Understanding sync royalty splits is an important part of building a sustainable career in music, because it helps you know exactly how you get paid when your song is placed in TV, film, advertising, or games. In most sync deals, the income is divided into two halves — the writer’s share (50%) and the publisher’s share (50%). The writer’s share belongs to the songwriter or composer and is paid through your performing rights organisation, while the publisher’s share goes to whoever controls the publishing, which could be you, a publisher, or a company representing the track. For example, if you co-write a song with one other writer and you agree on a 50/50 split, each writer would receive 25% writer’s share, and the remaining 50% publishing would either be split the same way or go to a publisher if one is involved. When a song is synced, there is usually an upfront sync fee, which is negotiated depending on the project, and then ongoing performance royalties if the music is broadcast. This is why agreeing splits early and registering songs correctly is so important.

At Mother’s Write, we guide members through how splits work, how to agree percentages fairly, and how to make sure your songs are registered properly so you receive the royalties you’ve earned.

At Mother’s Write, we help members understand how these splits work, what percentage you should expect as a writer, how deals are usually structured, and how to make sure your work is properly registered so you receive the royalties you’re entitled to.