Songwriters keep track of splits by agreeing them in writing on the day the song is written, then storing one record per song with every writer's legal name, role, percentage of the composition, collecting society (PRO), IPI number and publisher. That record is what you copy into every registration, so each co-writer files the same numbers with their own society and publisher. Most writers keep it in a spreadsheet, a signed split sheet per song, or an app that holds the splits with the song itself.

The record matters more than the tool. When two writers register different percentages for the same song, the societies usually hold the money for that work until the conflict is fixed.

What to write down for every song

The composition split and the master split are two different things. Writers share the song; whoever paid for or owns the recording shares the master. A producer can be a writer, a master owner, both or neither, and each needs its own line. See master rights vs publishing rights for the difference.

How to agree a split

• Decide before you leave the session. Memory of who wrote which line fades fast, and a split agreed months later is a negotiation.
• Start from an even split. Many writing rooms split equally between everyone who contributed to the song, whatever they wrote. It is a convention, not a rule: agree whatever is fair, as long as it is written down.
• Count the topline and the beat. A producer who built the track the song was written on is usually a writer of it.
• Write samples and interpolations in. If the song uses part of another composition, its writers get a share once it is cleared, and every other share shrinks.

Where to keep the record

1. A spreadsheet. One row per writer per song. Free and flexible, but it lives on one person's laptop, and co-writers never see the version you edited.
2. A signed split sheet per song. A PDF everyone signs. Strong evidence, but you still copy the numbers into each registration by hand.
3. An app that keeps splits with the song. The split sits next to the audio, the versions and the codes, and every co-writer sees the same numbers.

Whichever you use, register the work with your society as soon as it is released, or before, with exactly the numbers on the record. Our guides cover PRS for Music, ASCAP, BMI and GEMA, among others.

Keep your splits and registrations in one place

In Aden, every track has a Collaborators tab. Each writer and performer is one row with their roles, their split, their IPI and their collecting society, picked from a list of about 50 societies worldwide. A split is one percentage by default; open it to set a different share for master, publishing, composition, mechanical and sync. Invite a co-writer by email and they see the same split on their own account, so nobody keeps a second copy. The track's ISRC, ISWC and work numbers sit in its metadata next to it. Create your Aden account and add the splits to your next song.

FAQ

What is a split sheet?

A split sheet is a short document that records who wrote a song and what percentage of the composition each writer owns, with their PRO, IPI number and publisher. Every writer signs it, ideally on the day the song is written.

Do splits have to add up to 100%?

Yes. The writers' shares of a composition always add up to 100%. Publishers take their cut out of their writer's share; they never add to the total.

What happens if co-writers register different splits?

The society sees a conflict on the work and usually holds the royalties for it until the writers agree and correct their registrations. Agreeing the split in writing first is how you avoid it.

Is the master split the same as the songwriting split?

No. The songwriting split divides the composition between its writers. The master split divides the recording between its owners, usually the artist, the label or whoever paid for it. They are agreed and registered separately.

Related: What are all the royalties in music? and ISRC, ISWC, IPI and UPC: which code does what.