Split sheets and band agreements: settle the money before the song blows up

A split sheet is a one-page agreement, signed by everyone who contributed to writing a song, that lists each writer's legal name, contact and PRO info, and their ownership percentage of the composition. Fill one out the day the song is written — every song, every time. A band agreement does the same job at the band level: who owns the recordings, how money divides, who controls the name, and what happens when a member leaves. Neither requires a lawyer to start. Both are infinitely cheaper than the fight you'll have without them.

Why splits disputes kill bands

Nobody argues over percentages of zero. The fight starts when a song earns real money or gets a sync offer — and by then, everyone's memory of who wrote what has conveniently improved. The drummer remembers suggesting the bridge. The singer remembers writing everything.

The legal default makes it worse. In the US, co-written work without a written agreement is generally treated as equally owned by all co-authors — regardless of who contributed what. So the person who changed one word may have a claim to an equal share of your song, and the person who wrote 80% of it has no paper saying so. Disputed ownership also has a brutal practical effect: songs with contested or unclear splits are hard to register correctly and effectively impossible to clear for sync placements, because no licensee will touch a track whose ownership is in dispute. Bad splits don't just cause fights — they freeze the asset.

What goes on a split sheet

A standard split sheet includes:

Field	Why it's there
Song title (and working titles)	Matches the registration to the right song
Date	Establishes when the agreement was made
Each writer's full legal name	Stage names don't get paid
Contribution (lyrics, melody, track, hook)	Documents the basis for the split
Ownership percentage per writer	The actual deal — must total 100%
PRO affiliation + IPI/CAE number	So societies can route royalties
Publisher info (if any)	Same reason
Contact info and signatures	Signed by all parties, it's a binding record

Also note any samples or interpolations — uncleared samples change the ownership math entirely. Once signed, the split sheet becomes the source of truth you use to register the song identically at your PRO, The MLC, and everywhere else. Mismatched registrations are how royalties end up stuck or in the black box.

How you split is up to you: by actual contribution, or equal shares for everyone in the room (a common pro convention that avoids relitigating every session). Either is fine. Undocumented is the only wrong answer.

What goes in a band agreement

A band is a business partnership whether you've written that down or not — and unwritten partnerships get the default rules of your state, which were not designed for bands. A basic band agreement should cover:

• Ownership. Who owns the master recordings, the band name and trademark, the gear, the socials and email list, the streaming profiles? (Masters especially — see why owning your masters matters.)
• Splits. How is income divided — recording royalties, publishing, merch, live fees? Are songwriting splits handled separately via split sheets (recommended), or pooled?
• Decision-making. Majority vote or unanimous? Who can sign contracts or spend band money?
• The name. Who keeps the band name if you split or someone leaves? This is historically one of the ugliest fights in music — settle it while you still like each other.
• Exits. What does a departing member keep (their share of existing recordings and songs) and what do they give up (votes on future decisions, rights to the name)? Do remaining members buy them out? What happens to debts?
• New members. Do they earn into ownership of the back catalog, or only share in work created after they join?

A music attorney can formalize this properly once there's real money involved — and you'll want one before signing anything a label puts in front of you (see record contract red flags). But a plain-English document everyone signs beats a perfect agreement that never gets written.

Do it the day you write the song

The only moment splits are easy is right after the song exists — everyone remembers the session, nobody knows if the song is worth anything, and goodwill is at its maximum. Sign the split sheet before anyone leaves the room. Photograph it, share copies, register the song to match. Sixty seconds of mild awkwardness now versus a band-ending dispute later is the easiest trade in music.

The takeaway

Paper protects friendships; handshakes end them. Split sheet the day you write, every song, signed by everyone. Band agreement before the first release: ownership, splits, name, exits. The default rules — equal splits by law, partnership statutes written for businesses, whoever-grabs-the-name-keeps-it — are all worse than anything you'd negotiate among friends on a good day. So negotiate on the good day.