Answers/Problems & answers/Splits and ownership

When Should You Do a Split Sheet — and What Goes On It?

What has to be on a split sheet?

Song title, date written, studio or session location, and for every contributor their legal name, contact details, role, PRO affiliation, IPI/CAE number, publisher entity, percentage of the writing share, and a dated signature. Master ownership should be recorded as a separate line rather than mixed into the same percentages.

Do the percentages have to add to 100?

Yes. The composition splits must total exactly 100%. If they do not, your registrations at ASCAP or BMI and at The MLC will not reconcile, and mechanical royalties sit unmatched until the conflict is resolved.

Does a split sheet need to be notarised?

No. A dated document signed by every contributor is the working standard across the US independent scene. What matters is that it exists, that it is specific, and that everyone named on it signed it.

Is a split sheet legally binding?

A signed split sheet is written evidence of an agreement between the parties and is treated as such. It is not a substitute for a full producer agreement or a co-publishing deal, but it is far stronger than a verbal understanding and it is what your PRO and The MLC will effectively be enforcing through your registrations.

Is a split sheet the same as registering the song?

No, and this is the most common misunderstanding. A split sheet is a private document between collaborators. Registration is a separate step at ASCAP or BMI for performance royalties and at The MLC for mechanical royalties, and the split sheet is what you copy the numbers from.

What is an IPI or CAE number and where do I find mine?

An IPI number, historically called a CAE number, is the unique identifier assigned to each songwriter and each publisher, used by ASCAP, BMI, SESAC and The MLC to tell people apart. You find yours in your PRO account profile after your membership is processed, and it belongs on the split sheet so nobody has to chase it later.

What if someone only added a small part?

Agree a percentage that reflects it and write it down. A 5% contributor who signed a split sheet is settled forever. A 5% contributor with a verbal understanding is a future dispute wearing a small number.

Is a text message agreement good enough?

It is better than nothing and much worse than a signed sheet, because it almost never contains PRO details, IPI numbers, publisher entities or an explicit statement that the percentages refer to the composition rather than the master. Take the ten minutes.

Do I need a split sheet if I wrote the song completely alone?

You do not need one for a dispute, but filling one in is still useful because it forces you to assemble the exact fields you will need for the ASCAP, BMI and MLC registrations. Treat it as your registration worksheet.

What do I do about old songs where we never did a split sheet?

Do them now, while everyone is still on good terms and the songs are not earning enough to fight about. Backdating is not the point - the point is getting a signed, current document that says what everyone already believes.

Full explanation: When Should You Do a Split Sheet — and What Goes On It?

What Percentage Does a Producer Get on a Song?

Is there a standard producer split?

No standard is set by law, by ASCAP or BMI, or by any other authority. Ranges exist as convention and they vary widely by genre, by how much of the finished song originated in the beat, and by the relative leverage of the people in the room.

What is the difference between a producer fee and a producer split?

A producer fee is a one-time payment for doing the work. A split is an ongoing ownership share that earns royalties for as long as the song earns anything. They are separate levers and a producer may have one, the other, or both.

If I give a producer 50% of the publishing, what have I given away?

In normal usage that phrase means 50% of the composition, not 50% of the publisher's share. A producer with 50% of the composition collects 25% of the writer pool and 25% of the publisher pool from ASCAP or BMI, plus 50% of the mechanical royalties The MLC pays on the work.

What is a producer point?

A point is 1% of net recording revenue, so three points is 3% of the master income. Points sit on the recording side and are conventionally carved out of the artist's own royalty, which makes them completely separate from any composition percentage.

Does buying a beat lease give the producer a split?

It depends entirely on the terms of the lease. Some beat agreements transfer usage rights while the producer retains a composition share, some are structured as an outright transfer, and exclusive deals differ again. Read the licence file that came with the beat.

Who owns the master if the producer made the beat?

Whatever the agreement says. Master ownership is a separate negotiation from composition splits and needs its own line on the split sheet, because a producer can hold composition points and no master interest at all.

What if we never agreed a split and the song is already released?

Have the conversation now, before it earns more, and paper it. Conflicting registrations at The MLC cause the disputed share to be held rather than paid, and the longer that runs the more adversarial and expensive it gets to unwind.

