Elvin writes the lyrics and melody, his friend Nigar makes the beat, and a guitarist called Tural adds a riff that becomes the most recognisable part of the song. Everyone is happy in the studio. Six months later the track is doing well, and three people have three different memories of who agreed to what. Almost every split dispute starts like this, and almost all of them could have been avoided with one signed page before release.
Two kinds of income from one song
A released track earns money in two separate ways, and each one can be split differently.
The master recording
This is the specific recording people stream. Income from it comes through the distributor that delivered it to the platforms. The master usually belongs to whoever made and paid for the recording: the artist, sometimes the producer, sometimes a label.
The composition
This is the song itself: melody, lyrics, chords, structure. Its income, often called publishing, comes from performance and mechanical royalties collected by collecting societies and publishers, not by your distributor. How well this works depends on your country and on whether you and your co-writers are registered with a society.
A producer who made the beat often has a claim on both. A session musician who played a part someone else wrote usually has a claim on neither, unless you agree otherwise. That is the whole point: you agree.
What goes on a split sheet
A split sheet is a short document that records who did what on a song and what share each person gets. It does not need legal language. It needs to be clear and signed.
- Song title and the date it was written or recorded.
- Each contributor's legal name and artist name.
- Their role: lyrics, melody, beat, arrangement, vocals, instrument.
- Their share of the composition, with all shares adding up to 100 percent.
- Their share of the master, if they get one, also adding up to 100 percent.
- Contact details and, if they have one, their collecting society membership.
- Signatures from everyone listed.
Fill it in on the day the song is finished, while everyone remembers the session the same way. A photo of a signed paper page is better than a perfect contract that never gets written.
How people usually decide the numbers
There is no single correct formula. A few approaches are common:
- An equal split among everyone who wrote. Simple, and it avoids arguments about whose line mattered more.
- A split by contribution, for example weighing lyrics and melody against the music.
- A flat fee for the producer's beat, with or without a share of master income on top.
- A featured artist receiving a share of the master, a one-off fee or simply a credit, depending on the deal.
Whatever you choose, write down whether the shares cover the composition, the master or both. Most confusion comes from someone saying "fifty-fifty" without saying fifty-fifty of what.
If you bought a beat online, the licence you accepted already answers some of these questions. Many beat licences limit how the track can be used commercially and keep a writer's share for the producer. Read it before release, keep a copy next to your split sheet, and if anything is unclear, ask the producer in writing.
Who gets paid and passes it on
Streaming royalties usually land in the account of whoever released the track. If your distributor does not pay collaborators separately, that person is responsible for sharing the money. Agree on how often you will settle up, for example after each reporting period, and share the statements so everyone sees the same figures.
Distribution services, CULT included, require you to own or have permission for everything you submit. On a collaboration, the signed agreement is that permission. If a co-writer or producer has not agreed, the release is not ready, however finished the mix sounds.
When something goes wrong anyway
If a dispute starts after release, go back to what was written down and talk directly first. Many disagreements are about memory rather than money, and a calm conversation with the split sheet on the table settles a lot of them.
If nothing is in writing, how the shares are treated depends on local law, and the result is rarely what anyone expected. For bigger deals or a real conflict, a lawyer who knows music is worth the fee. That is also true before signing anything long term with a producer or a label.
Before you press submit
- Every contributor is named, together with their role.
- Composition and master shares are written separately, and each adds up to 100.
- Everyone has signed or confirmed in writing.
- One person is clearly responsible for receiving and sharing the income.
- The credits on the release match the split sheet.