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Critical • 10 min read

How Much Money Did You Lose in 2025?

American auditing only captures half the story. Discover how thousands—even hundreds of thousands—of your dollars are sitting unclaimed in international territories because U.S.-based auditors can't access them.

January 1, 2026 Creative Funding Agency

Right now, your money is sitting in bank accounts across Europe, Asia, Australia, and Latin America. Thousands of dollars—maybe tens or hundreds of thousands—that you earned but never collected. Not because you didn't deserve it, but because American auditors simply can't access it.

If you've ever worked with a U.S.-based royalty auditor or catalog valuation firm, you've only seen part of your financial picture. The problem? American companies don't have direct access to international collection societies, PROs, and rights organizations. They rely on data forwarded through U.S. intermediaries—which means delays, missing payments, and incomplete records.

The Uncomfortable Truth:

Most American artists are losing 15-40% of their international royalty income due to incomplete auditing, delayed collections, and lack of direct access to foreign societies. That's money you earned—and never saw.

The Problem with American-Only Auditing

When you work with a U.S.-based auditor or valuation firm, here's what typically happens:

The U.S. Auditing Process (Limited Access):

  1. 1. They contact your U.S. PRO (ASCAP, BMI, SESAC) for domestic performance data
  2. 2. They pull SoundExchange data for U.S. digital radio
  3. 3. They request statements from your U.S. distributor (showing aggregated streaming data)
  4. 4. They rely on what trickles back through reciprocal agreements from international societies—which can take 18-36 months and is often incomplete

What They Miss:

  • ❌ Direct foreign PRO royalties (PRS in UK, GEMA in Germany, SACEM in France, etc.)
  • ❌ Neighboring rights from international radio/TV broadcasts
  • ❌ Mechanical royalties held in foreign territories
  • ❌ Sync licensing deals processed through foreign publishers
  • ❌ Unclaimed black box royalties sitting in international societies
  • ❌ Regional streaming platform adjustments not reported to U.S. distributors

Real-World Examples: Missing Money

Case Study: Independent Hip-Hop Artist

U.S. Audit Found: $85,000 annual income from U.S. streaming and performance

Our International Audit Uncovered: Additional $32,000 in:

  • • $18,000 from UK/European radio play (neighboring rights via PPL)
  • • $9,000 from German streaming mechanical royalties (GEMA)
  • • $5,000 from unclaimed black box funds in France (SACEM)

= 38% more income discovered

Case Study: Country Music Catalog (40+ Songs)

U.S. Audit Found: $220,000 annual income

Our International Audit Uncovered: Additional $89,000 in:

  • • $41,000 from Canadian radio and streaming (SOCAN + neighboring rights)
  • • $27,000 from Australian broadcast royalties (APRA AMCOS)
  • • $21,000 from Swedish and Nordic streaming mechanicals

= 40% more income discovered

Case Study: Electronic Producer with Sync Placements

U.S. Audit Found: $145,000 (mostly U.S. sync licensing)

Our International Audit Uncovered: Additional $67,000 in:

  • • $38,000 from European TV broadcasts of synced content (PRS, GEMA, SACEM)
  • • $18,000 from Japanese streaming platform direct deals
  • • $11,000 from Latin American broadcast societies (not forwarded to ASCAP)

= 46% more income discovered

Why CFA Is Different: UK/Swedish Ownership = Global Access

Creative Funding Agency is UK and Swedish-owned with U.S. operations. This isn't just a nice detail—it's a game-changing competitive advantage.

Our Direct Access Network

🇬🇧 UK-Based Access:

  • PRS for Music (UK PRO) - direct member access
  • PPL (UK neighboring rights) - direct collection
  • MCPS (UK mechanicals) - full audit access
  • • Direct relationships with European societies (GEMA, SACEM, SGAE, SIAE)

🇸🇪 Swedish-Based Access:

  • STIM (Swedish PRO) - direct member access
  • SAMI (Swedish neighboring rights) - direct collection
  • • Nordic society partnerships (Norway, Denmark, Finland, Iceland)
  • • EU-wide mechanical licensing network access

🇺🇸 U.S. Operations:

  • • ASCAP, BMI, SESAC - full audit access
  • • SoundExchange - direct API access
  • • The MLC - full mechanical licensing access
  • • U.S. distributor integrations (AgncyOS platform)

🌏 Global Partnerships:

  • • SOCAN (Canada)
  • • APRA AMCOS (Australia)
  • • JASRAC (Japan)
  • • Latin American societies (SACM, UBC, ECAD)

The Bottom Line:

When you work with CFA, you're not waiting 18-36 months for international royalties to "trickle through" U.S. intermediaries. We query foreign societies directly, pulling data in real-time with full member-level access. No American competitor can offer this.

