Split Sheet Template: What Goes on a Song Split Sheet and When to Sign It

A split sheet is a one-page agreement that records who wrote a song and what percentage of it each writer owns, signed by all of them. Fill it in in the session, on the day the song is written, while everyone still remembers who did what. It lists each writer's legal name, role, percentage, collecting society, IPI number and publisher, plus the date and every writer's signature.

It takes a few minutes and prevents one of the most common arguments in music. This guide covers what a split sheet is for, when to fill it in, a template you can copy, how to agree the percentages, and how songwriting splits differ from master splits.

What a split sheet is for

The songwriting side of a song is paid by registered shares. Each writer registers the song with their own collecting society, with their own share, and the shares need to agree. At PRS for Music, for example, each writer or publisher registers the work separately with their own agreed share, and one person's registration doesn't create anyone else's (PRS for Music).

When co-writers register shares that don't agree, the registrations turn into a dispute that has to be sorted out. A signed split sheet is the agreement everyone registers from, and the evidence if a split is ever challenged: PRS gives a writer who disputes a split 60 days to send supporting documents, such as agreements.

When to fill it in

In the session, before anyone leaves. On the day, everyone knows who wrote the hook, who changed the chords and who found the title. Months later, and especially once a song does well, memories change.

If that's not possible, do it the same week, and always before:

• anyone registers the song with a collecting society,
• the song is delivered to a distributor,
• money is spent on releasing it.

There's another reason not to wait. PRS advises writers who don't have a publisher to register a song as soon as it's written, even before it's recorded or released, and asks for each co-writer's agreed share and CAE/IPI number when you do (PRS for Music). You can't do that without agreed shares.

Split sheet template

Copy this, one sheet per song.

The song

• Song title:
• Alternative titles:
• Date and place of the session:
• Samples or interpolations, and whether they're cleared:

Each writer (repeat for every writer)

• Legal name:
• Writer name, if different:
• Role (lyrics, melody, music, beat):
• Share of the song: __%
• Collecting society:
• IPI number:
• Publisher and publisher's IPI number, or "none":
• Email:
• Signature and date:

The total

• All writers' shares added together: 100%

Filling in the fields

• Legal name and writer name. Societies pay the person, so use the legal name, plus the name they write under.
• Role. Lyrics, melody, chords, the beat or an arrangement that's part of the composition. It's a record of what happened, and it helps later if anyone asks why a share is what it is.
• Share. A percentage of the whole song. The writers' shares must add up to 100%, so check the total before anyone signs.
• Collecting society and IPI number. The IPI number identifies a writer or publisher across societies. At PRS it's the same as your membership number, which you may also see called a CAE number (PRS for Music). Missing numbers slow registrations down.
• Publisher. If a writer has a publisher, write it down with its IPI number. The split sheet records how the song is divided between the writers; how each writer's part is shared with their publisher is set by their publishing deal and the society's rules. At PRS, for example, the writers' combined share of a registration has to be at least 50%.
• Signatures and date. Everyone signs and everyone gets a copy. A signed PDF sent to every writer is better than one paper copy in someone's bag.

How to agree the percentages

There's no fixed formula. PRS says there's no standard split: it's agreed between the writers and publishers involved. The two common approaches:

• Equal shares for everyone who wrote in the session. Simple, and it avoids arguments about whose idea mattered most.
• Shares by contribution, for example agreeing what the lyrics and the music are each worth and dividing each part between the people who wrote it.

Whatever you choose, write it down. If writers don't say otherwise, PRS and MCPS assume the writers split their share equally, which may not be what you agreed.

Songwriting splits vs master splits

Every released song has two copyrights, the composition and the recording, and each has its own split. (More in how streaming royalties work.)

• Songwriting (publishing) split. Who owns the composition: melody, lyrics and music. This is what the split sheet records. It's paid through collecting societies and publishers.
• Master split. Who owns the recording, or shares in its income: the artist, a label, sometimes a producer or a featured artist. It's set by contracts and paid through the distributor or label.

The two don't have to match. A producer can co-write the song and also earn a royalty on the recording. A session singer can perform on the recording without writing anything. A beat maker can have a share of the composition and a separate deal for the master.

For a small, informal release, you can add a short master section to the bottom of the split sheet: who owns the recording, in what percentages, and who was paid a flat fee instead. For anything bigger, use a proper producer or featured-artist agreement.

Write down who performed on the recording, too. Recordings also earn money when they're broadcast or played in public, and in the UK, PPL asks for a full performer line-up for every recording a rights holder registers (PPL).

Mistakes to avoid

• Waiting until the song is released, or until it's doing well
• Leaving off someone who contributed, or adding someone who didn't
• Shares that don't add up to 100%
• Missing IPI numbers
• Only one person keeping the signed copy
• Mixing up the songwriting split and the master split

Key takeaways

• Fill in the split sheet in the session, before the song is registered, delivered or released.
• Record each writer's name, role, share, society, IPI number and publisher, and have everyone sign.
• Writers' shares must add up to 100%.
• Songwriting splits and master splits are separate agreements, paid through different routes.

Splits at Stillmore Group

Fill in a split sheet for your next session with the free split sheet tool. When you distribute through Stillmore Group, you set royalty splits per track for the recording income, and statements show earnings by release, store and country. Songwriting shares are still registered with your collecting society or publisher.