Fix Conflicting Song Registrations and Unequal Splits
Register only the composition share you control, using the signed split agreement and verified writer identifiers. If registrations conflict, preserve the current records, compare every claimant and percentage, correct your controlled claim in each relevant system, and contact the other parties with evidence. Collection bodies show conflicts and may hold money, but they do not decide ownership disputes.
Lead visual
The royalty waterfall
Spotify revenue pool
Subscriptions + ads
Streamshare
Your share of listening
Rightsholder payment
Distributor or label
Artist net
Fees, splits, recoupment
Deduction
Distributor fee
Deduction
Collaborator splits
Deduction
Recoupable costs
Royalties · Splits
Money path map
Use this for
Separate gross activity from the money that can actually reach you.
Watch for
Stream counts look encouraging while payable revenue is missing, delayed, or assigned to the wrong party.
Check
Rightsholders, collection societies, statement rows, splits, fees, and recoupment terms.
Result
A cleaner royalty map and a better next check before you chase payment.
Key takeaways
- The signed agreement is the ownership source. A portal entry does not replace it.
- Claim only the share you control, using verified names and IPI or CAE identifiers.
- Modify the existing work when possible instead of creating a duplicate.
- Inspect and correct performance and mechanical claims in their respective systems.
- Collection bodies can flag or hold conflicting claims, but the parties resolve ownership.
How do you register unequal song splits correctly?
Start with the signed split agreement, not a remembered percentage. Verify every writer's legal name, society, and IPI or CAE number. Search the relevant repertoire before adding the work, then claim only the share you control. Keep the work code or ISWC, confirmation, and a copy of what each system accepted.
What should you do when co-writer registrations conflict?
Export or screenshot the current claims before editing. Build one row per claimant with the name, identifier, society, claimed share, controlled right, territory, and source document. Compare that table with the signed agreement and contact every affected co-writer, publisher, or administrator. State the exact field that differs and attach the evidence supporting the proposed correction.
| What the system can show | What the parties must do | |
|---|---|---|
| Songview | Combined society ownership data | Correct the responsible society claim |
| The MLC Overclaims Tool | Mechanical claims exceeding 100% | Reduce or substantiate conflicting claims |
| CMRRA counterclaim process | Potential dispute and claimant records | Resolve ownership and send written changes |
| Signed agreement | The parties' documented allocation | Amend it together if it is wrong |
Do not edit another party's share by assumption
Correct the claim you control and ask the other claimant to correct theirs. If the agreement itself is disputed, get qualified legal advice. A collection body's repertoire view is not a court ruling on copyright ownership.
How do you correct a PRO song registration?
Find the existing work in your society account, preserve its work identifier, and use the available modification or support route for the claim you administer. SOCAN's current catalogue guide says a member can modify a work by copying the existing work, applying the change, and submitting it for a merge. Some changes require society confirmation.
For ASCAP, BMI, or another society, follow that organization's current member-support process rather than a third-party screen guide. Then inspect the repertoire again after processing. If the error also exists on the mechanical side, submit the matching correction to the relevant mechanical administrator separately.
What evidence should a correction file contain?
Keep the signed split agreement, each writer's verified identifier, the existing work code or ISWC, the before-and-after claims, submission confirmations, correspondence with claimants, and any publisher or administration agreement that establishes authority. Add dates and territories. That file makes follow-up possible when separate systems update on different schedules.
What does Velveteen's search evidence say?
This guide received 14 impressions and no clicks in Velveteen's Google Search Console export for June 19 through July 16, 2026, at an average position of 12.21. No exact conflicting-registration or PRO correction query appeared. Both problems share the same evidence and repair workflow, so this existing owner covers them together rather than creating two thin pages.
Where do the registration correction rules come from?
Frequently asked questions
Should every co-writer register 100% of the song?+
No. Each party should claim only the share they control or administer. The MLC specifically tells parties to register only administered shares. A work can have several valid claims, but their combined ownership should not exceed the whole work.
Should I create a new work to fix a wrong registration?+
Usually not. Search for the existing work and use the society's modification, correction, or claim process. A duplicate can create a second matching problem instead of repairing the first. Keep the existing work code or ISWC in the correction record.
What happens when claims exceed 100%?+
The MLC calls this an overclaim and notifies claimants so they can resolve it. CMRRA can place a work into potential-dispute or dispute status and may hold royalties depending on the claim and documentation. The claimants, not the collection body, must settle the ownership conflict.
Can Songview correct my ASCAP or BMI registration?+
Songview helps you inspect combined ownership data from ASCAP, BMI, GMR, and SESAC. Use it to find differences, then submit the correction through the organization responsible for your claim. A shared repertoire view is not one universal editing portal.
Do I need to correct performance and mechanical registrations separately?+
Yes, when the same error appears in both. A PRO registration covers performance-right data, while The MLC, CMRRA, or another reproduction-right administrator handles mechanical claims within its mandate. Correcting one system does not guarantee that the other will update automatically.
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Keep reading
Pillar guide
Split sheets & royalty splits
A split sheet is a signed document that sets each collaborator's ownership percentage of a song.
Related guide
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Release a song without a signed split sheet and you risk four things: a PRO royalty freeze, a distributor payment hold, sync licensing disqualification, and legal liability if a co-writer disputes ownership.
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What is a split sheet
A split sheet is a signed document that records what percentage of a song's composition each writer owns.
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If you live in Canada, join SOCAN.
Settle your splits before release day
Drop in your collaborators and their shares and get a plain-language split sheet that separates master from publishing and flags the gaps before the song earns anything.