Use the tool. Keep your work.
Make a split sheet your co-writers can sign
List every writer, publisher, PRO and IPI number, check that the shares add up to exactly 100%, then print the sheet or save a PDF for everyone to sign.
Start here
Name the song
Add every writer
Enter each writer's share of the composition, meaning the words and music you wrote together. Leave the publisher empty when the writer has none.
Total: 0% Bring the total to exactly 100% before anyone signs.
Split sheet
Untitled song
Draft: fill in the song and the writers before anyone signs.
| Writer | Wrote | Share | PRO and IPI | Publisher and IPI |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Writer 1 | Lyrics and music | ? | No PRO | No publisher |
| Writer 2 | Lyrics and music | ? | No PRO | No publisher |
| Total | 0% | |||
We wrote the song on this sheet together. By signing, each of us agrees that these shares describe our ownership of its composition, and that we register the song with these shares.
- Writer 1, signatureDate
- Writer 2, signatureDate
This sheet records the composition shares the writers agreed. It does not replace a lawyer's advice or a publishing contract. Make your own at outchorus.com/en/tools/split-sheet-generator.
Print it, sign it, keep a copy
Print / save PDF prints the sheet alone, with a signature line for every writer. Copy result gives you the same sheet as plain text for an email to your co-writers.
Save only when you choose. Anyone using this browser profile can access your saved project.
Enter the same split at ASCAP and BMI
Each society writes your split on its own scale. ASCAP asks for writer splits that add up to 50% and publisher splits that add up to 50% (ASCAP). BMI counts 200% in all: 100% for writers and 100% for publishers, and a writer with no publisher collects the publisher share too (BMI Royalty Policy Manual). I convert the sheet above into both scales for you.
| Party | Role | Share to enter |
|---|---|---|
| Enter the writers and their shares above to fill this table. | ||
| Writers / publishers | 0% / 0% | |
| Party | Role | Share to enter |
|---|---|---|
| Enter the writers and their shares above to fill this table. | ||
| Writers / publishers | 0% / 0% | |
Other societies use their own forms. Check your society's registration guide, and give every co-writer the same figures for their registration.
Record who wrote what, then sign
A split sheet records who wrote a song and what share of the composition each writer owns. ASCAP tells co-writers to agree on splits at the point of creation, ideally in writing, and to make them add up to exactly 100% (ASCAP). Fill this one in while everyone still sits in the room.
I store every share in hundredths of a percent, so 33.33 + 33.33 + 33.34 lands on exactly 100 and no stray 0.01 hides in rounding. Split 100% evenly hands the leftover hundredths to the first writers. I check each IPI number for the 11 digits that SUISA, which runs the IPI system, issues (SUISA). The sheet prints alone, with one signature line per writer, and everything you type stays in your browser.
Signatures matter later. ASCAP may ask for signed correspondence before it removes a writer or lowers someone else's share on a registered work (ASCAP). A signed sheet from the day you wrote the song answers that question in one page.
Follow a worked example
Ana, Ben and Cleo write a song. They agree on 40%, 40% and 20%. Ana signed with a publisher called Ana Songs, Cleo with Northside Music, and Ben has no publisher.
- At ASCAP: the writers enter 20%, 20% and 10%, which makes 50%. Ana Songs enters 20% and Northside Music enters 10%. Nobody holds Ben's publisher half, 20%, so I flag it in the ASCAP table before anyone registers.
- At BMI: Ana enters 40% and Cleo 20%. Ben enters 80%, his 40% writer share plus the 40% publisher share nobody holds. Ana Songs enters 40% and Northside Music 20%. Writers total 140% and publishers 60%, which makes BMI's 200%.
Type those three writers into the form and the two tables above show the same figures. BMI uses this exact pattern in its own example of two co-writers, one with a publisher and one without (BMI).
Get answers to split sheet questions
What is a split sheet?
You list every writer of a song on one page, with their share of the composition, their PRO and IPI number, and their publisher. Each writer signs it, and every registration of the song then uses the same figures.
Do the shares on a split sheet have to add up to 100%?
Yes. ASCAP tells co-writers to agree on splits that add up to exactly 100% (ASCAP). I mark the sheet as a draft until your total lands on exactly 100%.
Where do you find your IPI number?
Your society assigns it when you join. SUISA prints the 11-digit number on its statements and in its member portal (SUISA). Look on your own society's statements and portal first.
Can a producer go on the split sheet?
Yes, when the producer helped write the composition. ASCAP credits that contribution as a writer or co-writer and leaves the decision to you and your co-writers (ASCAP).
Does the split sheet cover the recording too?
No. ASCAP separates the master recording from the underlying composition, and this sheet covers the composition (ASCAP). Put master ownership in its own agreement, and ask a music lawyer before you sign a publishing or producer deal.
Check the method
Understand your result
I store every share in hundredths of a percent, so the total has to land on exactly 100 with no rounding drift, and I flag any IPI number that misses the 11 digits SUISA issues. For registration, I halve each writer's share for ASCAP, where writers total 50% and publishers 50%. For BMI, I keep the share on its 200% scale and give a writer with no publisher the publisher half too, as BMI's Royalty Policy Manual describes. The sheet stays in your browser and records what you agreed. It does not replace a lawyer's advice.
Read the related guide