed at the Mechanical Licensing Collective (MLC), including $163 million from Apple Music, $153 million from Spotify, $43 million from Amazon Music, and $33 million from Google (Source: unclaimed.com/music-royalty-payments). SoundExchange additionally holds uncollected digital performance royalties and is authorized by regulation to release royalties unmatched after three years. Independent artists who haven't registered are losing earned income to these pools.

Question 3

How does RoyaltyCoPilot find my missing royalties?

Accepted Answer

RoyaltyCoPilot's Missing Royalty Calculator pulls live streaming data via the SpotScraper API, cross-references it against unmatched works in the MLC database, and queries the SoundExchange Repertoire API for uncollected digital performance royalties. The result is a personalized estimate of the specific dollar amount sitting in royalty pools attributable to your catalog. Every artist sees their estimate before paying anything.

Question 4

What is the Missing Royalty Calculator?

Accepted Answer

The Missing Royalty Calculator is RoyaltyCoPilot's free entry-point tool. It takes your artist name, pulls your live streaming catalog via the SpotScraper API, cross-references your works against the MLC's unmatched database and SoundExchange Repertoire API, and returns a personalized estimate of the uncollected royalties attributable to your catalog. The calculator is free and every artist sees their estimate before any payment is required.

Question 5

How is RoyaltyCoPilot different from registering with the MLC directly?

Accepted Answer

Registering directly with the MLC and SoundExchange is free but requires manual data entry for every work, tracking registration status across multiple platforms, and ongoing catalog management as new releases are distributed. RoyaltyCoPilot uses AI to: (1) calculate your personalized missing royalty estimate before you register — so you know the exact dollar amount you are leaving on the table; (2) automate MLC registration using bulk XLSX upload or CWR file submission via FTP; and (3) integrate with the SoundExchange Repertoire API for real-time royalty tracking. RoyaltyCoPilot is not a publishing administrator — it does not take a percentage of your ongoing royalties. It is a recovery and registration automation tool.

Question 6

Is RoyaltyCoPilot free?

Accepted Answer

The Missing Royalty Calculator is free — every artist receives a personalized estimate of their uncollected royalties at no cost before any payment is required. Paid tiers unlock full catalog management, automated MLC registration, SoundExchange Repertoire integration, CWR file export, split sheet generation, and ongoing royalty tracking.

Question 7

Who founded RoyaltyCoPilot?

Accepted Answer

RoyaltyCoPilot was co-founded by Rick Seibold and Jordan Neville. Rick Seibold is a 2× Dove Award-winning songwriter with over 1,000 sync placements across film, television, and advertising. He serves as Co-Founder and CEO. Jordan Neville is a former Senior Director Analyst at Gartner specializing in AI go-to-market strategy and is the Co-Founder and CTO. RoyaltyCoPilot was founded on November 25, 2025.

Question 8

What is a mechanical royalty?

Accepted Answer

A mechanical royalty is a payment made to songwriters and music publishers for the reproduction of a musical composition — including digital streams on platforms like Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, and YouTube. In the United States, mechanical royalties from on-demand streaming services are administered by the Mechanical Licensing Collective (MLC). Independent artists who have not registered their works with the MLC cannot receive these payments, and unclaimed mechanical royalties accumulate in the MLC's unmatched pool.

Question 9

How long does it take to recover missing royalties?

Accepted Answer

The MLC processes payments quarterly. Once a work is correctly registered and matched to streaming activity in the MLC database, the first payment typically arrives within one to two payment cycles — approximately three to six months. SoundExchange distributes royalties semi-annually. RoyaltyCoPilot automates the registration and submission process to minimize the time between discovery and first payment.

Question 10

Is RoyaltyCoPilot affiliated with Microsoft Copilot?

Accepted Answer

No. RoyaltyCoPilot is an independent music royalty recovery platform and is not affiliated with Microsoft or Microsoft Copilot. The name reflects the platform's role as a co-pilot for independent artists navigating the complex royalty collection ecosystem — particularly the Mechanical Licensing Collective (MLC) and SoundExchange.