Does the producer get paid before or after the artist?

A producer fee is usually paid at or near the session. Composition royalties reach the producer directly from ASCAP or BMI and The MLC based on registered shares, with no involvement from the artist. Producer points on the master are usually paid by whoever owns the recording and are often subject to recoupment first.

Do I owe the producer anything if the song makes no money?

A percentage of nothing is nothing, so a pure points deal costs you nothing on a song that does not earn. An agreed fee is owed regardless of performance, which is exactly why fees and points are negotiated as separate items.

Can a producer take a split if they only added drums to a finished demo?

They can if you agree to it, but the share should reflect the contribution. Adding production to a finished song is a different contribution from supplying the instrumental the whole song was written over, and the percentage is the place to say so.

Full explanation: What Percentage Does a Producer Get on a Song?

What Is the Difference Between Master Rights and Publishing?

Can I own the master but not the publishing?

Yes, and it happens constantly. If you recorded a song someone else wrote, you can own the sound recording outright while the writers own the musical work. The reverse also happens - a songwriter can own the composition of a song they never recorded.

Which side earns more, masters or publishing?

It depends entirely on how the song gets used. On-demand streaming on Spotify and Apple Music weights heavily toward the recording side. Sync placements, cover versions, radio and public performance make the composition side more valuable. On a streaming-led catalog the master usually dominates in year one and publishing compounds later.

If I self-release, do I own both?

If you wrote the song, recorded it and paid for the session yourself, you own both copyrights outright with no label and no publisher taking a share. Owning them is separate from collecting on them - you still have to register the recording with SoundExchange and the composition with ASCAP or BMI and The MLC.

Does DistroKid or TuneCore collect my publishing?

Base distribution from DistroKid, TuneCore or CD Baby collects sound recording royalties only. DistroKid Publishing is a separate paid add-on that collects composition royalties, and DistroKid states it collects only the publisher share for writers who are not PRO-affiliated.

Who collects the publishing side if I do not want to do it myself?

A publishing administrator — a company such as Songtrust, or a distributor's publishing add-on like DistroKid Publishing, which registers your compositions worldwide and collects composition-side royalties for a percentage. It touches only the publishing column: signing one changes nothing about who owns or collects your masters. It is useful if you will genuinely never do the paperwork, and expensive relative to registering yourself once with ASCAP or BMI and The MLC.

Where does a producer sit in this?

Potentially in both columns, potentially in one. A producer may hold a composition share, a master share, producer points, a flat fee, or some combination. Nothing about making the beat automatically assigns either copyright - it depends entirely on the agreement.

Is SoundExchange money master money or publishing money?

Master money. SoundExchange collects on the sound recording side for non-interactive digital radio such as SiriusXM and internet radio and pays featured artists directly, which puts it in the master column beside your distributor. ASCAP, BMI and SESAC sit in the publishing column, collecting on the composition side for public performance. They cover different copyrights and you need both.

What is the difference between a mechanical royalty and a performance royalty?

Both are composition-side. A mechanical royalty is generated by the reproduction of the song - a stream, a download, a physical copy - and is collected in the US by The MLC. A performance royalty is generated by the song being publicly performed - streamed, broadcast, played in a venue - and is collected by ASCAP, BMI or SESAC.

Do I need to register the same song twice at the Copyright Office?

If you own both copyrights you can register both, and the Copyright Office treats them as separate claims - Form PA for the musical work and Form SR for the sound recording. Per the current fee schedule a Standard Application is $65 and Group Registration of Works on an Album of Music is $65 for a whole album.

What does owning your masters actually mean?

It means you own the sound recording copyright in the specific recordings - so you control licensing them for sync, you receive the distributor income, and you are the sound recording owner SoundExchange pays. It says nothing about who owns the songs, which is a separate copyright with separate collectors.

Full explanation: What Is the Difference Between Master Rights and Publishing?

Do You Need to Register Copyright on a Song You Already Own?

Do I own my song if I never register anything?

Yes. Copyright attaches automatically the moment the work is fixed in a tangible medium — the moment you record it or write it down. Registration with the US Copyright Office is about evidence and enforcement, not about ownership coming into existence. Nobody can take your song from you because you did not file a form.

