Law
Composition and master split

Master split agreement template: the song and the recording on one sheet

A split sheet only covers the song. This agreement records who owns the composition and who owns the recording (the master), each with its own percentages, so everyone registers and collects the same way. In English or Spanish, built in TONTRIA Law’s Splits screen and signed online. Split sheets use no credits.

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TONTRIA Law guides you and drafts your documents. For a lawsuit or a big negotiation, consult a lawyer.

What the template includes

Song, date and codes

The title of the song, the date it was written, and its ISWC and ISRC codes; if they are not assigned yet, the agreement says so.

Everyone with their role

Each person with their role (songwriter, lyricist, composer, producer, performer, featured artist, arranger, publisher, label or another you write in), email, ID, IPI and collecting society.

Composition shares

One percentage of the song per person, or the lyrics and the music split apart, each adding up to 100%. The shares cover every economic right in the song, worldwide and for the full term of protection.

Master shares

Who owns the recording and the money it earns, in a separate table that also adds up to 100%. Whoever collects for the others pays them their share within 30 days, with a statement by source and period.

Same shares everywhere

Each person can register their share with their collecting society and their publisher, and everyone must declare the same percentages in every registration and metadata sheet.

Licences and sync

Anyone can grant non-exclusive licences for customary uses. Sync, ads and exclusive licences need the written approval of more than 50% of the composition or the master.

Credits and moral rights

Everyone is credited by name and role where the medium allows. Moral rights are kept, and changing the lyrics or music needs the consent of the writers concerned.

Warranties

Each person warrants that their part is original and has no uncleared samples, and covers the others if it is not. The agreement lasts for the full term of protection and binds heirs.

When to use it

  • A producer, a featured artist or a label owns part of the recording and not only of the song
  • Several people wrote and recorded the song together and want the composition and the master split differently
  • You split the lyrics and the music separately, for example one person wrote the words and two the music
  • The song is about to be distributed and registered, and every co-owner has to declare the same percentages

Before you sign: what to check

  • That the composition and the master each add up to 100%, and that you did not mix them in one column
  • Each person’s role, IPI and collecting society, written exactly as they are registered
  • Who collects the master income for the others and how soon they pay
  • The ISWC and ISRC, or that they are marked to be assigned
  • That no part uses a sample that has not been cleared
  • That the producer’s share matches their production agreement or beat licence

If only the song needs splitting, start with the split sheet template, which explains how songwriting shares are agreed. When the producer is paid a fee and a royalty instead of owning part of the master, the document is a record production agreement; for a guest artist, the featured artist agreement.

Frequently asked questions

Is the master split agreement template free?

Yes. On the Free plan split sheets are unlimited and use no credits. The Free plan includes 2 documents to sign online each month, and Pro has unlimited signatures. See the plans.

What is the difference between a split sheet and a master split?

A split sheet records who wrote the song (lyrics and music) and with what percentage: that is what publishers and collecting societies pay on. The master split records who owns the recording and the money it earns from streams, sales and licences. They are different rights, so one person can have 0% of the song and 50% of the master, or the other way round.

Does the composition have to add up to 100% and the master too?

Yes, each side separately. If you split the lyrics and the music apart, each of them adds up to 100%. TONTRIA Law checks the sums before the agreement is sent to be signed.

Does a producer get a share of the master?

Only if you agree it. Many producers are paid a fee and a royalty and the master stays with the artist; others co-own the recording. Write whatever you agreed in the master table, and make sure it matches the production agreement or beat licence.

Who has to sign the master split agreement?

Everyone in it. Each person gets a link to sign online and does not need a TONTRIA account. Until all of them have signed, the percentages are only a draft.

Which app can I use to make a master split agreement?

TONTRIA Law: in Splits you add each person with their role, IPI and society, fill in the composition and the master shares, and it checks that each side adds up to 100% before sending it to be signed online. Split sheets use no credits.

Other templates

See all 18 music contract templates

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