How to Read a Songwriter Splits Agreement

A songwriter splits agreement looks simple enough that people dismiss it as paperwork. That casual treatment creates trouble. The sheet establishes who wrote the song and the portion each person owns, and every later registration relies on that record.

When the details are wrong, you won't hear an alarm. The song simply sits there without paying anyone.

Record every writer's legal name, IPI, society, and percentage. Treat the publisher and writer shares as separate sides that must each equal 100%. Before the session ends, get every signature.

What a split sheet really does

This document is an agreement among a song's writers that defines their respective portions of the composition. It isn't about the master recording or distribution, and it doesn't determine who performed on the track.

Collecting societies use registered percentages to make payments, which is why the sheet matters. A registration with your PRO or The MLC states how ownership is divided. If anyone disputes that division, the split sheet supports the numbers you filed.

Why you see 200%

Nearly everybody gets stuck on this part.

Publishing has two separately tracked halves: the writer's share and the publisher's share. Each half adds up to 100%. Because societies often put both figures in the same display, the total appears as 200, making the calculation seem wrong.

The calculation is fine. Look at each side by itself: writers must reach 100, and publishers must also reach 100. If either total lands above or below 100, the work will be held instead of paid. In independent catalogs, this is the data issue we see most often.

When you publish yourself, the publisher share belongs to you. An administrator collects it for you but doesn't take ownership. That's how publishing administration works, unlike a publishing agreement in which an ownership interest actually transfers.

Details every sheet needs

Include the following for every writer:

• Legal name. An artist name won't work. Societies match writers through their legal identities, so aliases alone leave somebody with a research problem later.
• IPI number. This is the ID supplied by the writer's performing rights organization. Their money has nowhere to go without it.
• Society. That could be ASCAP, BMI, PRS for Music, SACEM, or another society. Writers on the same song can belong to different organizations without a problem, provided both sides receive consistent registrations.
• Percentage. State that person's portion of the writer share.
• Publisher, when the writer uses one, together with the percentage belonging to that publisher.

The title of the song, date, and every participant's signature also belong there.

Someone who hasn't become a PRO member won't have an IPI yet. Better to discover that while preparing the sheet than during registration. You can document the writer's portion, but payment can't reach them until they obtain the identifier.

Common ways splits fail

It was never put in writing. Nothing else comes close as a source of trouble. Six months after the session, everyone recalls it differently, and the track may already be generating income.

Only stage names appear. You can tell which artists attended, but not their legal identities, turning the match into guesswork.

The percentages miss 100. Give three writers 33% apiece and 1% remains unassigned. Some platforms will hold the song because of that gap.

Another writer submitted different shares. When two co-writers report conflicting figures to separate societies, neither gets paid until the conflict is resolved.

The producer's position was assumed. Decide in the room whether the producer receives a songwriting interest in the beat. A producer who helped create the composition, instead of contributing solely to the recording, may have rights in the song.

Signatures came late or never came. Once a song earns revenue, revisiting the percentages is nothing like settling them beforehand.

Advice you can use

Handle the sheet on a phone during the session and finish before the group leaves. A snapshot of paper showing every writer's name, percentage, and signature does more good than a beautiful form nobody signs.

You can gather IPI numbers later. The difficult step is securing agreement and signatures while everyone is together. Following up by text for identifiers is straightforward.

How Davincii helps

Our work involves registering songs with the societies that compensate songwriters, so we deal with split data constantly. When the percentages in a new catalog don't reconcile, we correct that first. Registration can't produce payment when a work's shares fail to add up.

There is no upfront fee, and you retain 100% of the copyright. Our commission applies only to royalties we collect: 15% of performance income and 20% of mechanicals.