A split is the percentage of the song each person owns. Two things get split: the master (the recording, what the distributor pays) and the publishing (the composition, what a PRO pays). They can be different numbers. Agree both before release; a split agreed after a song does well is a negotiation, and one agreed before is a formality.
Agree these before release
7 steps
Starting points people use
| Situation | Common split |
|---|---|
| One artist, one producer, leased beat | Artist owns the master; producer’s publishing share is whatever the license states |
| Two artists writing together | Publishing 50/50 on writing, master by who paid for the session |
| A feature who wrote their own verse | A share of publishing for the verse; master share only if agreed up front |
| An engineer | A fee, not a split, unless you chose otherwise and wrote it down |
None of this is legal advice. It is the list of things that, left unsaid, cost more to say later.