Split Sheet Template

What this is

A split sheet is a short written agreement that records who contributed what to a single song, and what percentage each person owns. It is not a contract governing your career, your label deal, or your catalog — it is a snapshot of one song, signed by everyone in the room the day it was made.

Every song has two separate ownership stacks. The composition is the underlying song — the lyrics, the melody, the chord progression, the topline. The people who wrote those pieces are the songwriters, and their percentages add up to 100% of the composition. Their publishers (or their self-publishing entities) collect on their behalf through a Performing Rights Organization (PRO) in the U.S. — ASCAP, BMI, SESAC, or GMR.

The master is the specific recording of that song — the audio file that gets uploaded to a distributor and streamed. Ownership of the master is a completely different conversation, usually involving the producer, the artist, and sometimes a label. A producer can own a share of the master (often called "points") without owning any of the composition, and a topline writer can own the composition without owning any of the master.

A split sheet nails down both. Use one every session. Not just the important ones.

This resource is general information for artists, not legal advice. A split sheet or collaboration document has real ownership consequences. Before signing, have an entertainment attorney in your state review anything you're actually about to execute. SongBattle and MixxMedia LLC are not your lawyers.

When to use it

Fill out a split sheet the day the song is created, before anyone leaves the studio or closes the session file. If the song gets rewritten later, revise the sheet and re-sign. If a feature is added three months after the beat was cut, add them to the sheet and re-sign. A signed split sheet from the day of the session is worth more than five friendly text messages six months later when the song starts earning.

Common mistakes

• Waiting until the song "does something" to write splits down — by then someone's memory has changed.
• Treating composition splits and master splits as the same number — they are separate stacks.
• Forgetting the producer's PRO information when the producer also co-wrote (which is common).
• Not declaring samples or interpolations on the sheet, even when everyone in the room knows about them.
• Leaving publisher fields blank because someone is "not signed anywhere yet" — write "self-published" and their entity name.
• Using nicknames only — the PRO needs legal names to register the work.
• Signing digitally without dating, or signing a version and then editing the file afterward.

How to use it

1. Open the template at the start of the session. Fill in the song title, date, and location before you start recording.
2. As people contribute — a writer walks in for a topline, a producer swaps out a drum pattern — add them to the sheet in real time.
3. When the session ends, agree on percentages while everyone is still present. Composition splits total 100%. Master splits total 100%. They are decided independently.
4. Confirm PRO affiliation and publishing entity for every writer. If someone is unaffiliated, write "unaffiliated" and note the date — they should register before the song is released.
5. Note any samples, interpolations, or replayed elements. Assign a name to whoever is responsible for clearance.
6. Everyone signs and dates. Photograph or scan the sheet. Send a copy to every participant that night.
7. Have an entertainment attorney review the sheet before you rely on it for anything with real money attached — a sync placement, a label offer, a distribution deal.

The blank template

SONG SPLIT SHEET

Song Title: ____________________________________________
Working Title (if different): __________________________
Session Date: __________________________________________
Session Location (studio / city): ______________________
Status:  [ ] Work in progress   [ ] Final

--------------------------------------------------------
COMPOSITION SPLITS (songwriters — must total 100%)
--------------------------------------------------------

Writer 1
  Stage name: _________________________________________
  Legal name: _________________________________________
  Date of birth: ______________________________________
  Address: ____________________________________________
  Email / phone: ______________________________________
  PRO affiliation:  [ ] ASCAP  [ ] BMI  [ ] SESAC  [ ] GMR  [ ] Unaffiliated
  IPI / CAE #: ________________________________________
  Publisher name: _____________________________________
  Publisher PRO / IPI: ________________________________
  Contribution (lyrics / melody / topline / arrangement): ______________________
  Writer share %: __________   Publisher share %: __________
  (Writer % and publisher % together represent this person's full stake in the composition.)

Writer 2
  [Same fields as above]

Writer 3
  [Same fields as above]

Add rows as needed. Composition total: 100%.

--------------------------------------------------------
MASTER SPLITS (recording ownership — must total 100%)
--------------------------------------------------------

Owner 1
  Name / entity: ______________________________________
  Role (artist / producer / label / co-producer): _____
  Master ownership %: __________
  Producer points (if applicable): __________
  Recoupable from: ____________________________________

Owner 2
  [Same fields as above]

Owner 3
  [Same fields as above]

Master total: 100%.

