Free split sheet template: master, publishing, IPI and the producer

A split sheet is a short signed document that says who wrote a piece of music, who owns the recording, and what percentage each person gets. Sign it in the session, before anyone leaves, and certainly before the track is released or pitched. The free split sheet template below covers both the composition (publishing) and the master (recording) on one document, because they are two different pies and most templates only cover one.

Download the Split sheet — the free Split sheet (PDF and spreadsheet), with short instructions.

This article explains what goes on it, the difference between writer's share and publisher's share, and what people actually do about producer splits. It is practical guidance from musicians, not legal advice: for anything with real money attached, have a music lawyer read it.

What is a split sheet?

A split sheet is an agreement between the people who made a piece of music, written down while everyone still agrees. At minimum it lists the title, the date, each contributor, their role and their percentage, and everyone signs it.

It matters because collecting societies and publishers pay on what is registered, and registration depends on everyone giving the same numbers. ASCAP's advice, as quoted in a CD Baby piece on Hypebot, is that co-writers should "amicably agree on splits – in writing – that add up to exactly 100%". Songtrust puts the risk plainly: incorrect split information can lead to royalties being withheld or paid inaccurately.

When to sign it

• In the session, at the end of the day. Memories are fresh and nobody has a reason to argue yet.
• Before release. Each writer registers the work with their own society, and those registrations need to match.
• Before pitching for sync. A music supervisor clearing a track needs to know who controls the composition and who controls the master. If you say "one-stop", you need paperwork showing you can actually clear both sides.
• Again, if things change. A new writer on a later revision, a feature added, a remix sold: update the sheet and have everyone sign the new version.

Two pies: the composition and the master

Every recorded piece of music carries two separate rights, and a good split sheet keeps them apart.

The percentages on each side do not have to match. A producer can own a large share of the master and none of the composition, or the other way round. A singer who wrote half the lyrics but paid nothing towards the recording can hold 50 % of the composition and 0 % of the master. Write both down separately.

Writer's share and publisher's share, simply

On the composition side there is a second split that confuses almost everyone. Performance royalties are divided into a writer's share and a publisher's share, half each.

• The writer's share is paid directly to the songwriter, whether or not they have a publisher.
• The publisher's share is paid to the publisher, an administrator, or the writer's own publishing entity if they are self-published. Songtrust also notes that mechanical royalties have no writer's share at all; they go to the publishing side.

So when a split sheet says "Anna 50 %, Ben 50 %", that normally means each owns half of the song. Each of them then receives half of the writer's share, and whoever publishes each of them collects their half of the publisher's share. If Anna has a publisher and Ben does not, the sheet should name Anna's publisher and its IPI, and Ben can collect his publisher's share through his own publishing entity or an administrator.

How the shares are expressed, and what can be assigned to a publisher, differs between societies. ASCAP and BMI in the US, PRS in the UK, SIAE in Italy, GEMA in Germany, SACEM in France and SOCAN in Canada each have their own rules. Put on the sheet each person's share of the song (adding up to 100 %), and let each writer's society and publisher handle how that share is paid out.

What to put on a split sheet

For the work:

• Title, plus alternative titles and working titles
• Date of the session or the date the work was finished
• Where it was written (useful if a dispute ever comes up)
• ISWC, if one has already been issued (usually it hasn't yet)
• Whether it contains samples or interpolations, and of what

For each writer:

• Full legal name, and the name they write under if different
• Role: composer, lyricist, composer and lyricist, arranger
• IPI/CAE number, the international ID that collecting societies use to identify writers and publishers. The IPI system replaced CAE numbers in 2001 and is maintained for CISAC. You get one when you join a society.
• Society (PRO), for example ASCAP, BMI, PRS, SIAE, GEMA
• Publisher and the publisher's IPI, or "self-published"
• Share of the composition, %
• Contact email
• Signature and date

For the master:

• Who owns the recording and in what percentage, or which producer gets how many points from which royalty
• Who paid for the session, and whether any producer fee was paid and whether it is recoupable
• ISRC, if already assigned, and which version it belongs to (main, instrumental, alt mix, cutdowns: each recording has its own)
• Featured artist(s) and how they are credited

Both totals must come to exactly 100 %. If they don't, the sheet isn't finished.

What's fair for the producer?

This is the question behind most split arguments, and the honest answer is: it depends on what the producer did, what they were paid up front, and what everyone agrees. Everything is negotiable. What follows is what published sources describe as common practice, not a rule.

On the composition

Producers who help write the song are songwriters and get a writer's share like anyone else. Ari Herstand, in his guide to producer splits, draws the line simply: whoever wrote the song gets publishing, and a producer who only built a track around a finished song should not get songwriting credit. In practice the line is blurry. In many genres the beat, chord progression or main hook is part of the writing, and producers often write. Songtrust says a producer might take anywhere from 10 % to 50 % as part of a deal, and that co-writers often split evenly (50/50, or 33/33/34 for three).

