Split sheet and song register for independent artists
Type each song once. The register totals the splits, checks your ISRC, ISWC and IPI codes, shows where the song still has to be registered and prints a split sheet ready to sign.
From $24, paid once. Opens in a browser or a spreadsheet, with or without a connection.
Move the faders until the song adds up to 100%
The register runs this check on every song you add, along with the codes and the registrations.
Unmatched royalties start with one missing line
Splits get agreed in the studio and written down weeks later, if at all. The ISRC sits in a distributor dashboard, an IPI number in an old email, the shares in a group chat. When a name, a share or a code is missing on release day, the royalty has nowhere to go.
is what streaming services handed to The MLC in February 2021: royalties they had collected in the US and could not match to a songwriter or a publisher.1
What the register checks on every song
- SharesTotals each song and says how much is unassigned, or how much is over.
- ISRCTwelve characters in the right pattern, and never the same code on two recordings.
- ISWCT and ten digits, with the check digit recalculated, so one mistyped digit shows up.
- IPI and PROFlags every writer whose IPI number or PRO is still blank.
- RegistrationsSeven steps a song, from the distributor to the signed split sheet, each marked Yes, No or N/A.
- Split sheetPrints the song, its writers, their shares and a signature line for each.
Track Splits RegisterSaved on this deviceThe same checks in the spreadsheet edition
| Song title | Writer name | Role | PRO | IPI number | Share | IPI check | Song total | Split check |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Midnight Drive | Alex Martin | Writer and composer | SACEM | 00523456789 | 50.0% | OK | 100.0% | OK |
| Midnight Drive | Sam Lee | Lyricist | ASCAP | 00498765432 | 30.0% | OK | 100.0% | OK |
| Midnight Drive | Jordan Price | Beatmaker | BMI | 00712345678 | 20.0% | OK | 100.0% | OK |
| Golden Hour | Alex Martin | Writer and composer | SACEM | 00523456789 | 60.0% | OK | 95.0% | Song total 95.0% |
| Golden Hour | Rae Collins | Writer | PRS | 35.0% | Missing IPI | 95.0% | Song total 95.0% |
Where a song gets registered
A song earns from two rights. The composition is the writing; the recording is the audio. Each is registered in different places, by different people. The register lists every one, who files there and what they ask for.
The composition Words and music, filed by the writers and their publishers
- Signed split sheetWho wrote what share, on paper, before anything else.
- Performing rights organisationASCAP, BMI, SESAC, SACEM, PRS, SOCAN. Performance royalties: radio, live, streaming.
- The MLC US incomeStreaming mechanical royalties.
- Publishing administrator optionalRegisters the song with many societies worldwide, for a fee or a share.
The recording The audio, filed by the artist, the performers or the label
- ISRC codeOne code per recording, from the distributor or the national agency.
- DistributorDelivers to streaming services and stores, pays recording income.
- SoundExchange US incomeDigital radio, satellite and webcasting royalties.
- Neighbouring rights society outside the USPPL, SCPP, ADAMI, SPEDIDAM. Performance royalties for recordings.
- YouTube Content IDFinds the recording in videos and pays or blocks them.
Prices
Paid once, delivered through Whop right after checkout. The web app comes with the spreadsheet and the checklist.
Listener price. You came here through the show, so the buttons below already carry it: $10 off the web app, $5 off the spreadsheet. Nothing to type. The struck prices are what the shop charges everyone else.
The register, web appOne page, any browser, works offline
Add a song, add its writers, read what is left. It remembers each writer's PRO, IPI and email, splits evenly in one press and drafts the email that sends the split to everyone. The spreadsheet and the checklist come with it.
The register, spreadsheetExcel, Google Sheets or LibreOffice
One file with room for 100 songs and 300 writer rows. Every check on this page, a split sheet tab to print, the registration list. For people at ease in a spreadsheet.
The checklistPDF, 2 pages
The 12 steps of release paperwork in order, the places a song gets registered and the three codes you will be asked for. Print it and tick it.
A file that is faulty or will not open is replaced or refunded: write through the shop chat within 14 days.
| Web app | Spreadsheet | Checklist | |
|---|---|---|---|
| The 12 steps and the list of places to register | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Totals the shares of every song | Yes | Yes | No |
| Checks ISRC, ISWC and IPI codes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Tracks seven registration steps a song | Yes | Yes | No |
| Split sheet to print and sign | Any number | Up to 12 writers | No |
| Fills in a writer you have already typed | Yes | No | No |
| Even split in one press | Yes | No | No |
| Every song a writer is on, in one view | Yes | No | No |
| Drafts an email of the split to all writers | Yes | No | No |
| Comfortable on a phone | Yes | No | Yes |
Who the register is for
- Independent artists releasing through a distributor
- Producers and beatmakers who co-write
- Songwriters with co-writes registered at a PRO
- Small labels and managers keeping a catalogue in order
Limits to know before you buy
- It works on what you type. It has no link to your distributor or your PRO, and it cannot confirm that a registration exists.
- The code checks catch typos. A code can pass and still belong to another song.
- The split sheet covers the composition. Ownership of the master recording is a separate agreement.
- It organises your paperwork. It does not replace a music lawyer or an accountant.
Questions
Which edition should I pick?
If a spreadsheet is something you open every week, take the spreadsheet. If you would rather fill in a form and be told what is missing, take the web app; the spreadsheet comes with it. If you are still learning what a split sheet is, start with the checklist.
Does the web app need an account or a connection?
Neither. It is one file that opens in Chrome, Safari, Firefox or Edge, on a computer or a phone. Your songs are stored by that browser on that device, and a Save a backup button writes a file you can load on another one.
Does the spreadsheet work in Google Sheets?
Yes. Upload the .xlsx to Google Drive and open it with Google Sheets. It also opens in Excel and LibreOffice.
Does it register my songs for me?
No. It keeps the details in one place, checks them and shows which registrations are still open. You still file with your distributor, your PRO and the other organisations yourself, with the details ready to copy.
Is the printed split sheet a legal document?
It records what the writers agreed and carries their signatures and a date, which is what a split sheet is for. Whether that is enough in a dispute depends on your country and your other contracts, so take anything contested to a music lawyer.
Can a studio or a label use it?
One purchase covers one person, for your own music and the music you work on for clients. For a team, write to me through the chat on the shop page.
What if the file does not open?
Write through the shop chat within 14 days and it is replaced or refunded.
Start with the checklist
Two pages, $0. The 12 steps in order, the places a song gets registered and the three codes, so you can see what the register would be keeping track of.
Built by Montgomery
I am an engineering student in France, and MC’s Designs is my own project. The first version of this register went to a podcast host who works with independent artists. He found it good for organised artists and hard for beginners. The web app edition is the answer to that note.