Record Labels Keep Copyright Infringement Dollars - Nothing to Musicians

Although it's in the realm of music, I think it behooves any independent creative person to know what's going on in other industries. According to a story in Home Theater, little to none of the millions that record labels have taken through copyright infringement suits ends up in the hands of the musicians and composers who created the works in the first place:

For example, three of the four majors banked $270 million in the lawsuit against Napster (barring Sony BMG, because BMG owns Napster). And all four have made deals with YouTube. But musicians are still waiting for the penny to drop—into their pockets, that is. Their managers and lawyers are now threatening to file lawsuits of their own, this time with the labels as defendants.

Sure, there will be complications of who is owned how much, but the concerning thing is that a) they will take as much time as they can as interest mounts in the bank, and b) the "legal expenses" are eating up most of the proceeds. Now, if they can successfully sue, then they probably registered copyright in a timely manner. That would mean that they could have - and, I'd bet, did - sue for legal expenses. So they get money for legal expenses, and then hold on to all the money for legal expenses? Sounds like the sort of double-dipping that recording labels are known for. Any bets as to whether publishers would be more forthcoming in similar circumstances?