Royalty split sheet template for Indian artists, with a worked example
By the SUF Digitals team · Updated
A split sheet is a one-page agreement, signed by everyone who made a song, that says who owns what share of the song and of the recording. Sign it before release, ideally on the day the song is finished. It prevents the most common fight in independent music, it is what IPRS and your distributor need to pay everyone correctly, and it takes ten minutes.
Two different things to split
Every released song has two sets of shares. Mixing them up is where most disputes start.
| What | Who usually shares it | Where the money comes from |
|---|---|---|
| The song (lyrics and music) | Lyricist and composer, and any co-writers | Publishing royalties through IPRS, and licences such as covers and sync |
| The recording (the master) | Whoever made and paid for the recording: the artist, a label, sometimes the producer | Streaming, downloads, caller tunes and YouTube, through your distributor |
The template
Copy these fields into a document, fill one sheet per song, and have everyone sign and date it.
- Song title, and the working title if different.
- Date written or recorded, and where.
- For each person: full legal name, artist name, role (singer, lyricist, composer, producer, featured artist), phone, email, PAN if they will be paid.
- Song shares: each writer's percentage of the song, adding up to 100%, and their IPRS IPI number if they are members.
- Master shares: each owner's percentage of the recording, adding up to 100%.
- Who may approve the release, licences and changes.
- Signatures and dates of everyone on the sheet.
A worked example
A Haryanvi single: Ravi sings and paid for the recording, Neha wrote the lyrics, Arjun composed the music, and producer Kabir made the beat for a flat fee plus a small master share.
| Person | Role | Song share | Master share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Neha | Lyricist | 50% | 0% |
| Arjun | Composer | 50% | 0% |
| Ravi | Singer, paid for the recording | 0% | 90% |
| Kabir | Producer | 0% | 10% |
How SUF pays splits
From the Rising plan up, you add each collaborator to a song with their share of your royalties. Each one is invited to accept their share, and the release goes out only once every collaborator has accepted, with each acceptance recorded against the exact percentage. After that, each one gets their own login, their own statement and their own payout from SUF, so nobody has to forward money by hand.
Splits on SUF share the recording royalties your distributor collects. Publishing royalties for the song are paid by IPRS to its members using the song shares you register there.
Common questions
Is a split sheet legally binding in India?
A signed and dated split sheet is a written agreement between the people who sign it, and good evidence of what was agreed. For bigger deals, have a lawyer turn it into a full agreement.
What is a normal royalty split between singer and lyricist?
There is no fixed standard. The singer usually has no share of the song unless they wrote part of it; the lyricist and composer share the song, and the recording's owner holds the master.
Does the producer get a share?
Only if you agree it. Producers are often paid a fee, a master share, or both. Write it on the sheet.
Can my collaborators be paid directly by the distributor?
On SUF, yes, from the Rising plan up: each collaborator gets their own login, statement and payout.
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