Split Sheet
A split sheet is a written agreement, signed by everyone who worked on a song, that records each contributor's ownership percentage. Writer split sheets cover the composition; master split sheets cover the recording. The agreed percentages become the reference for society registrations, licensing, and every royalty payout that follows.
What goes on a split sheet
A complete split sheet answers every question a society or accountant will later ask. It lists the song title and date, each contributor's legal name and stage name, their role (writer, composer, producer), their collecting society and IPI number, their ownership percentage, and a signature from everyone named. The percentages must total one hundred. Best practice is to fill it in at the session, while contributions are fresh and before any money exists to argue over — agreement is easiest when the stakes are still theoretical. From that moment, the split sheet feeds everything downstream: work registrations, licensing requests, and the percentages a label or distributor applies to each payout.
Writer splits vs master splits
They divide different money. Writer splits divide the composition: who wrote the lyrics and music, in what proportion, and therefore how publishing income (performance and mechanical royalties) is shared. Master splits divide the recording: who participates in the revenue the actual track earns from streaming, downloads, and licensing. A producer might hold a master point but no writer share; a topline writer might hold composition share but nothing on the master. The two layers use different identifiers (ISWC for the work, ISRC for the recording) and route through different systems, so a thorough session ends with both questions answered — even when the answer to one of them is 'no share'.
From paper split sheets to per-song splits
The split sheet's weak point was never the agreement — it was the follow-through, with percentages living on paper while payouts ran elsewhere. BBN Label Suite closes that gap for the recording side: labels set revenue splits per song on each release, and every payout follows those percentages automatically. Collaborators see their share, and nobody recalculates spreadsheets at statement time. If a contributor hasn't joined bbn.music yet, their share is held for them and released once they create their account, so the split can be set correctly on day one instead of waiting for everyone's paperwork. The signed split sheet remains the binding reference; the platform applies it to every payout.
Frequently asked questions
When should we sign a split sheet?
At the session or right after it, before release and before money flows. Agreement is easiest while contributions are fresh, and every later step (registration, licensing, payouts) needs the percentages anyway.
Are split sheets legally binding?
A signed split sheet documents the agreement between contributors and is the standard reference when questions come up. For complex projects, a fuller agreement drafted with legal advice adds terms a split sheet doesn't cover, like administration and reversion.
What if no split was ever agreed?
Default rules vary by country, and they rarely match what collaborators intended — which is exactly why you write it down. Agree the percentages with all contributors now and document them; everything downstream becomes straightforward.