--------------------------------------------------------
PRODUCER DETAIL
--------------------------------------------------------

Producer name: _________________________________________
Legal name: ____________________________________________
PRO affiliation: _______________________________________
Owns composition share?  [ ] Yes — see writer section  [ ] No
Owns master share?  [ ] Yes — see master section  [ ] No
Producer points: __________
Sample clearance responsibility: [ ] Producer  [ ] Artist  [ ] Shared
Beat lease vs exclusive: [ ] Lease  [ ] Exclusive  [ ] Work for hire

--------------------------------------------------------
FEATURES / GUEST PERFORMERS
--------------------------------------------------------

Feature 1
  Stage name: _________________________________________
  Legal name: _________________________________________
  PRO affiliation: ____________________________________
  Contributes to composition?  [ ] Yes — see writer section  [ ] No
  Master share (if any): __________
  Feature fee (if any): __________  Paid on: __________
  Credit line (as it appears on DSPs): ________________

--------------------------------------------------------
SAMPLES, INTERPOLATIONS, REPLAYS
--------------------------------------------------------

Any samples used?  [ ] No  [ ] Yes — list below

  Source song: ________________________________________
  Original writer(s) / rights holder(s): ______________
  Cleared?  [ ] Yes  [ ] Pending  [ ] Not yet contacted
  Clearance responsibility: ___________________________

--------------------------------------------------------
SIGNATURES
--------------------------------------------------------

By signing below, each party confirms the splits above reflect the agreement
reached at the session. Any change requires a revised, re-signed sheet.

Signature: __________________________  Print: ______________  Date: __________
Signature: __________________________  Print: ______________  Date: __________
Signature: __________________________  Print: ______________  Date: __________
Signature: __________________________  Print: ______________  Date: __________

Notary (recommended if the song is expected to be commercially valuable):
________________________________________________________________________

Completed example

SONG SPLIT SHEET

Song Title: "Northbound"
Session Date: 2026-03-14
Session Location: Grey Room Studios, Atlanta GA
Status: [X] Final

COMPOSITION SPLITS
------------------

Writer 1 — Wren Alcaraz (stage: Wren A.)
  Legal: Warren J. Alcaraz  DOB: 1998-06-02
  PRO: BMI   IPI: 00000000001
  Publisher: Alcaraz Sound Publishing (BMI)
  Contribution: lyrics, topline
  Writer %: 25%   Publisher %: 25%   (Total stake: 50%)

Writer 2 — S. Kimani
  Legal: Sadia Kimani  DOB: 1996-11-19
  PRO: ASCAP   IPI: 00000000002
  Publisher: self-published — Kimani Works (ASCAP)
  Contribution: lyrics, hook
  Writer %: 15%   Publisher %: 15%   (Total stake: 30%)

Writer 3 — Dax Ohno (producer/co-writer)
  Legal: Daxton Ohno  DOB: 1994-01-27
  PRO: ASCAP   IPI: 00000000003
  Publisher: self-published — Ohno Publishing (ASCAP)
  Contribution: melody, chord progression, arrangement
  Writer %: 10%   Publisher %: 10%   (Total stake: 20%)

Composition total: 100%

MASTER SPLITS
-------------

Owner 1: Wren Alcaraz (artist)             — 70%
Owner 2: Dax Ohno (producer, 3 points)     — 30%

Master total: 100%

PRODUCER DETAIL
---------------
Dax Ohno — ASCAP. Owns composition (see above) and master share above.
Beat: exclusive. Sample clearance: shared responsibility.

FEATURES
--------
None on this version.

SAMPLES
-------
No samples used. One replayed melodic phrase from a public-domain traditional;
no clearance required per Dax Ohno's research (attorney to confirm before release).

SIGNATURES
----------
Signed and dated by all three parties, 2026-03-14, Grey Room Studios.

Related SongBattle reading

• Copyright, PROs, and split sheets — the paperwork side of a song
• The remote collaboration playbook
• Manager, agent, publicist, lawyer — who does what
• Record deals decoded