How to make a split sheet (with a free template)

I've done hundreds of co-writes, and these days I do somewhere between 30 and 50 a year. The best thing I've learned about split sheets is that the right time to start one isn't at the end of the write. It's before anyone walks into the room.

I learned that the hard way, recently.

I'm producing a record right now for my band, Good Things Collective. One of the songs came to us already started. A couple of writers had worked on it before we ever touched it, and then we finished it with three more writers. Nobody had done a split sheet on the first round.

So in the middle of making the record, we had to figure out who was actually on the song. We reached out to everyone who'd been in the original write, waited for them to get back to us, and then tracked down their publishers. All of that just to know who owned what, and whether we could even move forward with the song.

That's a nightmare when you're trying to sort out publishing, and it's the only way those writers get paid. Unless you really want to untangle all of that later, your song isn't going to get the opportunity it deserves. A split sheet on the front end would have told us everything in about five minutes.

What is a split sheet? #

A split sheet tells you who worked on a song and how much of it each person owns. That's really all it is in its simplest form.

Those percentages decide how publishing royalties get divided every time the song earns money. Your PRO (BMI, ASCAP, and so on) and anyone who publishes or administers the song need that information. When co-writers register different numbers, money can get held until it's sorted out. The split sheet is how you sort it out before it's ever a problem.

Why most writers skip it #

It's awkward. Nobody wants to talk about splits right after being creative. You just spent three hours chasing a chorus together, and now somebody has to bring up percentages.

That's exactly why I like having the split sheet ready before the write starts. It's a normal, necessary step, and when it's already on the table it doesn't feel like a big deal. Most professional songwriters expect it. Splits are part of every song.

When should you do a split sheet? #

Before you step into the room. I'd rather have a split sheet already made when the write starts so I can get everyone's information up front: legal names, PROs, IPI numbers, publishers. That way nobody's chasing it afterward.

You don't have to lock the percentages before you write a note. But if everyone agrees going in that "we're splitting this equally," you all know what to expect, and the end of the session is just confirming it and signing.

What goes on a split sheet #

Keep it simple, but don't skip fields. Every one of these is here because someone got burned without it.

How to fill out a split sheet, step by step #

How do co-writers decide the percentages? #

My default is equal. If there are three people in the room and you write a word, you get a third. That's how I've seen it done most often in Nashville, and honestly it's the healthiest way I've seen it done.

There's no law that says how you have to split a song. Writers agree on it. Here's how it usually plays out.

Equal is the norm. Three writers, 33.33% each. It keeps the session creative instead of turning it into an accounting meeting. Nobody's keeping score on who said which line.

It bends when someone brings a lot in. The only place I've really seen it bent is when someone walks in with a whole idea already written, and the room mostly edits it. In that case I'm not expecting a full equal share.

If you need more, it's on you to say it. If you're walking in with a chorus that's already written and you think that's worth more than an equal share, that's fair. But it's your job to say so before you start. If you don't, everyone's going to assume equal.

The late arrival or the one-line guy. If someone shows up for the last hour and changes a line that isn't significant, you can figure out what's fair. But I'd never really give someone less than about 10% of a song. And most of the time I just do equal anyway. We decided to get in a room and work on this together, and the extra 10% I'd keep by cutting someone out seems silly compared to what it does to the relationship.

Hold your splits loosely #

This is what I wish someone had told me at 22.

Always keep an open mind about fairness, and don't hold on too tightly. That goes for splits and for lyrics in the room.

If every split were based on exactly how much each person put in, you'd end up fighting for your lines just to protect your percentage, not because they're actually the best thing for the song. That's why I think equal splits are fairer to the creative process, too. Holding your splits loosely and holding your lyric lines loosely are really the same idea.

I know people fight over splits. But I live in a town that runs on relationships. Deciding on the front end to split fairly is what keeps those relationships healthy, and the relationships are what get you back in the room.

What happens after the split sheet is signed? #

Somebody has to register the song, and every writer's registration needs to match the percentages you signed.

If a writer has a publisher, their publisher can handle registering it. If nobody in the room has a publisher, just decide together who's going to do it. Either way, that's the beauty of the split sheet. Whoever's registering already has everyone's information in one place.

When registrations don't match, the money doesn't get to the right people. So after the song is registered, send a quick text to the group with the numbers. Here's how to register with BMI or ASCAP if it's your first time.

Split sheet vs. master split #

A split sheet covers the song, meaning the words and music. It doesn't cover the recording. The master recording is a separate copyright, often owned by different people, like an artist or a label.

If you're releasing something yourself, handle the recording side in its own agreement. Don't try to cram both onto one page.

Common split sheet mistakes #

• Waiting until the song is out. By then memories are fuzzy and people have opinions.
• Collecting info after the write. Get names, PROs, IPIs, and publishers up front so nobody's chasing it later.
• Using artist names. Registrations need legal names.
• Percentages that don't add up. 33/33/33 is 99%. Use 33.33/33.33/33.34.
• Nobody keeps a copy. Every writer should have the signed version.
• Registering different numbers than you signed. Mismatched registrations are one of the most common reasons publishing money gets held up.

Or skip the paperwork entirely #

We built this into Songstage from the very beginning. When you bring a co-writer into a song, Songstage splits it equally by default, keeps everyone's publishing info on the song, and gives you a registration checklist. If you write in Songstage, the split sheet is already done.