How many contracts are typically involved in a major album release?

More than most listeners would guess. A major project will usually touch on recording, producer, mixing and mastering, session musician, songwriter and co-writer splits, sample clearance, sync, distribution, marketing partnerships, sleeve art and photography, and visual content agreements — often ten or more distinct contracts before a single stream is counted.

What is the difference between a recording contract and a publishing contract?

A recording contract concerns the master recording — who owns it and how income from the recording is divided. A publishing contract concerns the underlying composition — the song itself, its melody and lyrics. Both can exist for the same track and are typically held by different entities (label vs publisher), with separate income flows.

Why are sample clearances such a big deal on a major album?

Using even a few seconds of someone else's recording can require permission from both the master rights holder (usually the label) and the publishing rights holder (the songwriter and/or publisher). Without clearance, the entire track — and sometimes the whole release — can be pulled or its income frozen. Clearance is often negotiated as a percentage of the new song's income.

Do co-writer splits really need to be in writing for a major release?

Yes — and the bigger the release, the more critical it is. Major-label releases need clean metadata and unambiguous splits to register with collecting societies and pay everyone correctly. Disputes that would be a nuisance on a small release become enormously expensive when global streams are involved.

What can independent artists learn from how major projects are papered?

Two things. First, that major artists do not skip contracts — they paper everything, because the cost of not doing so scales with the size of the release. Second, that the contracts an indie artist needs at the start of a career (split sheets, producer agreements, simple collaboration deals) are essentially smaller versions of the same documents used at the top of the industry.

Songpact — Music Contracts for the Whole Industry

The Contracts Behind Taylor Swift's 'The Life of a Showgirl'

Nick Weaser·3 October 2025·Last updated: 3 October 2025

You don't need to be a lawyer to use Songpact — the platform explains these terms as you go.

Producer agreements cover fees, royalties, song splits, credits, and rights assignment
Interpolations require co-writer agreements with the original composition's rights holders
Featured artist agreements address fees, delivery requirements, approvals, and promo obligations
A single album can require 10+ contracts covering musicians, engineers, and vocalists
All these agreement types are available in Songpact's platform

Generated for clarity. Always refer to the full agreement terms.

Whilst it would be nice to call up Max Martin, have him press 'record', and then drop the album, even Taylor Swift has paperwork to do. Because behind mega-albums like The Life of a Showgirl lies a stack of contracts.

Producer Agreements

Max Martin and Shellback are both credited as co-producers of the album (alongside Swift herself). They would each require a producer agreement covering their:

Upfront fee / advance
Ongoing royalty
Song splits, as they are each credited as co-writers of each of the album's compositions
Production credit

And in return, they'd each assign their rights in the recordings over to Swift.

Co-Writer Agreement

One of the album's headline tracks is Swift's own Father Figure, which interpolates George Michael's original composition of the same name.

An interpolation doesn't use the original recording, but it does use the underlying composition. That meant Swift's team needed a co-writer agreement with George Michael's publisher or estate to carve up ownership percentages of the new version, and explains why George Michael is credited as a co-writer of Swift's version.

Featured Artist Agreement

Sabrina Carpenter appears on the album's title track. Her featured artist agreement would have covered:

Carpenter's fee and/or royalty share
The vocal services required to be delivered
Any approval rights over the final master
Any promotional obligations (social media posts, personal appearances etc.)

As she isn't listed as a co-writer, the agreement would have also confirmed this, particularly to avoid any disputes in future.

And That's Just The Start…

That's already four major agreements. Add in contracts for session musicians, backing vocalists, and engineers, and you're easily looking at 10+ deals before even turning to the artwork or promo videos.

Taylor didn't use Songpact this time—she's fortunate enough to have an army of top music lawyers at her disposal. But the point is: she could have. Every one of the agreements above exists within Songpact's suite of contracts.

Frequently asked questions

How Songpact helps in practice

Collaborators agree terms together before contracts are generated
Every clause reflects real decisions, not boilerplate defaults

Create an agreement in Songpact