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A royalty split tells your distributor what percentage of a song's earnings goes to each person who made it — so when the money comes in, everyone is paid their share automatically, at the source. No chasing, no monthly bank transfers, no "I'll settle up later." If you make music with a producer, a featured artist, or a co-writer, splits are how you keep the money fair and the friendships intact.
This builds on how music royalties work in India — read that first if you're new to streaming income.
Why splits matter
Without splits, all of a song's royalties land in one person's account, and that person has to manually pay everyone else. That creates three problems: it's a hassle, it's easy to forget or get wrong, and it's the single most common cause of fall-outs between collaborators. Splitting at the source removes all three — each person is paid directly, in the right amount, every cycle.
How splits work at the source
When you set a split on a release, your distributor divides every payout according to the percentages you entered and sends each collaborator their portion directly. With Grootin's Royalty Splits feature, each person can have their own payout details, so the money never has to pass through one artist's account first. Everyone sees their own share, transparently.
How to set your splits
You set splits when you upload a release (see the step-by-step release guide). For each collaborator you add their details and the percentage they get. The percentages must add up to 100%. Agree the numbers before you release — changing splits after money has been paid out is far messier than getting it right up front.
Common split setups
| Scenario | Example split |
|---|---|
| Artist + producer | Artist 50% · Producer 50% |
| Artist + featured artist + producer | Artist 50% · Feature 25% · Producer 25% |
| Two-member group, equal | Member A 50% · Member B 50% |
| Lead + session musicians (flat fee already paid) | Lead 100% (others paid up front, no split) |
There's no "correct" split — only the one everyone agreed to. Write it down before release.
Mistakes to avoid
- Splits that don't total 100%. Your distributor needs the full pie accounted for.
- Setting splits after release. Always agree and enter them before the song goes live.
- Verbal-only agreements. Even with splits set, keep a simple written note of who agreed to what.
- Forgetting the songwriter share. Splits here cover recording royalties; publishing royalties for the writers are collected separately.
Set splits once, correctly, and your collaborations pay everyone fairly for the life of the song. See which Grootin plans include royalty splits.