Universal Music trying to find Elliott Smith

According to an article on harpmagazine.com, the bean counters are Universal Music, who owns Elliotts Smith's former label, have been trying to find him. They did not know that the Elliott had died nearly 2 and a half years ago. They wanted to pay him the royalties he and Neil Gust earned from the cover Jimmy Eat World did of their song 'Not Half Right'. Alex Steininger was the person they contacted and he had to break the bad news to them. Their response was simply that it wasn't their job to know whether or now someone was alive or dead. They just wanted to give them their money. This reminds me of that scene in Office Space where Milton continues to be paid his salary years after he was officially fired. It's not really the same thing but it just shows you how little people care. They just want to get in and out of their jobs which they hate without drawing too much attention to themselves so they don't get fired.