If there’s one subject every music creator should embrace early on in their career, it’s song splits (also known as share splits). It may not be the most exciting topic of conversation, but you should consider these splits to be the backbone of your future royalties, working relationships and health of your catalogue.
Despite these benefits, song splits are so often the conversation that songwriters avoid. For some it just feels awkward to discuss, while others may deem it to be too ‘business-like’ for the creative environment of the studio. Some simply don’t know what to say or when to say it — and then there are those songwriting sessions where everyone assumes someone else will bring it up.
Having spent over a decade in music management, I can tell you that the creators who treat splits casually are often the ones who later find themselves losing out on income that should have been theirs. But those who take the matter seriously from the jump? Well, they save themselves months of admin problems, maintain better working relationships with their co-writers and build catalogues that can earn significant royalties.
When should songwriters bring up song splits?
Back when I was managing multiple artists, one of the biggest drains of career momentum wasn’t a lack of talent, opportunity or industry connections — it was missing splits. Songs written years before I came on board had no documentation, no clear split percentages and no agreed roles, so trying to piece those back together was like reconstructing a jigsaw puzzle after half the pieces had been swept under the sofa.
Writers would tell me ‘I think I wrote most of that chorus’ or ‘Didn’t we agree 50/50?’ when nothing had been formally agreed in the first place. Some co-writers couldn’t remember the session in question, while some had left the industry and changed their contact details. On top of that, so many of these works — sometimes numbering in the hundreds — hadn’t been registered with PRS, meaning, ultimately, they couldn't earn royalties. These songs were frozen because a five-minute conversation about song splits hadn’t taken place.
My advice? After every writing session, follow this three-step process with your co-writers:
- Everyone agrees who contributed what to the work(s), and percentage splits are established.
- Everyone then exchanges their IPI/CAE numbers (in writing, ideally on email at least).
- Everyone agrees who is taking responsibility for registering the work(s) with PRS.
That’s it — no drama. A simple, repeatable process.
'Creators who take song splits seriously save themselves months of admin problems, maintain better working relationships with their co-writers and build catalogues that can earn significant royalties.'
Clarity is key
Song splits aren't a ‘nice to have’ — they’re the difference between your work being active or collecting dust; between smooth releases and painful admin delays; between getting paid and… not.
This is where PRS becomes central to the entire process. It isn’t just a box you tick or a form you fill in; it’s the system that tracks your royalties across the world. This means that if your splits aren’t agreed when a song is created or indeed registered, PRS can’t distribute its subsequent royalties properly. This is why clarity matters so much.
As we’ve mentioned, some creators worry that talking about splits could spoil the vibe of a writing session. But the opposite is true: clarity keeps your creative relationships healthy. If anything, being the person who calmly says, ‘Shall we lock in the splits before we head out?’ is a sign of your professionalism. It shows maturity, respect and that you understand the industry you’re operating in.
You don’t need to pull out a legal document in that moment, either. A simple email to everyone confirming the split percentages is enough to protect all the parties involved — what matters is that it’s written down. If you walk away from a session and no one has agreed to anything, you’re setting yourself up for confusion and potentially tension later.
Here’s something I learned very quickly from the management side: splits are rarely about ego. People often assume splits are determined by who sang the loudest, who had the biggest personality, or who booked the studio. In reality, though, splits reflect the contribution to the songwriting. It can be a melody, a chord progression or an arrangement that shaped the entire song — it can even be a single line that unlocks the whole track. The point is this: the conversation about song splits needs to happen with honesty and mutual respect.
What are the common mistakes made by songwriters with song splits?
One of the biggest oversights I saw in my management days was artists either assuming everything was automatically split 50/50 by default, or hesitating to ask for a fair share because they were worried about appearing difficult. You’re not being difficult by being clear — you’re being responsible. You’re well within your rights to establish clarity around something that might determine your income for the next 10, 20 or more years.
I would recommend going into each session with the understanding of who you’re writing for and keeping the rest as free-flowing as possible, ensuring maximum creativity while writing. Towards the end of the session, after the song has taken shape, is when you should bring up the topic of song splits. An alternative method is to email the following day with everyone on copy to discuss splits (this is what I would often do on behalf of my artists).
'The conversation about song splits needs to happen with honesty and mutual respect.'
What truly matters is that it happens sooner rather than later, and certainly before a significant amount of time has passed. Once the moment is over, people tend to forget — it’s just human nature. Sessions blur into the next, ideas merge and memories fade as the weeks and months pass. All of a sudden, no one remembers who wrote what.
When you finally get round to registering the work(s) with PRS, you’re left guessing. This can often lead to disputes, causing delays that lead to your songs waiting in the wings instead of becoming a key part of your catalogue.
Get yourself organised
Getting your splits in order early on also signals something deeper about you as a creator. It tells managers, publishers and any potential collaborators that you’re someone who respects the business you’re in. It demonstrates that you’re organised enough to sustain a long-term career and you care about protecting your rights.
One thing I always tell creators is this: your songs can earn money for decades if you treat them properly. A single release might be forgotten online after just a few weeks, but those royalties don’t disappear even when the attention moves on. Your back catalogue can become one of your strongest assets, but only if it’s organised and registered. PRS can only do its job if you’ve done yours first.
It’s tempting to focus on new studio sessions, releases and creative ideas — all the exciting parts of being a music creator. But the business side of your craft is what will ensure your longevity. Splits might not seem glamorous, but they will be some of the most impactful five-minute conversations you will ever have as a creator.
So don’t wait for someone else to raise the issue, don’t assume it will fix itself and don’t leave your royalties to chance. You’ll thank yourself years from now for taking this seriously, and your future collaborators will respect you for it. Your music deserves clarity, your catalogue deserves protection and you deserve to get paid for the work you create.
You can follow Atlanta Cobb here and visit her Music Industry Mentor website. You can also download Atlanta's free Song Split Tracker template.
