How To Get A Songwriting Staff Writing Deal Get to know music publishers organically. Co-write with signed writers. Do your homework. Use everything you do well to your advantage. The fastest way to get a songwriting staff writing deal is by writing great songs.
Under the exclusive agreement, the songwriter agrees to assign all compositions written during a specified term (for example, 2 years from January 1 or 1 year with four options), with the guarantee of a share of the income generated and usually a proviso for weekly or monthly payments.
A songwriter split sheet is a written agreement that identifies all contributors to a song as well as their ownership percentages of that song. These ownership percentages determine how publishing royalties will be "split" between creators. When all parties sign, split sheets become legally binding.
In the absence of a written agreement you automatically share equally, even if your contributions clearly were not equal. Thus, with two songwriters, you own the song 50-50; three songwriters, one-third each; and so on.
There are 6 basic types of agreements that songwriters sign with a music publisher. They are the Individual Song Agreement, the Exclusive Songwriter's Agreement, the Co-Publishing Agreement, the Participation Agreement, the Administration Agreement and the Foreign Sub-Publishing Agreement.
Out of all of the types of music contracts, co-publishing (co-pub) agreements are the most frequently used. Under this agreement, the music publishing company and the artist are partners, and both parties co-own the copyrights to the music. Terms can vary widely, but a 50/50 split is common.
A Publishing or Song-writing Agreement is the document by which a songwriter assigns the copyright in their compositions to a music publisher in exchange for royalties and, in appropriate cases, an advance against those royalties.
How To Get A Songwriting Staff Writing Deal Get to know music publishers organically. Co-write with signed writers. Do your homework. Use everything you do well to your advantage. The fastest way to get a songwriting staff writing deal is by writing great songs.