Then why register with the Copyright Office at all?

Because registration is what makes copyright enforceable in practice. For a United States work, you generally cannot file an infringement lawsuit until the work has been registered or registration has been refused. Registration also creates a public record of your claim and, if timed correctly, unlocks statutory damages and attorney's fees rather than leaving you to prove actual losses.

Is Copyright Office registration the same as registering with my PRO?

No, and this is the most common confusion in the whole subject. US Copyright Office registration is about legal ownership evidence. Registration with ASCAP, BMI, The MLC and SoundExchange is about getting paid. They are unrelated systems on separate databases, and doing one does nothing whatsoever for the other.

Which should I do first if I only do one?

Your PRO, The MLC and SoundExchange, without question. Those three determine whether you collect money your song is generating right now, and all three are free — a writer account at ASCAP or BMI costs nothing, and The MLC and SoundExchange cost nothing either. US Copyright Office registration matters only if a dispute arises, which for most independent artists it never does.

Is registering copyright worth the money for a song that is not earning anything?

Usually not on its own, and this is the one place where the honest answer is to wait. Copyright itself costs nothing and happens automatically. Registration with the US Copyright Office costs $45 under the Single Application, $65 under the Standard Application, $65 for an entire album under Group Registration of Works on an Album of Music, and $85 under Group Registration of Unpublished Works, per the fee schedule retrieved on 31 August 2026.

Can I register a whole album at once instead of song by song?

Yes, and you should. Group Registration of Works on an Album of Music covers an album in one $65 filing. Registering twelve tracks individually under the Single Application costs $45 each, or $540. Same protection, $475 difference, decided entirely by which form you file.

Do I have to register the song and the recording separately?

Not necessarily. The composition and the sound recording are two different copyrights, but where the same claimant owns both — the normal case for a self-releasing artist — the Copyright Office allows one application to cover both. That route requires the $65 Standard Application; the $45 Single Application covers one work by one author only.

Does the poor man's copyright of mailing yourself a copy work?

No. Mailing yourself a sealed copy is not a substitute for registration, carries little practical weight, and does none of the things registration does — it does not let you file suit and it does not unlock statutory damages. If you want the protection registration provides, register properly.

How long do I have to register after releasing a song?

You can register at any time, but timing changes what registration is worth. Statutory damages and attorney's fees are available only if the work was registered before the infringement began, or within three months of first publication. Registering years later still lets you sue; it can leave you proving actual damages rather than claiming statutory ones.

Should I register every song I make?

No. Registering every demo is a poor use of money. Register the songs that matter — the ones central to your catalog, the ones you are shopping for sync, the ones already earning — and use Group Registration of Works on an Album of Music to sweep up a release cheaply rather than filing one at a time.

Full explanation: Do You Need to Register Copyright on a Song You Already Own?

Can You Copyright a Beat?

Can I copyright a beat I made with Splice loops?

Yes, you own the copyright in your original arrangement and the recording of it. Splice explicitly permits copyright registration of works you create with its sounds. What you do not own is the underlying sample itself, which Splice licences to every subscriber non-exclusively.

If another producer uses the same Splice loop, are they infringing my beat?

No. The Splice licence is non-exclusive, so two producers can legitimately download and use the identical loop. Neither infringes the other over that shared element. What you can protect is the original material around it — your arrangement, your added parts, your specific recording.

Do I have to register a beat with the Copyright Office to own it?

No. US copyright arises automatically when the beat is fixed in a file. Registration is what you need in order to file an infringement suit over a US work and to become eligible for statutory damages and attorney's fees, which is a different and very practical question from ownership.

can you copyright a drum pattern

A short, common rhythmic pattern on its own is generally too minimal and too commonplace to protect, and basic chord progressions and scales are not protectable either. The protected thing is your original expression — the specific combination, arrangement and recording — not the individual building blocks.

What happens to my copyright when I sell an exclusive beat?

Only what the contract says happens. Many exclusive beat sales are exclusive licences rather than outright transfers, meaning the producer still owns the composition and simply stops selling that beat to anyone else. A genuine transfer of copyright ownership must be in writing and signed by the owner.

Does a beat lease give the buyer any ownership?

