Master vs. Publishing Royalties — Why Split Sheets Matter

The two revenue streams from one song, who earns each, and why a signed split sheet is the only thing that gets you paid cleanly.

4 min·4 steps·Updated 2026-04-20

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Master royalties — the recording
Master royalties come from the recording itself — streams, downloads, sync placements. Usually owned by whoever paid to make the recording: the artist, a label, or shared between them. Collected by distributors and labels; for performance-only, by SoundExchange (US) or equivalent.
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Publishing royalties — the composition
Publishing royalties come from the underlying song — the melody, lyrics, and chord structure. Owned by songwriters and their publishers. Collected by PROs (ASCAP, BMI, PRS) for performance and by mechanical societies (MLC, HFA) for streaming mechanicals.
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Why the split matters
One song generates both royalty streams in parallel. If three people wrote it, they need to agree on publishing splits that total 100% before any of them can register it. Without a signed split sheet, PROs hold royalties in dispute or pay only the registered writer.
- Producer point on the master is negotiated separately from publishing splits.
- Uncleared samples invalidate both streams — clear them before release.
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What the Vandall split sheet locks down
The split sheet wizard captures publishing splits — who gets what percentage of the songwriting credit. It doesn't assign master ownership; that's separately negotiated with your label or co-owners. Get both in writing before a release goes live.

Master ownership and publishing splits are separate deals. A 50/50 publishing split doesn't mean a 50/50 master split.
Clarify producer points on the master before recording, not after.

If something's unclear or missing, send us a note — we'll reply with the right answer or update the guide.

Master royalties — the recording