Every song has two copyrights: the composition (the song itself) and the sound recording (the master). A split sheet covers the composition. It answers one question in writing, at the moment everyone still agrees: who wrote this, and what share does each person own?
What goes on a split sheet
- The song title and the date of the session.
- Each writer's full legal name and their percentage share. All shares must add up to 100 percent.
- Each writer's PRO affiliation (ASCAP, BMI, SESAC, or none yet) and, when available, their IPI or CAE number.
- Contact details for each writer, so administrators can actually reach them.
- Signatures. An unsigned split sheet is a suggestion, not an agreement.
Producer points and master ownership are related but separate questions. If a producer is taking a share of the composition, it belongs on the sheet. If the conversation is about the master or a fee, that belongs in a producer agreement. Keeping the two documents separate keeps both of them clean.
When to sign it: in the session, not after the release
Split sheets work because memories are fresh and goodwill is high in the room. The same conversation six months later, after a song starts earning, becomes a negotiation between people who remember different sessions. Sign it before anyone leaves the studio, photograph it, and store a copy with the song's files so future you can find it in thirty seconds.
What happens when you skip it
Without a split sheet, registering the song with a PRO becomes guesswork. If writers register different splits, the registrations conflict and payments can be held while the societies sort it out. If a cowriter cannot be reached or disagrees later, the song can sit unexploited: nobody wants to license, sync, or sign a song whose ownership is unclear. The sheet takes five minutes. The dispute takes years and lawyers.
Equal splits are common in collaborative rooms and perfectly valid when everyone agrees. Unequal splits are also fine when the contributions genuinely differ. What matters is not the formula, it is that the agreement exists, in writing, while everyone is still in the room and still friends.