No. A non-exclusive lease is permission to use the beat under stated conditions, usually with limits on streams, distribution or commercial use, while the producer keeps both copyrights and continues licensing the same beat to other buyers. Ownership never moves in a lease.

How do the splits work when a rapper writes over my beat?

The finished song is one composition containing both contributions, and the writers divide it by agreement — commonly a range between a fifth and a half to the producer, depending on how much of the song came from the beat. Nothing about that split is automatic, and it only pays if it is registered identically at ASCAP or BMI and at The MLC.

Is the beat a separate copyright from the finished song?

The beat exists as its own musical work before any vocal is added, and the finished song is normally treated as a single joint work containing it rather than two stacked works. This is why the composition split conversation happens over the whole song, and why the producer needs to be listed as a writer on it.

How do I copyright a whole beat tape cheaply?

The group registration options exist for exactly this. Group Registration of Unpublished Works costs $85 for multiple unpublished works in one filing, and Group Registration of Works on an Album of Music costs $65 for the tracks on one album — far cheaper than $45 per beat under the Single Application.

Does putting my beat on YouTube or BeatStars register the copyright?

No. Uploading creates evidence of a date and creates a distribution record, and it can enable Content ID matching, but neither is a copyright registration. Only a filing with the US Copyright Office produces a registration.

Full explanation: Can You Copyright a Beat?

Who Owns the Song When You Buy a Beat?

if i buy an exclusive beat do i own the song

You own your lyrics and your vocal performance, and usually the recording, but the composition is normally still shared with the producer unless the agreement assigns it. Exclusive most often means the producer stopped selling that beat, not that ownership moved. Read the clause about writing share.

Does buying a beat mean the producer gets nothing later?

Only if the contract says so in writing. In most beat-store exclusive deals the producer keeps a percentage of the composition and continues collecting performance royalties from ASCAP or BMI and mechanical royalties from The MLC for as long as the song earns.

What is the difference between a lease and an exclusive?

A lease is non-exclusive permission with limits, and the same beat keeps selling to other artists. An exclusive removes the beat from sale and grants broader rights to one buyer. Neither one automatically transfers copyright ownership of the composition.

What is work for hire on a beat?

Work made for hire is a specific arrangement in which the commissioning party is treated as the author from the outset, so the producer holds nothing afterwards. It has statutory requirements including a signed written agreement, and it is far rarer in independent beat sales than buyers assume.

Can I register a song at The MLC if I bought the beat?

You can register the shares you actually hold. Registering 100% of a composition when the producer retains a writing share creates a conflicting claim, and The MLC holds the overlapping portion rather than paying either party until it is resolved.

Do I need the producer's name on my ASCAP or BMI registration?

If the producer holds a writing share, yes — the registration should list every writer with matching percentages, along with their affiliation and IPI number. A registration that omits a co-writer will conflict with the one that co-writer files.

The producer disappeared and I already released the song. What now?

Register only your own share honestly and keep the beat licence, the receipt and any messages showing what was agreed. An unclaimed portion sitting at The MLC is a far better position than a fraudulent 100% claim, which turns a paperwork problem into a dispute you will lose.

Does the beat licence file count as a contract?

Yes, the PDF licence that downloads with the WAV and the stems is the agreement, and it usually states exactly what you bought. Most people never open it, which is why most people cannot answer this question about their own release.

Who owns the master if I recorded my vocals over a leased beat?

The recording of your song is a new sound recording and is normally yours, but the underlying instrumental inside it is still licensed rather than owned, so your rights in that master are limited by the licence terms. Exceeding the licence caps can put the whole release out of licence.

How much should a producer keep on an exclusive?

There is no set figure. Conventionally a producer who supplied the instrumental the whole song was written over lands somewhere between a fifth and a half of the composition, and a higher purchase price often buys a smaller ongoing share. The negotiable part is the percentage, so negotiate the percentage.

Full explanation: Who Owns the Song When You Buy a Beat?

Do You Need a Music Publisher, or Just a Publisher Account?

do i need a publisher to release music

No. You need a publisher account at ASCAP or BMI so the publisher half of your performance royalties has a registered claimant, and you need registrations at The MLC. Neither of those is a publishing company that signs you, and neither takes a percentage of your income.