What Our Thorough International Audit Uncovers

When we conduct a catalog audit, we don't stop at U.S. borders. Here's what we check:

1. Direct Foreign PRO Collections

We query PRS (UK), GEMA (Germany), SACEM (France), SGAE (Spain), SIAE (Italy), and 70+ other societies directly—not through ASCAP/BMI reciprocal agreements.

2. International Neighboring Rights

We access PPL (UK), GVL (Germany), SAMI (Sweden), Re:Sound (Canada), and dozens of other neighboring rights organizations to capture radio/TV broadcast royalties you're missing.

3. Foreign Mechanical Royalties

Streaming platforms pay mechanical royalties to local societies (like GEMA in Germany). These don't always flow back to U.S. publishers. We collect them directly.

4. Black Box Royalties

Billions sit unclaimed in "black box" funds—royalties collected but not distributed due to missing or incomplete metadata. With direct society access, we can claim these funds on your behalf.

5. Regional Streaming Platform Adjustments

Platforms like Spotify, Apple Music, and YouTube Music pay different rates by region. We audit each territory individually to catch discrepancies U.S. distributors miss.

6. Sync Licensing Broadcast Royalties

If your music was synced into a TV show or film, broadcasts of that content in 70+ countries generate additional royalties. We track and collect every one.

How Much Are You Really Losing?

Based on our audits of 500+ catalogs over the past 3 years, here's what we typically find:

Annual U.S. Income Avg Missing International $ % Increase
$50,000 $12,000 - $18,000 24-36%
$100,000 $25,000 - $40,000 25-40%
$250,000 $60,000 - $95,000 24-38%
$500,000 $110,000 - $180,000 22-36%
$1,000,000+ $200,000 - $350,000 20-35%

Quick Math:

If you're generating $100,000/year from U.S. sources and losing 30% internationally, that's $30,000 per year you didn't collect.

Over 5 years? $150,000 gone. Over 10 years? $300,000.

Why American Auditors Can't Compete

It's not that U.S.-based auditors are doing a bad job—they're doing the best they can with the access they have. But there are fundamental limitations:

  • No direct society memberships: U.S. companies can't join PRS, GEMA, SACEM, etc. as members, so they can't query databases directly
  • Reliance on reciprocal agreements: They depend on ASCAP/BMI passing along foreign royalties—which can take years and is incomplete
  • Language and regulatory barriers: Navigating French, German, Japanese, and Spanish systems requires native-language expertise and legal knowledge
  • No neighboring rights access: PPL, GVL, SAMI don't accept U.S.-only entities as direct partners
  • Time zone and operational challenges: Querying European societies from a U.S.-only office means delays, limited support, and missed opportunities

What Happens During a CFA International Audit

Our Process:

1

Catalog Inventory

We compile every track, ISRC, writer credit, and publisher detail

2

U.S. Collection Audit

Pull data from ASCAP/BMI/SESAC, SoundExchange, The MLC, and your U.S. distributor

3

Direct Foreign PRO Query

We query PRS, GEMA, SACEM, STIM, SOCAN, APRA, and 70+ societies directly with your catalog data

4

Neighboring Rights Investigation

Check PPL, GVL, SAMI, Re:Sound, and other neighboring rights orgs for unclaimed broadcast royalties

5

Black Box Recovery

Cross-reference your catalog against black box databases to identify unclaimed funds

6

Comprehensive Report

Deliver a full breakdown of U.S. vs international income, missing funds, and actionable next steps

7

Recovery Assistance

We help you register, claim, and collect every missing dollar (optional service)

What You'll Receive

Full Financial Report

  • • U.S. income breakdown by source
  • • International income by country/society
  • • Missing/unclaimed royalties identified
  • • Total revenue recovery potential

Geographic Revenue Map

  • • Which countries generate income
  • • Where you're registered vs not registered
  • • Territories with unclaimed funds
  • • Growth opportunities by region

Action Plan

  • • Which societies to register with
  • • How to claim missing royalties
  • • Metadata fixes needed
  • • Timeline for recovery

Valuation Adjustment

  • • Updated catalog valuation
  • • Projected annual income (corrected)
  • • Sale/advance pricing recommendations
  • • Buyer-ready documentation

Don't Leave Money on the Table

Get a FREE International Audit Consultation and discover exactly how much you've been losing. No obligation. No pressure. Just the truth about your catalog's real value.

Final Thoughts

If you're working with a U.S.-only auditor, valuation firm, or catalog buyer, you're seeing an incomplete picture. They're not withholding information on purpose—they literally don't have access to it.

At Creative Funding Agency, our UK/Swedish ownership gives us direct, member-level access to collection societies across Europe, Scandinavia, and the Commonwealth. We don't wait for reciprocal agreements. We don't rely on third-party data. We go straight to the source.

How much did you lose in 2025? Let us find out. It could be the difference between a $500K catalog and a $700K catalog. Between $100K/year and $140K/year. Between financial security and leaving hundreds of thousands unclaimed.

The money is out there. We know where to find it.

Contact us today for your free international audit consultation.