Split sheet
What does split sheet mean? It usually means a private note that records who agreed to take what share in a song or other work. See what is a split sheet for a fuller plain-English explanation.
Joint work and coowners
Under the statute, a joint work is prepared by two or more authors who intend their contributions to be merged into inseparable or interdependent parts of one work. The authors of a joint work are coowners of the copyright in that work, and the statute does not set a percentage split.
Sound recording and musical work
A sound recording is the work that results from fixing a series of musical, spoken, or other sounds. It is a different copyright category from the underlying musical work. For a quick overview, see publishing and master and music royalties.
Beat lease and mechanical license
A beat lease is private permission from a rights holder, while a mechanical license is a separate legal permission used for certain reproductions and distributions. In the United States, the Mechanical Licensing Collective administers blanket mechanical licenses for eligible streaming and download services, collects royalties due under those licenses, and pays its members. Splitline is not the Mechanical Licensing Collective. For related reading, see beat lease vs exclusive.
Not legal advice. Splitline does not grant a license, clear a sample, or pay royalties.