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Producer Dashboard

Splits & Rights

Splits and rights let you define how ownership of a track is divided between you and your collaborators. Each person can have a master split (ownership of the recording), a publishing split (ownership of the composition and royalties), and a writer split (attribution for songwriting contributions). Getting these right matters for royalty distributions, especially when you’re working with producers, songwriters, featured artists, and label partners.

This guide walks you through viewing, adding, and adjusting splits so your tracks are always ready for release.

Understanding Splits

Section titled “Understanding Splits”

When you collaborate on a track, ownership needs to be documented clearly. Splits solve this by assigning percentage values that add up to 100% across all collaborators.

Master split controls who owns the recorded performance — the production itself. This is typically split between the producer and the artist(s).

Publishing split controls who owns the underlying composition — the songwriting. This is usually split among the credited writers, composers, and any publishers involved.

Writer split attributes songwriting credit. This is a subset of publishing and specifically identifies who wrote the song.

All three split types are tracked independently. A track can have 50/50 master split but 75/25 publishing split depending on the arrangement.

Viewing Current Splits

Section titled “Viewing Current Splits”

The Collaborators & Splits widget in the activity panel shows the current allocations for any selected track(s).

Each collaborator row displays:

  • Avatar and name
  • Role indicator (Owner, Writer, Producer, etc.)
  • Master split percentage
  • Publishing split percentage
  • Edit and delete action buttons

Below the list, a total allocation bar shows the combined percentage across all collaborators. If the total exceeds 100%, you’ll see a warning indicator.

Adding a Collaborator with Splits

Section titled “Adding a Collaborator with Splits”

When you click Add Collaborator, a form appears where you can enter the collaborator’s details and assign their initial splits.

Smart Default Splits

Section titled “Smart Default Splits”

The form doesn’t leave you guessing. It automatically calculates a suggested split based on:

  • How many collaborators are already on the track
  • How much allocation remains available

If the current total is 0% (no splits set yet), the form defaults to 50% for you and 50% for the new collaborator. If you’re at 60% and add a third person, it suggests splitting the remaining 40% evenly.

You can accept the suggestion or enter your own values. The form respects the constraint that no allocation can push the total above 100%.

Allocation Warnings

Section titled “Allocation Warnings”

Below each split input field, you’ll see real-time feedback:

  • “X% remaining” — how much allocation is still available
  • “No allocation remaining” — in amber text, indicating you need to reduce existing splits first

If you try to enter a value that would cause the total to exceed 100%, the system blocks the save and shows an error message explaining the issue.

Auto-Allocate Button

Section titled “Auto-Allocate Button”

Instead of manually adjusting each percentage, click Auto allocate to let the app distribute splits evenly.

This works in two ways:

  1. Even distribution — if you have three collaborators, each receives 33.33% (with the last person getting 33.34% to account for rounding)
  2. Constrained distribution — if the current total is less than 100%, the remaining allocation is divided evenly among all collaborators

A confirmation dialog appears before applying, showing exactly how the splits will be distributed. After confirming, all collaborator rows update instantly.

💡 Tip: Auto-allocate applies to all three split types (master, publishing, and writer) simultaneously. If you need different distributions for each split type, adjust them manually afterward.

Editing Existing Splits

Section titled “Editing Existing Splits”

To change a collaborator’s split:

  1. Click the pencil icon on their row
  2. Update the master, publishing, and/or writer percentage fields
  3. Click Save

The system validates that your changes won’t cause the total to exceed 100%. If they would, the save is blocked with a clear message.

You can also lock individual collaborators so their splits won’t change when bulk-adjusting others (this feature is on the roadmap for future releases).

Bulk Mode for Multiple Tracks

Section titled “Bulk Mode for Multiple Tracks”

When you select multiple tracks in the grid, the Collaborators widget enters bulk apply mode. This lets you add or update collaborators across several tracks at once.

The mode indicator appears at the top of the widget:

Bulk apply mode: All selected tracks
Change in Settings

You can configure whether bulk operations apply to all selected tracks or only to tracks you’ve modified. Bulk changes respect the same 100% allocation rules — the system validates each track individually.

Understanding the Validation Rules

Section titled “Understanding the Validation Rules”

Producer Dashboard enforces split limits at both the interface level and the server level. This means:

  • The UI prevents you from saving allocations over 100%
  • If somehow a request bypasses the UI, the server rejects it with an error
  • Changes sync in real-time across all views — the grid, overview widget, and collaborator panel all reflect the same data immediately

If you see a warning that your total “Exceeds 100%”, you’ll need to reduce one or more existing collaborator splits before adding or increasing another.

Common Scenarios

Section titled “Common Scenarios”
Section titled “Adding a Featured Artist”

You’ve produced a track and want to feature another vocalist. Typically:

  • Master split: Producer 50% / Featured Artist 50%
  • Publishing split: If you both wrote the song, 50/50. If only they wrote, you might get 0% publishing.

Adding a Songwriter

Section titled “Adding a Songwriter”

You’ve written a track and bring in a songwriter to polish the lyrics:

  • Master split: You keep 100% (you produced the recording)
  • Publishing split: Split 50/50 or whatever you’ve agreed on

Label Deal

Section titled “Label Deal”

Your label requires a 50% master ownership stake:

  • Adjust the producer’s split down to 50%, assign 50% to the label
  • Publishing stays with the writers unless otherwise negotiated

Tips

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🏷️ Always assign splits before release. Once a track is distributed, changing splits requires coordination with distributors and platforms. Setting them upfront avoids headaches later.

📊 Watch the total indicator. It’s easy to get caught up in individual percentages and miss that you’ve gone over 100%. The total bar at the top of the widget is your safety net.

🔄 Use auto-allocate as a starting point. It gives you a balanced foundation that you can then fine-tune for specific deals or creative contributions.

👤 Owners show as collaborators too. Your own role appears in the list with your split allocation. This helps you see the complete picture without toggling between views.

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