Free tool
This free split sheet template records who wrote what share of a song, ready to print or save as a PDF for everyone to sign. Fill it in below. Your draft stays in your browser; nothing is sent to us.
A split sheet is a one-page agreement saying who wrote the song and what percentage each writer owns. It doesn’t register the song: each writer still does that with their society, using the same percentages. Here’s how music royalties reach each of you, and more in our songwriting money guides.
Do it on the day, while everyone remembers who did what and still gets on. Matthew Fisher played the organ line on Procol Harum’s “A Whiter Shade of Pale” in 1967 and only claimed a writing credit decades later. It went all the way to the Law Lords, who ruled in 2009 that he was entitled to a share of future royalties. A signed sheet would have saved years.
Here’s one song written by three writers and a producer. The song title, working title, date written and any samples go at the top (here, no samples). Then one line per person:
| Writer | Role | Society and IPI | Publisher | Song share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Writer A | Lyrics and topline | PRS, IPI number | Self-published | 35% |
| Writer B | Music: chords and melody | ASCAP, IPI number | Self-published | 30% |
| Writer C | Lyrics: second verse | BMI, IPI number | Their publisher, with its IPI | 15% |
| Producer | Production and the main riff | PRS, IPI number | Self-published | 20% |
| Total | 100% |
Optional lines: master ownership (Writer A, the artist releasing it, 100%) and producer points (3 points, meaning 3% of Writer A’s recording royalty, on top of the producer’s song share). Then everyone signs and dates it.
The producer gets a song share here because they wrote the main riff. A producer who only mixed and arranged a finished song might get points but no song share. Agree it, don’t assume it.
Every one came down to who did what, years after the fact.
A signed split sheet is written evidence of what everyone agreed, which carries weight in a dispute. Whether it’s a binding contract depends on your country and what it says. This isn’t legal advice: if serious money is involved, get a music lawyer to check it.
If they wrote part of the song, the music or a melody, yes, with a share. Producer points on the recording are a separate deal. Our royalty split calculator shows how both splits play out.
Don’t release it until you do. Plenty of writers split equally between everyone in the room, which is why there’s a “Split it equally” button.