What This Template Is For

This template provides a structured starting point for documenting the ownership, licensing terms, and royalty collection arrangements for a musical work and its associated recordings. It's designed to be used between co-writers, co-producers, or any combination of parties who have contributed to a track and need to formalize their respective interests before or alongside distribution.

When to use this template:

Before releasing a track co-written or co-produced by multiple parties
When formalizing a verbal arrangement that's already been in place
When onboarding a new collaborator to an existing project
As supporting documentation for rights registrations at PROs or collection societies
As an attachment to sync or master licensing agreements where contributor terms need to be transparent

When not to use this template alone: This template covers the core elements of a rights agreement but is not a substitute for a full publishing agreement, recording agreement, or music services agreement. If any party is assigning (rather than retaining) their rights, or if significant advances or royalty minimums are involved, engage a music solicitor or entertainment attorney to draft or review the full agreement.

Template

Copy the content below the line and fill in all bracketed fields. Delete any sections that don't apply to your situation.

MUSIC RIGHTS AGREEMENT

Date: [DD Month YYYY]

1. Parties

This Agreement is entered into between the following parties (collectively, "the Parties"):

Party 1 Full Legal Name: ______________________________ Trading / Artist Name (if different): ________________ Address: ______________________________________ Email: ________________________________________ PRO Affiliation: _______________ IPI Number: ______

Party 2 Full Legal Name: ______________________________ Trading / Artist Name (if different): ________________ Address: ______________________________________ Email: ________________________________________ PRO Affiliation: _______________ IPI Number: ______

Party 3 (add or remove party blocks as needed) Full Legal Name: ______________________________ Trading / Artist Name (if different): ________________ Address: ______________________________________ Email: ________________________________________ PRO Affiliation: _______________ IPI Number: ______

2. Asset Identification

Track Title: _________________________________ Alternative / Working Titles: ____________________

ISRC (master recording): _______________________ ISWC (composition, if assigned): ________________

Recording Date(s): ____________________________ Recording Location(s): _________________________ Anticipated Release Date: ______________________

Description of the work (optional — note any samples cleared, interpolations, or other pre-existing material incorporated into this recording):

__________________________________________________

3. Ownership Splits

The Parties agree that ownership of the rights in the Track is apportioned as set out below. Composition ownership covers the melody, harmony, and lyrics (the "musical work"). Master ownership covers the specific recording listed in Section 2.

All percentages within each rights type must total 100%.

Party	Role(s)	Composition %	Master %	Notes
[Party 1 name]	[Songwriter / Producer / Performer / etc.]	[e.g. 50%]	[e.g. 50%]	[e.g. Publishing admin via XYZ Music]
[Party 2 name]	[Songwriter / Producer / Performer / etc.]	[e.g. 50%]	[e.g. 50%]
[Party 3 name]	[e.g. Producer only — no composition share]	[e.g. 0%]	[e.g. 0%]	[Compensated via flat fee — see Section 5]
Total		100%	100%

Controlled vs. uncontrolled composition shares: Where a Party's composition share is administered by a publisher or sub-publisher, that Party is responsible for ensuring their publisher's details are correctly registered with the relevant collection societies. The shares listed above represent each Party's total beneficial interest; publisher splits within a Party's share are an internal matter for that Party.

4. Licensing Terms

Exclusivity: This Agreement (select one)

[ ] is exclusive — no Party may license the Track or their share of rights in the Track to a third party for the same use without written consent from all other Parties.
[ ] is non-exclusive — each Party may independently license their own share of rights for any use, subject to the notice obligations in Section 7.

Territory: (select one)

[ ] Worldwide — this Agreement covers all territories.
[ ] Specific territories only: ________________________

Duration: This Agreement has (select one)

[ ] No fixed term — it remains in force in perpetuity unless amended by unanimous written consent of the Parties.
[ ] Fixed term: ____ years from the date of this Agreement, after which the Parties agree to renegotiate in good faith.

Rights covered: Unless otherwise agreed in writing, this Agreement covers all uses of the Track including but not limited to: streaming, digital download, physical release, synchronization (film, TV, advertising, games), broadcast, public performance, and print.