What is the difference between a publisher account and a publishing company?

A publisher account at ASCAP or BMI is a registration inside a performing rights organization that lets you claim the publisher share of your own songs. A publishing company that signs artists is a business that administers, pitches and collects on your catalog in exchange for a commission and sometimes a share of copyright. Only the first is required to get paid.

Does creating a publishing company increase my royalties?

No. BMI states directly that creating a publishing company will not mean you receive more royalties. What increases what you collect is having a registered claimant for the publisher share, which a self-published writer achieves with a publisher affiliation, not with a business entity.

How much does a publisher account cost?

At ASCAP, nothing if you apply as a writer and a publisher at the same time — that combined application is free. A publisher account added on its own afterwards, or taken by someone who publishes but does not write, is a $50 one-time non-refundable fee. BMI charges a one-time processing fee for a publisher affiliation and no longer publishes the amount, so you see it during the application rather than in advance. Neither organization charges annual dues.

Do I need an LLC to have a publishing company at BMI?

No. BMI affiliates individual publishers and does not require a company. It charges a one-time publisher processing fee it no longer publishes an amount for, so nobody can tell you in advance what either route costs — until August 2026 it published $175 for an individual publisher and $250 for a corporation or LLC, which made the entity route the more expensive one for the same royalty outcome. Form an LLC for liability or co-ownership reasons, not for royalties.

What does a publishing administrator actually do for the cut?

An administrator registers your works globally, collects from foreign societies you are not a member of, chases unmatched and unclaimed royalties, and handles the paperwork. Songtrust and DistroKid Publishing are the two most commonly used by independent artists. What they do not usually do is pitch your songs the way a traditional publisher does.

Should I use Songtrust or DistroKid Publishing or do it myself?

Doing it yourself is cheapest and works well if your income is domestic and your catalog is small. An administrator earns its commission mainly on foreign collections and on catalogs too large to register by hand. Compare their current published terms directly, because commission structures change.

Can I have both my own publisher entity and a publishing administrator?

Not on the same works. Overlapping claims on one composition create conflicts at ASCAP, BMI and The MLC, and disputed shares are held rather than paid. Choose one route per work and register consistently.

Do I still need The MLC if I have a publisher account at BMI?

Yes. ASCAP and BMI collect performance royalties. The MLC collects US mechanical royalties on streams and downloads, which is a separate pot from a separate licence. Registration at The MLC is free and it pays US members at a $5 ACH minimum roughly 75 days after each monthly usage period ends.

Do I need a publisher to get sync placements?

No, though a publisher or a sync agency has relationships you do not. Independent artists place music directly with libraries, supervisors and licensing platforms all the time. The prerequisite for any sync deal is clean, undisputed ownership documentation, which is a paperwork problem rather than a publisher problem.

Full explanation: Do You Need a Music Publisher, or Just a Publisher Account?

What Does a Publishing Administrator Actually Do?

What is the difference between a publisher and a publishing administrator?

A publisher takes an ownership share of your copyright, usually for a long term or for life of copyright, and pays you a share of what it earns. An administrator takes no ownership at all. It takes the right to register and collect on your behalf for a fixed term, charges a percentage, and hands the songs back untouched when the term ends. Beginners are often sold the first when they only needed the second.

Does DistroKid or my distributor already do publishing administration?

Base distribution does not. DistroKid states plainly that composition royalties are different from the streaming royalties it already collects for all members. DistroKid Publishing is a separate opt-in product, as is CD Baby's publishing service. If you have not deliberately switched something on, nobody is collecting your composition money.

How much does a publishing administrator cost?

Songtrust charges $100 once per writer plus 15% of performance royalties and 20% of non-performance royalties collected, effective January 1 2025. CD Baby's published commission ladder includes 15% on MLC mechanicals and 40% on sync. Administrators take a percentage of what they collect, not a percentage of your song.

Is a publishing administrator worth it for a small artist?

On my own numbers it cleared its cost, barely. It collected $261.39 and paid me $222.76 against a $100 fee across roughly two and a half years of payment periods. But $189.12 of the mechanical-streaming money came through The MLC, which is free to join directly. What I actually bought was foreign collection and the paperwork.

