Hard Rock and Metal Artists Owed Money!

The technology news site p2pnet had this article recently about Sound Exchange and the millions of dollars of royalties being held by the organization on the behalf of musicians that can’t be found. A number of heavy metal and hard rock musicians are among those artists that the non-profit claims that they can't find.

Sound Exchange was formed by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), the music industry's lobbying arm, as a non-profit organization. Sound Exchange's primary reason for being is to collect royalties from the digital transmissions of sound recordings and then pay these monies back out to artists and record labels. For example, Sound Exchange collects royalties from satellite radio stations like XM Radio and Sirius that play recorded music; from cable and satellite television (Muzak or MusicChoice channels); and from Internet radio stations like Pandora.

There's just one problem – Sound Exchange can't find many of the musicians that they're supposed to pay royalties. On the organization's website they include a list of over 8,000 of these "lost artists," musicians and bands that are due money. Although Sound Exchange claims that they're currently paying royalties to some 31,000 artists, some critics claim that the number of "lost artists" might actually be as high as 40,000 musicians.

Your humble scribe pored through 88 pages of names to dig out the below-listed pearls:

Accept, Aldo Nova, Amboy Dukes (Ted Nugent), American Pearl, Amon Amarth, Archy Enemy, Atheist, Atomic Bitchwax

Badlands, Bang Tango, Behemoth, Biohazard, Bolt Thrower, Brujeria, Buzzoven

Carcass, Chuck Dukowski, Circus Of Power, Crowbar

D.R.I., Demons & Wizards, Dimebag Darrell

Enuff Znuff

Fastway, Fate's Warning, Fudge Tunnel

Goatsnake, Godflesh

Hateplow, Heathen

Ian Astbury, Iced Earth

Kreator

Life Of Agony, Lizzy Borden

Malevolent Creation, Meliah Rage, Metal Church, Mission U.K., Mountain, My Dying Bride

Nevermore

Obituary, Orange Goblin, Overkill

Pissing Razors, Poundhound (Doug Pinnick), Pride & Glory, Pro-Pain

Raging Slab, Riot

Sacred Reich, Saint Vitus, sHeavy, Skinyard

Trouble, Tygers of Pan Tang, Type O Negative

This is just a small list compiled from thousands shown on the Sound Exchange website. Many of these artists/bands are still active musicians, touring and recording. Why couldn't Sound Exchange just assign an intern or two on the task and have them Google some of these "lost artists" that they're holding money for in their bank account? Many of 'em have websites with contact info.

All recording artists are strongly urged to get in touch with Sound Exchange and see if you're owed any money; and if you haven't registered with the organization, you should do so as soon as possible so that you, too, don't end up "lost." You may be owed some little money from the Internet and, if not, you can at least get on their books for any future cash that might come your way. It's your money...don't let them keep it!