Blur drummer David Rowntree loses a legal bid over claims of unpaid songwriter royalties totaling about £200 million, according to reports. Rowntree brings the dispute against PRS for Music, arguing that the organisation pays “black box” royalties—often described as unidentified royalties—to producers but does not distribute them to songwriters. The court action challenges how such royalties are allocated when rightsholders cannot be identified. The Evening Standard reports that Rowntree seeks to continue the royalty legal battle, but the bid is unsuccessful. The Independent similarly states that Rowntree contends PRS pays unidentified royalties to producers rather than songwriters, framing the dispute around the treatment of those payments. Across both accounts, the focus is on the same core allegation: that PRS’s approach to “black box” funds results in songwriters not receiving royalties they believe are owed. Both outlets report the outcome as a loss for Rowntree in court, ending his attempt to proceed with the litigation as framed.