Songwriters - Where's Your Split Agreement?

Songwriters and composers live to make great music that will hopefully become a hit and resonate with their fans and audiences.  However, it's important for all songwriters and composers, especially when collaborating with other musicians and artists, to keep in mind the many complexities of music law.  For example, how is the copyright in the new song or track being divided up between the writers?  Does each writer have the ability to administer their own rights with respect to the song or track?  Did the song contain a sample?  If so, there are additional rights that the songwriters and collaborators may need to take into account (i.e., typically each writer's share of the copyright in the song will be reduced to accommodate for the sampled material used in the song or project).  

The point is that, all too often, songwriters and producers are fueled by creativity and passion for making hits, so they often overlook relatively simply agreements, such as Songwriter Split Agreements, which are important agreements which memorialize who owns what portion of the copyright in the new song.  The issue of copyright interests is further complicated by the fact that one or more of the songwriters may be signed with a music publisher, which may complicate the issue.  

Keep creating, but keep these important legal issues in mind.