Can I register with The MLC and a publishing administrator at the same time?

You should not register the same work twice. Two claimants on one composition produces a conflict, and conflicted works do not get paid until somebody resolves it. Pick one route per work. If an administrator is registering your catalog, let it handle The MLC on your behalf rather than filing your own claim underneath it.

Does a publishing administrator collect my writer share too?

Usually not, and that is by design. Your PRO pays the writer share to you directly. Songtrust states that it collects only the publisher share and that the writer share comes straight from your PRO. DistroKid says that if you are affiliated with a PRO it collects both shares, and only the publisher share if you are not — so read the specific product's terms rather than assuming.

How long does administered publishing money take to arrive?

In my export, the median gap between the month a song was streamed and the payment that covered it was about 290 days. A quarter of the lines took over 2.7 years. Composition money is structurally slow because it passes through a society before it reaches an administrator before it reaches you.

Do I still need a PRO if I have a publishing administrator?

Yes. An administrator collects the publisher share; the writer share only exists if you are affiliated as a writer at ASCAP or BMI. Writer affiliation is free at both. An administrator is an addition to a PRO account, never a replacement for one.

Full explanation: What Does a Publishing Administrator Actually Do?

What Is Sub-Publishing in Music, and Do You Need It?

What is sub-publishing in music?

Sub-publishing is the arrangement where a publisher appoints a local company in a foreign territory to register, license and collect on its catalog inside that country. Songtrust's glossary defines a sub-publisher as a company engaged by a rights holder to license and administer its works in a specific territory, giving the example of an American publisher engaging a German sub-publisher to handle its affairs in Germany.

Why can't my US publisher just collect my foreign royalties directly?

Because collection societies are national institutions that pay registered local claimants. A German society matches a German usage against its own registration database and pays whoever is registered there. Reciprocal agreements move some of that money across borders, but registration, matching and local licensing happen locally, and unmatched money stays put.

How much does a sub-publisher take?

A commission on top of whatever your publisher or administrator already charges, deducted in the territory before the money is sent home. Rates are negotiated per deal and are not published, so I will not put a number on it. The structural point is that foreign money passes through more hands than domestic money and arrives smaller and later.

Does a small independent artist need a sub-publisher?

Almost certainly not directly. Sub-publishing deals are negotiated between publishing companies, not offered to individual writers with a few dozen songs. What a small artist actually buys, when they buy foreign collection, is a publishing administrator whose network already reaches those territories.

Is Songtrust a sub-publisher?

No. Songtrust's own help centre answers that question directly — it is a publishing administrator, listed as administering on behalf of your publishing entity if you have one, and listed as your publisher if you do not. It reaches foreign territories through its relationships with societies rather than by being the local licensee itself.

Does The MLC collect my foreign royalties?

No. The MLC administers the US blanket mechanical licence and covers US digital mechanicals only. It is free and you should register with it, but it is not a route to any money outside the United States, and treating it as one is how foreign mechanicals end up unclaimed.

How much foreign publishing money is actually at stake for a small artist?

In my catalog, not much in absolute terms and a lot in relative terms. APRA/AMCOS in Australia and New Zealand collected $22.60 for me over six years — 8.6% of the $261.39 my administrator collected in total, and my single largest non-US source. Small money, but money nothing free would have found.

What should I do before paying anyone for foreign collection?

Open your distributor's country report and look at where your streams actually come from. If your audience is overwhelmingly US-based, free registration with The MLC and your PRO captures nearly everything. If a real share sits in Australia, the UK, Germany, Brazil or Japan, foreign composition money exists and something has to be registered abroad to claim it.

Full explanation: What Is Sub-Publishing in Music, and Do You Need It?

What Is a Master Use License (And Why You Always Need Two)

master use license

A master use licence is written permission from the owner of a sound recording to use that exact recording in another work — typically a film, TV show, advertisement, game or online video. It licenses the audio itself. It does not license the song, so on its own it clears nothing for audiovisual use; you also need a synchronisation licence from the composition owner.

What is the difference between a master use license and a sync license?

They cover the two different copyrights in one piece of music. The master use licence covers the sound recording — the specific performance captured in that audio file. The sync licence covers the composition — the melody, chords and lyrics. A film using your record needs both. A film re-recording your song with a session band needs only the sync licence.

