A split sheet should always include each songwriter’s legal name, contact information, ownership percentage, affiliations, and all available song metadata (e.g. composition title, the use of a copyrighted sample, etc.). To be legally binding, song split agreements must have signatures (with execution dates) from all parties that contributed to the work. Songtrust's Ultimate Songwriter Split Sheet is an editable template that meets all the important requirements to secure and protect song ownership rights for all songwriters, producers, recording artists, and musicians who work collaboratively on songs that are intended for commercial releases.
To collect publishing royalties, you must register with a PRO or CMO. However, some PROs do not collect mechanical royalties. To collect every type of publishing royalty, you should also register with a music publisher or publishing administrator. Since publishers typically request ownership shares of songs and a percentage of royalties for their services, independent artists often choose publishing administration (e.g. Songtrust) to collect earned publishing royalties worldwide without losing copyrights.