Split Sheet
Also called a Collaborators Agreement
A Split Sheet is one of the most important documents a songwriter can have.
Whenever two or more people collaborate on a song — even casually — it’s important to agree on who owns what before the song goes anywhere. A Split Sheet puts that understanding in writing so there’s no confusion later about credits, royalties, or rights.
It’s not about mistrust; it’s about professionalism and respect for everyone’s contribution.
Why You Need One
When a song is written by more than one person, every writer automatically owns part of it — whether or not you’ve talked about percentages. Without a written agreement, those shares are legally equal. That might be fine sometimes, but what if one person wrote all the lyrics and the other just helped with a chord change? Or what if the song gets picked up for a TV show and one collaborator can’t be reached to sign off?
A Split Sheet makes sure all of that is clear from the start.
What Each Section Means
1. Ownership and Splits
This is where you write down each collaborator’s name, their role (lyricist, composer, etc.), their performing rights organization (like ASCAP or BMI), and their agreed share of the song.
All the shares must add up to 100%.
This simple section can prevent years of headaches later.
2–3. Expenses and Expense Sharing
These short clauses make sure no one runs up costs for demos, promotion, or legal work without everyone’s agreement — and that any shared expenses are split according to each person’s ownership share.
4. Withdrawal of Contribution
If a writer decides they don’t want to continue with the song before it’s placed with a publisher or used commercially, they can withdraw their part. But once they do, they give up any claim to future versions or uses of that song.
5. Scope of Agreement
This keeps things simple: the agreement applies only to this specific song. It doesn’t affect any other songs you may write together in the future.
6. Administrative Authority (Power of Attorney)
This is where the agreement gets practical. It allows any of the collaborators to handle the business side — registering the song, pitching it, or granting non-exclusive licenses (like for a YouTube video or TV show) — even if someone else is unavailable, incapacitated, or has passed away.
Everyone still owns the same share and gets their proper royalties; this just makes the song “ready to go” when opportunities arise.
This “One-Stop” setup is what music supervisors and sync agents look for. It means the song can be licensed without having to track down multiple signatures. The others simply get a courtesy notice.
8. Dispute Resolution
If a disagreement ever comes up, this clause says it will be handled by arbitration — a faster, less expensive alternative to going to court.
Why It Matters
A good Split Sheet does more than protect you legally — it builds trust and keeps creative relationships healthy. When everyone knows the terms up front, there’s no awkwardness later about money or credit.
It’s one page that can save a friendship, a career, or both.
Please note: the following Split Sheet is a sample, shared for educational purposes.
You agree to hold harmless Jon Griffin for any claims related to its use. Feel free to use or adapt it for your own collaborations.
Yes, there are plenty of versions floating around online — but this one is designed to be simple, fair, and modern, so you can spend less time sorting out paperwork and more time writing songs.
Here is the link to the .pdf file Collaborators Agreement.