Who grants a master use license?

Whoever owns the sound recording copyright. For an independent artist who paid for their own session, that is you. If you signed a recording agreement that assigned the master, it is the label. If a producer's agreement gave them a share of the master, they may need to sign too, which is exactly why unclear producer paperwork kills sync opportunities.

under exclusive license to record label meaning

It means the label does not own the recording outright. Somebody else — usually the artist or their production company — owns the master and has granted the label the exclusive right to exploit it for a period. Under US law an exclusive licence is a transfer of copyright ownership for the rights it covers, so the label can act as owner within its scope, and the rights revert when the term ends.

exclusive license

In US copyright, an exclusive licence grants specified rights to one party and excludes everyone else, including the original owner, from exercising those rights within its scope. Section 201(d)(2) says any exclusive right can be transferred and owned separately, and the holder gets full protection to the extent of that right. Section 204(a) requires it to be in writing and signed.

Do I need a master use license for my own song on my own YouTube video?

Legally you are licensing yourself, so there is no document to obtain if you own both the recording and the composition. Practically you still deal with the plumbing — link your channel to the release in your distributor's dashboard so Content ID matches your own upload to you instead of holding the revenue.

Can I grant a master use license if I used a producer's beat?

Only if your agreement with the producer says you can. A typical exclusive beat purchase transfers the rights you need, but many lease agreements do not, and many producers retain a composition share while the master position stays ambiguous. Read the agreement before you tell a licensee you can clear it, because promising rights you do not hold is the expensive mistake.

Does a master use license cover a cover version?

No, and this is the cleanest illustration of the split. If a production re-records your song themselves, they never touch your master, so no master use licence is needed. They still need a sync licence from the composition side. Conversely, your recording of somebody else's song needs a sync licence from that writer's publisher before anyone can put it in a video.

Is a master use license the same as a mechanical license?

No. A mechanical licence covers reproducing a composition in phonorecords — records, downloads, streams. Section 101 defines phonorecords to exclude sounds accompanying an audiovisual work, which is precisely why audiovisual use falls outside the compulsory mechanical system and has to be negotiated freely as a sync licence instead.

What happens if I only clear one side?

You are unlicensed. A production that clears the master but not the composition has permission to use the audio from someone with no authority over the song, and vice versa. In practice the failure surfaces as a takedown, a Content ID claim, a delivery rejection by a broadcaster, or a demand letter — usually after the thing has already been made.

Full explanation: What Is a Master Use License (And Why You Always Need Two)

What Is a Co-Publishing Deal, and What Do You Actually Keep?

What is a co-publishing deal?

An agreement where a songwriter assigns half of the publisher's share of their compositions to a publishing company, typically for a term of years or the life of copyright, usually in exchange for a recoupable advance. The publisher registers, administers, licenses and collects; the writer keeps the writer's share plus half of the publisher's share.

What percentage does a writer keep in a co-publishing deal?

75% of the income and 50% of the copyright, in the standard structure. Composition money splits into a writer's half and a publisher's half; the writer keeps their entire writer's half and half of the publisher's half. The copyright itself is co-owned 50/50, which is where the phrase "50/50 co-pub" comes from.

Why is calling a co-publishing deal 50/50 misleading?

Because it mixes up two different things. The 50/50 refers to ownership of the publishing copyright, not to the split of income, which is normally 75/25 in the writer's favour. It also describes a steady state you do not reach until the advance is fully recouped out of your own 75%, and it says nothing about who administers the money on its way to you.

Do you have to pay back an advance if the songs do not earn?

In most publishing deals an advance is recoupable but not repayable — the publisher recovers it only out of your royalties, so if the songs never earn, the shortfall is the publisher's loss rather than a debt you owe. That is standard, not universal. It is one of the specific clauses to have a lawyer confirm in your actual contract, because a deal can be written otherwise.

What does recoupment mean in practice?

It means you receive no further money until your share of earnings has repaid the advance. If you take a $50,000 advance and your 75% of income reaches $50,000, you are recouped and start receiving royalties again. Until then the statements arrive showing a balance, not a payment, and cross-collateralisation can pool several deals into one balance.

