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Just wondering how collaboration works, say if somebody writes a song and needs someone to play an instrument that you met on a internet forum, is it a forgone conclusion that if you ask someone to collaborate with you then the finished song including melody and lyrics is shared 50/50 between both parties, that is if it ever happens to make some money?



The scenario that you describe above (somebody writes a song and needs someone to play an instrument), the someone playing the instrument does not get any writer's credit. They didn't write the song, they added to the arrangement. Songwriters basically do the lyrics and melody. Everything else is arrangement. Sometimes a signature riff can become part of the "melody", but normally it does not.

Whenever you write with somebody (lyrics and/or melody) equal splits are the easiest. Two writers = 50/50, three writers = 33/33/33 (I get the extra 1%). Considering that 99.99% of all songs do not make money, there really is limited need to sign co-writing agreements (legal agreement = lawyers = $$$). Just get to know your co-writers first and make it clear that everything is split equally. If you and I write a song together and I only added a couple of lines, but you got inspired and did everything else including the music -- I would still expect it to be 50/50. Anything else leads to counting syllables and bad feelings. Of course, if you doing almost everything becomes a habit in our co-songwriting ventures, then you will probably not write with me for too much longer.

If you co-write with someone and the relationship goes bad, no amount of contracts is gonna save you. What are you going to do, sue them and give a lawyer $15-25K and collect nothing? OK, if the song goes to #1, you might find a lawyer to help! In most cases, you just write another song.

Kevin

Now at bandcamp: Crows Say Vee-Eh @ bandcamp or soundcloud: Kevin @ soundcloud