SongLab Deep Cuts Vol. 06: Get Paid or Get Played: The Split You Didn’t Know You Were Missing
There’s a part of the music industry that nobody gets excited about.
It’s not writing.
It’s not recording.
It’s definitely not performing.
It’s paperwork.
And because it’s boring… most artists avoid it.
Until one day, it costs them.
The split nobody explains properly
Not including “The Master,” every song has two equal halves:
Writer’s share (50%)
Publisher’s share (50%)
Not “kind of.” Not “depending on the situation.”
Always.
If you wrote the song, you are entitled to both halves.
But here’s where a lot of artists mess up:
They only register themselves as a WRITER with a PRO like ASCAP, BMI, or SESAC.
Which means…
You’re only collecting half the money you’re owed.
Real life example (this happens more than you think)
I was working with a major label artist on a record.
Everything was done. The song was great. Everyone was excited.
We go to register the song…
…and realize he’s only signed up as a writer, not a publisher.
So now we have a problem.
We had two options:
Defer his publishing share to the other writers (meaning he loses that income for now)
Leave it unclaimed (N/A) and hope he registers himself later
Neither option is good. And with all registrations, songs must equate to 100% in order for them to be processed and populate into the system.
Because now, instead of the system working cleanly…
We’re patching a hole that shouldn’t exist.
All because of something that takes maybe 10 minutes to set up.
Why this actually matters
This isn’t just about “losing money someday.”
It affects real opportunities.
Let’s say a sync agent wants to pitch your song for a film, TV show, or commercial.
They’re going to ask for:
• Writer names
• Publisher names
• Splits
• PRO affiliations
• IPI numbers
If you don’t have that ready?
They can’t move forward.
Not “they’ll figure it out later.”
They move on to another song!
Because no one in that position is chasing down missing admin.
The unsexy truth
This part of the business is not fun.
It’s not creative.
It’s not inspiring.
But it’s foundational.
And the artists who treat this seriously?
They’re the ones who get paid correctly, move faster, and don’t miss opportunities.
A simple mindset shift
Don’t think of this as paperwork.
Think of it as:
Owning what you created.
Because that’s what this really is.
You wrote something.
You put time into it.
You put yourself into it.
Why would you only claim half of it?
What to do (today, not later)
If you haven’t already:
• Sign up with a PRO (ASCAP, BMI, or SESAC)
• Register as both a writer AND a publisher
• Make sure you understand your splits on every song
This is the difference between being an artist…
and running your career like a professional.
Final musings…
You never know which song is going to matter.
The one you almost didn’t write.
The one you didn’t overthink.
The one you made in a random session.
That’s the one that ends up getting placed.
Or blowing up.
Or generating income for years.
And when that happens…
You don’t want to be the person scrambling to fix paperwork after the fact.
You want to be ready.
-SongLab