Is a co-publishing deal better than a publishing administrator?

They answer different questions. An administrator takes no ownership and pays no advance — Songtrust charges $100 once plus 15% of performance and 20% of non-performance royalties. A co-publishing deal takes half the copyright and gives you capital up front. If you do not need the capital, giving away half a copyright to get collection is a bad trade.

Can I get out of a co-publishing deal later?

There is a US statutory route, and it is slow. 17 U.S.C. 203 lets an author terminate a grant made on or after January 1 1978 during a five-year window that begins 35 years after the grant was executed, with written notice served between two and ten years before the effective date and recorded with the Copyright Office. Everything short of that is whatever your contract says.

Do I need a lawyer for a co-publishing deal?

Yes. Genuinely. This is a transfer of copyright ownership that under 17 U.S.C. 204 has to be in a signed written instrument, it typically runs for decades, and its economics live in clauses about recoupment, cross-collateralisation, administration fees and reversion that a summary like this one cannot evaluate for your specific paper. I am an artist writing about structure, not a lawyer advising you.

Full explanation: What Is a Co-Publishing Deal, and What Do You Actually Keep?

Writer's Share vs Publisher Share: The Two Halves of Every Composition

writer's share

The writer's share is one half of the performance royalty on a composition, reserved for the people who actually wrote it. At a US performing rights organisation it can only be paid to a person registered as a writer of that work. ASCAP states the division on its own membership application — royalties are split 50/50 between writers and publishers. The writer's share cannot be assigned away in the same way the publisher share can, which is why it is the half songwriters are told to protect.

writers share

One half of a composition's performance royalty, payable only to registered writers of the song. The other half is the publisher share. If you wrote a song alone and registered as a writer with no publisher entity, you are registered for one of the two halves. Splitting a writer's share among co-writers is a separate matter — that is the split sheet, and it divides the writer half between the writers.

underlying composition

The underlying composition is the song as a work — melody, chords, lyrics, structure — as distinct from any particular recording of it. It is one of the two copyrights in a released track. The composition earns performance and mechanical royalties and is where the writer and publisher shares exist. The recording, called the master, is the other copyright, and it pays through your distributor and SoundExchange instead.

What happens to the publisher share if I do not have a publisher?

It does not automatically become yours. The publisher share is payable to a registered publisher of the work, and if nobody is registered in that role at your PRO, there is no claimant for it. That is the mechanism behind the common complaint that a songwriter is only receiving about half of what they expected from ASCAP or BMI.

Do I need a publishing company to collect the publisher share?

You need a publisher account at your PRO, which is not the same as an incorporated company. It is a registered entity name attached to your affiliation. At ASCAP, applying for writer and publisher together costs nothing. At BMI, publisher affiliation carries a one-time processing fee. Neither requires you to form an LLC.

Is the writer share and publisher share the same as a songwriting split?

No, and conflating them is the most common mistake I see. A songwriting split divides the writer half among co-writers — three writers at a third each are splitting the writer share, not the whole royalty. The publisher share sits alongside all of that and is claimed separately by whoever is registered as publisher for each writer's contribution.

Does the master side have a writer and publisher share?

No. The recording side divides differently — between the featured artist and the owner of the sound recording — and there is no songwriter or publisher share anywhere in it. Streaming recording royalties reach you through your distributor, and non-interactive radio through SoundExchange. The writer and publisher shares are a composition-side structure only.

Can I sell or assign my publisher share?

Yes, and that is what a publishing deal fundamentally is — an assignment of some or all of the publisher share in exchange for services, an advance, or both. A publishing administrator takes a commission on what it collects instead of taking ownership. The writer's share is treated as the writer's in a way the publisher share is not, which is why "keep your writer's share" is standard advice.

How much is the publisher share actually worth to a small artist?

In my own catalogue, less than people fear and more than nothing. Across seven years my publishing collected $261.39 in total, of which only 3.8% — roughly $10 — was performance money, the pot where the writer/publisher split lives. The other 96.2% was mechanical. The publisher half is worth claiming because claiming it at ASCAP is free, not because it is life-changing money at my scale.

Full explanation: Writer's Share vs Publisher Share: The Two Halves of Every Composition

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