Split sheet
Also known as Songwriter split sheet, Split agreement
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Short answer
A split sheet is a short written agreement, signed by everyone who contributed to a song, that records each person's percentage of ownership. A publishing split divides the composition among its writers; a master split divides the recording among its owners. Each must total exactly 100%, and it is best signed at or soon after the session, before anyone's memory differs.
What a split sheet contains
A complete split sheet lists the song title and date, then for each contributor their legal name, role, ownership percentage, performing rights organization and IPI number, publisher if any, and signature. The percentages must add up to exactly 100. When the recording is also co-owned, a separate master split records those percentages — the people who own a song and the people who own a recording of it are often not the same.
Why it matters
Collecting societies pay according to the shares registered for a work. If co-writers register shares that add up to more than 100%, the work is typically held in dispute and paid to no one until the conflict is resolved. A split sheet signed by everyone is the evidence that resolves it. It is also the input to every later royalty payout: each statement line is divided according to it.
When to sign it
The norm is to agree splits in the room — at the end of the writing or recording session — while everyone's contribution is fresh and before the song has commercial value. Splits renegotiated after a song succeeds are far more contentious.
Under US law, a song written by several people intending their contributions to merge into one whole is a joint work;[1] absent an agreement, its co-owners are generally presumed to hold equal shares, which is rarely what the room actually agreed.
Questions
How do you split a song with no agreement?
Without a written agreement, default rules depend on the jurisdiction; in the United States co-writers of a joint work are generally presumed to own equal shares. That presumption is a reason to sign a split sheet, not a substitute for one.
Is a split sheet legally binding?
A signed split sheet is evidence of an agreement between the signatories and is generally treated as such. For significant deals, it is usually followed by fuller agreements.
What is the difference between a master split and a publishing split?
A publishing split divides ownership of the composition among its writers; a master split divides ownership of a specific recording among its owners, such as an artist and a producer.
References
- Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School. “17 U.S. Code § 101 — Definitions (joint work).”