A plain guide

What is a split sheet?

A split sheet is a one-page document that says who wrote a song and what share of it each person owns. Everyone named on it signs.

Why it matters

Songs are often written quickly, by several people in one room. Ownership is rarely discussed while it is happening. It comes up later, when the song is about to earn money, or when a label, a sync agency or a distributor asks who owns what. By then everyone remembers the session differently.

A split sheet turns the conversation you had, or meant to have, into something you can point to.

What goes on it

The song title and the date.
Each writer's legal name, not only the name they perform under.
What each person did: the lyrics, the melody, the production.
Each person's performing-rights organisation (PRS, ASCAP, BMI and others) and their IPI number, if they have one. These identify a writer to the society that collects royalties for them.
Each person's share, as a percentage. The shares add up to exactly 100%.
A signature and a date from every person on it.

How to divide the shares

There is no legal formula. Some teams split equally, whatever each person did. Some weigh the parts: the lyric, the melody, the production. What matters is that everyone agrees, and that the total is 100%.

Blend uses fixed values for each part of a song, so the sheet totals 100% without anyone doing the arithmetic. The music and the chorus are 25% each, every verse is 15%, every pre-chorus is 5% and the middle 8 is 10%. If a song has two choruses, they share the chorus 25%. If it leaves a part out, that share is spread across the parts it does have. The person running the song decides who is credited on each part, and everyone named has to agree their share before it locks.

A worked example

Here is one whole song, filled in. Ben wrote the music and the middle 8. Ada and Cleo wrote the chorus together and split it evenly. Ada wrote verse 1, Dev wrote verse 2, and Cleo wrote both pre-choruses. The arithmetic below is done by the same engine that builds a real Blend sheet.

An example, not a real song. The names are made up.

Who	What they wrote	Share
Jess W.	The music and the middle 8	35%
Tolu A.	Verse 1, and half the chorus	27.5%
Kofi B.	Both pre-choruses, and half the chorus	22.5%
Rhea M.	Verse 2	15%
Total		100%

When to agree it

Before the song is released, and the sooner the better. A share is easier to settle while the session is fresh and the song has earned nothing than after a disagreement has started. Do not release a song until every share on it is agreed and signed.

The song and the recording are two different things

A split sheet normally covers the song itself: the words and the music. The recording of that song, the master, has its own owner, who may be a different group of people. Some teams agree both on one page. Others use a separate agreement for the master. If you are not sure which applies to you, ask before you sign.

Is it legally binding?

A signed split sheet is a written record of what everyone agreed. What a court or a collecting society does with it depends on where you are and on any other contracts involved. Blend is not a law firm and this page is not legal advice. If real money or a record deal is involved, have an entertainment lawyer read it.

A blank split sheet to print

Fill it in together, share out 100%, and have everyone sign and date it. Keep a copy each.

Song title: ______________________________Date: ______________

Legal name	What they did	PRO and IPI number	Share %	Signature and date

Total of the shares: 100%

Questions

Who signs a split sheet?

Every person who has a share of the song, which means everyone who contributed to the writing. If a publisher or manager is part of the deal, they may need to sign too.

What if someone will not sign?

Talk about it before the song is released. A sheet that some people did not sign does not settle who owns what. If you cannot agree, take advice from an entertainment lawyer.

Can the shares change after everyone has signed?

Only if everyone agrees again and signs a new version. In Blend, a published sheet is frozen and nobody can edit it.

Is a split sheet legally binding?

It is a written record of what everyone agreed. What a court or a collecting society does with it depends on where you are and on any other contracts involved. This page is not legal advice.

Or agree it as you write

Blend builds the sheet while the song is made. Each person agrees their share on screen, the total is always 100%, and once the song is published the sheet is frozen and can be downloaded as a PDF.

Open Blend