Royalty Splits Explained: Paying Collaborators Fairly
- 03 Nov 2026
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Most songs are made by more than one person. A producer, a featured artist, a co-writer or a bandmate may all expect a share of the money the song earns. Agreeing on royalty splits early prevents arguments later and keeps payments simple.
What is a royalty split?
A royalty split is an agreement about how the earnings from a release are shared between the people who made it. For example, an artist and a producer might agree on 70% and 30% of the release's net royalties. With automatic splits, each collaborator receives their share directly instead of waiting for the main artist to pass money on.
Agree before you release
Talk about splits while you are still in the studio, not after the song is successful. Write down:
- Who contributed and in what role: artist, producer, songwriter, featured artist.
- The percentage each person receives.
- Whether the split applies to every version, such as remixes or instrumentals.
Keep a signed split sheet with the release files. It is also useful evidence if a rights question comes up later.
Master royalties and publishing royalties are different
Streaming royalties paid through a distributor are generally for the recording. Songwriting and publishing royalties are collected separately, usually through collecting societies and publishers. A producer might share in the master royalties while a co-writer shares in publishing. Make clear which income your split sheet covers.
How royalty splits work in SpaceMedia
- You can automatically share future net royalties for a release with collaborators.
- Invite each collaborator by email with their name, role and percentage. The shares must add up to exactly 100%.
- A split becomes active only after every collaborator accepts it, and earnings from before the split started are not recalculated.
- A split can include up to 20 recipients.
- The Free plan includes one royalty split. Paid plans allow more agreements; see the pricing page for details.
Tips for fair splits
- Be specific. "Half of the beat" is not a split. "30% of net master royalties for this release" is.
- Set it up before release day. Splits apply to future earnings, so activate them before the streams start.
- Clear your beats. If you leased a beat, check the licence. Some licences limit streams or require credit, and non-exclusive beats can cause problems with Content ID.
Working with collaborators on your next song? Create a free SpaceMedia account and set up the split as part of your release.
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SpaceMedia delivers music to a broad and changing network of streaming, download, social, and music-identification platforms. This can include major services such as Spotify, Apple Music, iTunes, YouTube Music, Amazon Music, Deezer, TikTok, Facebook and Instagram, SoundCloud, Tidal, Pandora, Boomplay, Anghami, iHeart, JioSaavn, KKBOX, NetEase Cloud Music, Tencent, Qobuz, and other supported partners.
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