Synchronization approvals: (select one)

[ ] Sync licenses above [$ _____] require written consent from all Parties holding a composition share.
[ ] Any Party may approve sync licenses independently, with a duty to notify other Parties within [__] business days.

5. Royalty Collection

Each Party is responsible for collecting their own royalties through their applicable PRO, collection society, and/or distributor, in accordance with the ownership splits set out in Section 3.

Master royalties (streaming, neighboring rights) will be collected via: Distributor / Label: ____________________________ Neighboring rights collection society: ______________

Composition performance royalties will be collected directly by each Party through their respective PRO:

Party 1 PRO: ____________ (registered under IPI: __________)
Party 2 PRO: ____________ (registered under IPI: __________)
Party 3 PRO: ____________ (registered under IPI: __________)

Mechanical royalties (digital and physical reproductions) will be collected via:

[ ] Each Party's publishing administrator independently
[ ] Designated collection party: _______________ who will account to other Parties within [__] days of receipt

One-off payments (if applicable — list any flat fees paid for contributions not covered by an ongoing royalty share, e.g. session musicians, buy-out producers):

| Recipient | Amount | Payment Date | Description | |-----------|--------|--------------|-------------| | [Name] | [Amount + currency] | [Date] | [e.g. session performance fee — no ongoing royalty share] |

6. Credits

The Parties agree that the Track will be credited as follows:

Release artist name: ___________________________ Songwriter credits (for publishing / PRO registration): ____________________________ Production credits (liner notes / metadata): ________

Each Party warrants that they have the right to be credited as described and that no credits conflict with any exclusive agreement they hold with a third party.

7. Amendment Procedure

This Agreement may only be amended by a written instrument signed by all Parties. No oral amendment, course of dealing, or conduct shall constitute a variation of this Agreement.

Any Party wishing to propose an amendment must circulate the proposed changes in writing to all other Parties, allowing a minimum of [14] calendar days for review and response before the amendment is considered agreed.

8. Representations and Warranties

Each Party represents and warrants that:

They are the sole and original creator of their contributed portions, or have all necessary rights to contribute those portions under this Agreement.
Their contributions do not infringe the intellectual property rights of any third party.
They are not subject to any exclusive agreement that would prevent them from entering into this Agreement or exploiting rights as set out herein.
They have the legal capacity to enter into this Agreement.

9. Governing Law

This Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of [Country / State]. Any disputes arising from this Agreement shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of [Country / State], except where the Parties agree to resolve a dispute through a nominated mediator as a first step.

10. Signatures

By signing below, each Party agrees to the terms set out in this Agreement.

Party 1 Signature: __________________________ Printed name: _______________________ Date: ______________________________

Party 2 Signature: __________________________ Printed name: _______________________ Date: ______________________________

Party 3 Signature: __________________________ Printed name: _______________________ Date: ______________________________

End of Template

A Note on Legal Review

This template is provided as a practical starting point, not as legal advice. For straightforward arrangements between trusted collaborators — especially for independent releases without significant commercial value at stake — this template should serve you well as a clear record of your agreement.

For releases involving:

Advances, guarantees, or minimum payment obligations
Assignment of rights (rather than retention)
Label or publisher involvement as a signing party
Sync placements above a few thousand dollars
International co-productions with complex multi-territory splits

...we strongly recommend having the final agreement reviewed by a music solicitor or entertainment attorney qualified in the relevant jurisdiction. A short legal review typically costs far less than resolving a dispute later.

Attaching This Agreement to Assets in Resolut

Once your agreement is signed, you can attach it to the corresponding asset in Resolut for a complete audit trail:

Open the asset in your catalog
Navigate to the Rights tab
Scroll to the Supporting Documents section
Click Upload Document and select your signed agreement (PDF recommended)
Tag it as Rights Agreement from the document type dropdown
Click Save

The document will be stored securely and associated with the asset's rights profile. It will be accessible to all team members with at least Viewer access to the asset, and will be included in any rights audit exports.

Resolut also allows you to enter the ownership splits from Section 3 directly into the rights profile, where they'll be validated for completeness (shares must total 100% per rights type) and carried through to CWR exports, distribution metadata, and royalty reporting. Keep your entered splits in Resolut in sync with your signed agreement — if you amend the agreement, update Resolut to match.

Rights Agreement Template