A songwriter is anyone who creates original music. A traditional definition of a song (for rights holder purposes) includes only the lyrics and melody, however, a broader definition is generally applied in creative collaborations. Therefore a songwriter may include anyone who contributes to the creation of an original work: producer, band member, instrumentalist, or beatmaker.
In terms of royalties, songwriters make a songwriting agreement in the form of a “split sheet” which lists anyone who contributed to an original composition and the percentage of the song that they own the rights to.
Songwriters are entitled to performance royalties for the use of their compositions.
Songwriter
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