How to split royalties on Spotify

How Spotify royalties flow

Spotify pays the master recording owner (via a distributor like DistroKid, TuneCore, or CD Baby) and the composition owner (via a PRO like ASCAP, BMI, or PRS). These are two separate income streams. The master royalties go to whoever uploaded. The composition royalties go to whoever is registered with the PRO.

Why Spotify doesn’t handle splits

Spotify is a streaming platform, not a royalty administrator. It has no visibility into who owns what percentage of a song. That’s why a signed split sheet is essential — it’s the source document that distributors and PROs reference when dividing payments.

Step 1: Agree on ownership

Before uploading anything, use the music split calculator to determine fair ownership percentages. Consider each person’s contribution to lyrics, melody, production, and arrangement. For producers specifically, use the producer split calculator.

Step 2: Create a split sheet

Document the agreed percentages in a split sheet. Every contributor signs. This document is what ensures the right people get paid. Without it, the person who uploaded keeps 100% of the master royalties by default.

Step 3: Register with your PRO

Each songwriter registers the composition with their PRO using the agreed percentages from the split sheet. This is how you collect the composition side of Spotify royalties (performance + mechanical). If co-writers register different percentages, it creates a conflict that delays payment.

What about distributor splits?

Some distributors (like DistroKid) let you split master royalties at the point of upload. But this only covers the master — not the composition. And it’s not a legal document. You still need a signed split sheet. For a deeper look at the general process, read how to split royalties between songwriters.