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      How do I add or update collaborator splits?

      Add or update collaborator splits on a song

      When you use EngineEars to create a DSP release to upload your music to streaming platforms and/or digital stores, earnings received from digital streams or purchases of your music will be paid out to you. You can automatically split a percentage of these royalty earnings received by dividing these earnings with one or more invited collaborators on your song/album.

      This article outlines how to create and modify Collaborator Splits for a song in your music release: 

       

      What is a Collaborator Split?

      Collaborator Splits are pre-defined percentages that divide the portion of revenue earned by distributed music releases collected from digital streaming services and/or digital stores (e.g. Spotify, Apple Music, iTunes, Amazon Music, Tidal, TikTok etc.) for the use or purchase of the released song(s).
      These streaming music royalty earnings are split (or divided) amongst the people who collaboratively contributed to the creation, recording, post-production, performance, and/or publishing of the song. For example, splits can be used to share earnings with collaborators who played a contributing role on a song such as: performers (main artists, featured artists, instrumentalists, bandmates, vocalists), songwriters (lyricists, composers), producers, engineers (recording, mixing, mastering), publishers, management or other specifically named individuals.
      Splits are defined as a percentage (divided out of a 100% total) for each song for each collaborator. Once song splits are set and agreed upon, they ensure automatic distribution of future royalty earnings collected from digital streaming services and/or digital stores to each split collaborator specified on the song split.
      Collaborator splits are helpful because they can ensure fair payment for the contributions of those involved on the song, encourage professionalism in collaborative relationships, reduce potential disputes, and provide a transparent method of agreement for future revenue distribution amongst multiple collaborators.  
       

      How do Collaborator Splits work? 

      Using the Collaborator Splits feature on your DSP release (or combined DSP release and Sell Direct DTC release), EngineEars enables you to invite one or more collaborators to each song in your release. 

      When configuring a collaborator split, you can add your collaborators on the song to invite them to the song split e.g. mixing engineer, mastering engineer, recording engineer, producer, songwriter, composer, lyricist, bandmates, managers etc. 

      Invited collaborators who accept the song split will be eligible to receive their proportion of earnings for the song. Collaborators will only have visibility to the song split % they have accepted. To ensure privacy, they cannot see the identity or split % of the other invited collaborators on the song.

      Notes: 

      • At this time, EngineEars only supports automatic splits payouts to invited collaborator(s) for earnings from DSP distribution releases to streaming platforms and/or digital stores.
      • Earnings from Sell Direct DTC releases on EngineEars are not eligible for splits payouts to invited collaborator(s).
      • In order to receive payments for your earnings from song splits, you must set up Stripe for your account on the EngineEars platform. This will allow you to withdraw earnings to your linked bank account. 

       

      How to Add a Collaborator Split

      Here are the steps on how to add or update the collaborator splits on a song release:

       

      1. Login to your existing Artist account on EngineEars.com

       

      2. In the navigation menu or the profile dropdown menu, click to go to the My Music page. 

       

      3. Once on the My Music page, make sure you're in the Releases tab. Then locate the specific release you want to edit. To edit a release, click the "Edit Release" button to goto the Release Details page.

       

      4.  On the Release Details page, click on the "Edit Details" button and click the "Edit Splits" option.

      If the release has not yet been submitted, finish creating your release for distribution and you will be able to configure splits during the process.

       

      5. You will be taken to the Configure Collaborator Splits panel where you can make changes to the splits for each song in your release. 

      Make your changes and click the "Submit" button to apply them. You can do the following:

      • Add a new payee to a song split
        • You can invite a new payee to a song split by clicking "Create New" to invite a new collaborator, or if you have previously invited this collaborator before, you can click the "Choose a payee" dropdown and select their name/email to invite them to the song split. This will create a new row for the collaborator to the song and allows you to specify their percentage of the royalty earnings split. Keep in mind that the total must always equal to 100% for the splits on a given song. Make adjustments (if necessary) to the split percentages for the other collaborators on the song so the total sums up to 100%. Once you're done adding payees, click the "Submit" button.
        • The invited collaborator payee(s) will receive an email invitation to join the split for each song they are added to as a payee. If the invited collaborator payee does not yet have an EngineEars account, they will be asked to signup for an account before accepting the split invite. If they already have an EngineEars account, they will be asked to log in to their account before accepting the split invite as a payee.

      Note: In order to receive automatic payments for your share of the earnings for the song split, you must set up Stripe to link to your Bank Account on the EngineEars platform. EngineEars uses Stripe for processing payments and payouts.  

       

      How to Delete a Collaborator Split

      • Delete a payee from a song split
        • You can delete and remove a collaborator from a song split that you had previously invited them to. To do so, click the trash can icon next to their name. Once you're done deleting payees, click the "Submit" button.
        • You can delete song splits at any time. If you delete a split, the invited collaborators who previously accepted the song split will be sent an email notifying them of the deleted split and be required to accept the change before it takes effect.
        • If the invited collaborator never accepted the split invite, you can easily rescind their split invitation by deleting them from the split.  
      Note: if the collaborator you delete had previously accepted the collaborator split, they will have the choice to accept or decline the split removal request. The reason for this is because you are requesting a change (complete split removal) to the terms of the split arrangement that was accepted prior. If they accept, it will take effect, and all future earnings on the song will be distributed to you and/or the other collaborator payees on the song who have accepted the split. If they decline, the deletion will not take effect and they will remain as a recipient of the split. If they had never accepted the original split invitation (it still has a "pending" status), then upon your deletion they will be removed.   

       

       

      How to Update a Collaborator Split

      • Update the % splits for a song
        • You can modify the split %s for a song. To do so, click the % field and enter a new number. Please make sure that all % splits for the song sum up to a total of 100%, if not, adjust accordingly between the split %s of the invited collaborators. Once you're done updating % splits, click the "Submit" button.
        • You can update song splits at any time. If you modify a split %, the invited collaborators will be sent an email notifying them of the updated split and be required to accept the change before it takes effect.
      Note: if the collaborator split %s you modify had previously been accepted, the collaborator will have the choice to accept or decline the updated % splits request. The reason for this is because you are requesting a change (update split %s) to the terms of the split arrangement that was accepted prior. If they accept, it will take effect. If they decline, the updated split % will not take effect and the prior split % will remain. If they had never accepted the original split invitation (it still has a "pending" status), then they will still need to accept the invitation for the  newly updated split % to take effect. 

       

       

      Important Notes:

      • If you make modifications to Collaborator Splits, please note that invited collaborators are given the choice to accept or decline the changes. If they accept the split additions, split % changes or split deletions, then they will take effect. If they decline the split addition, split % changes, or split deletions, the previously accepted splits still apply and the modifications initiated are nullified. These double-confirmation measures are in place to ensure fairness and transparency, however, these mechanisms do not replace the need for direct communications and mutual agreement between the parties involved. 
      • Modifications to Collaborator Splits are only applied on a move forward basis, not retroactively. This means new payees added, payees deleted, or % split changes are applied moving forward after the split modifications are submitted and accepted by the parties involved.
      • Distribution of streaming royalty earnings and collaborator splits payouts occur at the same time when earnings data is received from streaming platforms/stores and divided.