On the master

On the recording side, producers are traditionally paid with a fee plus "points", percentage points of royalties on the recording.

• A GRAMMY.com feature (2017) describes producers typically negotiating between 2 and 4 percent of retail sales of an album, plus an advance.
• Herstand gives 3–7 points on major-label deals and, for self-released or small indie projects, 15–25 % of net royalties. He adds that more money up front usually means a smaller backend, and the other way round.

Those figures are for traditional artist deals. In self-funded projects, where nobody pays a producer fee, the producer is often effectively a co-owner of the recording, and a straight share of the master is common. A Gearspace thread shows the kind of situation this creates: a producer who had made the whole track for no fee, with the writing split 50/50, was offered 20 % of the master plus a small contribution towards studio time, and asked whether that was fair. Many replies thought an even split was closer to fair, since the producer had waived their fee. Forum opinion isn't a standard, but it shows the trade-off clearly: the less a producer is paid up front, the stronger their case for a bigger share of the master.

A few things make producer splits less painful:

• Agree the fee, the master share and any writing share separately, on the same sheet.
• Say whether the producer's master share is paid from the first pound or after recording costs are recouped.
• Say what happens with sync: whether the producer's master share applies to sync fees too.
• Agree the credit wording (Produced by, Co-produced by, Additional production).

What happens without a split sheet?

Usually nothing, until money shows up. Then:

• Registrations clash. Each writer registers what they remember. If the numbers don't add up to 100 %, royalties can be held or paid wrongly until everyone agrees (Songtrust). ASCAP's warning is that bad registrations and disputes can cost songwriters royalties for years (Hypebot).
• Sync gets harder. A supervisor needs every rights holder to say yes. An unanswered question about who owns 20 % of the master can be enough to drop your track for one that clears faster.
• Relationships suffer. Arguing over percentages a year later, when a placement has paid, is far worse than agreeing in the room.

In the US, The MLC (which handles mechanical royalties from streaming) asks each self-administered co-writer to register their own share. A signed split sheet is what makes sure all those separate registrations say the same thing.

How to use the template

1. Fill in the work details and leave the codes blank if you don't have them yet.
2. Fill in the composition table: one row per writer, shares adding up to 100 %.
3. Fill in the master table: owners and/or points, plus fees and recoupment.
4. Tick the extra terms that apply (samples, versions, sync, credits).
5. Everyone signs and dates, in person or electronically, and everyone keeps a copy.
6. Register the work with your society and give your publisher or administrator a copy.

Download the Split sheet to get the free Split sheet (PDF and spreadsheet).

Splits that always add up, with Aerie

In Aerie, each track has a Sync Passport with separate publishing and master splits, writers' IPI, society and publisher, and it flags any side that doesn't add up to 100 %. You can attach the signed split sheet to the track as paperwork, so it's there when a licence request comes in, and Catalogue health lists the tracks whose splits are still incomplete.

Frequently asked questions

What is a split sheet?

A signed document listing everyone who contributed to a piece of music, their role, and their percentage of the composition (and ideally of the master). It's what co-writers use to register the work consistently with their societies.

Is a split sheet legally binding?

A signed agreement can be evidence of what was agreed, but whether it binds depends on what it says and where you are. It is not a substitute for a producer agreement or publishing contract; ask a music lawyer if significant money is involved.

Does the producer get publishing?

Only if they contributed to writing the music or lyrics. A producer who wrote parts of the song gets a writer's share; a producer who only recorded and arranged a finished song is usually paid through a fee and/or a share of the master.

What is a fair master split for a producer?

There is no single number. Published guides mention points (roughly 2–7 on traditional label deals) or 15–25 % of net royalties on indie projects, and a bigger share is common when the producer waives their fee. It's negotiable.

Do I need an IPI number to fill in a split sheet?

No, but add it as soon as you have one. It's how societies tell writers with similar names apart, and you get it when you join a society such as ASCAP, BMI, PRS or SIAE.

Sources

• Get Paid: How To Get Your Songwriting Splits Right (Hypebot / CD Baby, quoting ASCAP)
• What are common mistakes creators make when registering music? (Songtrust)
• How do I decide on splits? (Songtrust)
• Songwriting royalties explained: writer's vs publisher's share (Songtrust)
• The ISWC (CISAC)
• ISRC (IFPI, International ISRC Agency)
• Interested Parties Information (Wikipedia)
• What if I co-wrote a song with someone else? Who needs to register it? (The MLC)
• How do producer and songwriter splits work? (Ari Herstand)
• Points of survival (GRAMMY.com, 2017)
• Master splits (Gearspace forum)