Unlocking Your Royalties: Why Split Sheets and PRO Registrations Are Critical for Music Creators

Every year, hundreds of millions of dollars in music royalties go unclaimed—trapped in what's known as the "black box."

These lost royalties don't disappear because your song wasn't good enough.They vanish because the people behind the music didn't properly register their rights or define who owns what.

If you're a music creator—a producer, songwriter, artist, manager, or label—this article could be the difference between getting paid or not.

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What Is a Split Sheet and Why It Matters

A split sheet is a simple but essential document that defines the ownership of a song. It answers one crucial question:

Who gets paid, and how much?

When multiple people collaborate on a track, the royalties generated (from streaming, radio, sync, etc.) need to be split based on contribution. Without a written agreement, those splits become vague and unverifiable.

Typical Roles in a Split:

• Composer: Writes the melody or chord structure
• Lyricist: Writes the lyrics
• Producer: Builds the instrumental or beat
• Performer: Records the vocals or instruments

If you're not defining your split percentages early, you're relying on trust and memory—both of which fade with time.

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The "Black Box" Problem

According to CISAC, billions of dollars in global music royalties sit in limbo every year, unallocated to the correct rights holders because of missing metadata or unclear ownership.

This is often called the black box: money collected but never paid out because no one can say for certain who owns what.

"Roughly 20-30% of mechanical royalties go unclaimed due to inaccurate or incomplete rights information." – Billboard

When artists don’t properly register or define their splits, their money gets stuck—or worse, gets distributed to the wrong people or divided up arbitrarily.

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Why PRO and CMO Registrations Matter

PROs (Performing Rights Organizations) like ASCAP, BMI, and SESAC in the US, or CMOs (Collective Management Organizations) like GEMA (Germany), PRS (UK), or Teosto (Finland), are responsible for collecting and distributing royalties on behalf of songwriters and publishers.

To get paid:

• Your song must be properly registered.
• Each collaborator must have a valid IPI/CAE number.
• The split percentages must be clearly declared.

Failure to do any of the above? You guessed it: more black box money.

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How Vandall Fixes This with Split Sheets

At Vandall, we believe getting paid should be as smooth as creating.

That’s why we built the fastest and most secure split sheet engine in music:

Here's how it works:

1. Create a project on Vandall (web or mobile)
2. Add collaborators with just an email invite
3. Define roles and percentages
4. Auto-generate a legal agreement
5. Send it for signature (instant signing, with IPI/PRO data embedded)
6. Download or share the signed PDF

All agreements are securely stored and verifiable by link.
Perfect for registering with any PRO, CMO, label, or publisher.

🎥 Tutorial: How to Create a Split Sheet in Under a Minute

Don’t Leave Money on the Table

If your name is on a track, you deserve to be paid.

But rights don't enforce themselves.

You need:

• Clear split sheets
• Proper metadata
• Registered affiliations (ASCAP, BMI, GEMA, PRS, Teosto, etc.)

With Vandall, you can go from jam session to signed agreement in under a minute.

Ready to secure your royalties?

✅ Create Your First Split Sheet Now →

⭐ Learn More About Vandall’s Music Collaboration Toolkit →

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