Songwriting Splits in Modern Music Production

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Imagine this: It’s late one night in a small, cozy studio in East Vancouver, where four friends—two songwriters, a beat producer, and a guitarist—are putting the final touches on a track they’ve been working on for weeks. The energy is electric, with everyone bouncing ideas off each other, each tweak of the beat leading to a burst of laughter or a chorus of agreement. The kind of vibe where magic happens and a song becomes more than just notes and words—it's a piece of each of them.

Fast forward three months. The song has found its way onto a popular Spotify playlist and is gaining momentum, slowly racking up thousands of streams. The excitement, however, quickly fades as the business realities settle in. One of the songwriters, who’s been taking the lead in managing the project, sets up a publishing deal and starts claiming royalties. The beat producer assumes his contribution, the backbone of the track, makes him a co-owner. The guitarist, who played a crucial riff that turned into the signature hook, gets a mere "thanks" credit, while the other songwriter, who penned the unforgettable chorus, learns she’s not included in the royalty split at all.