Software for music producers: studio time, production deals and split sheets

A producer earns in two ways that get billed differently. Studio time is booked and paid by the block. A production is quoted per song and can run for weeks through pre-production, tracking, mixing and mastering. In between sit the artist who doesn't show for a session, mix v5, and the credits and splits nobody wrote down until the song started streaming.

One song, from the first session to the master

1. The artist fills out your project form: genre, number of songs, release date and reference tracks as Spotify or YouTube links, since forms don't take file uploads.
2. To track, they book a 3-hour "Recording session" meeting type on your booking page, with a 30-minute buffer for setup and 24 hours' minimum notice. A fixed deposit is charged by card at booking, and if they cancel more than 48 hours ahead the refund goes out on its own.
3. For the production, send a per-song proposal: pre-production, production, two rounds of mix notes, mastering and stems, each as a line, with a 50% deposit and a priced line for an extra round.
4. Once they accept, the producer agreement and the split sheet go out through E-Signatures: what you deliver, your fee, your points, the songwriting splits, how credits read and who owns the master. The artist, their manager and every co-writer sign in order.
5. For arrangement notes, record your DAW session with Screen Recording and system audio on. The artist comments at the exact second ("bring the vocal up at 1:12"). To judge the mix itself, they listen to the WAV.
6. Hours past the booked block go on the Time Tracking timer and onto the balance invoice, along with the extra round if there was one.

Splits, points and fees, in plain terms

A recorded song carries two separate copyrights: one in the musical composition (the melody and lyrics) and one in the sound recording, the master. The Copyright Office treats them as two distinct works. Most producer deals touch both, which is why they're easy to get wrong.

• Splits are shares of the composition, agreed among everyone who wrote it and usually put on a split sheet that each writer signs. A producer who writes part of the music may negotiate a writer's share; one who only records and mixes usually doesn't. Who counts as a writer is a negotiation, not a formula.
• Points are percentage points of the royalty paid on the master, often the artist's royalty. Whether they're paid from the first stream or only after recording costs are recouped depends entirely on the deal.
• The fee is what you're paid per song up front. Sometimes it's an advance against your points, which means it's taken back out of future royalties before you see more.
• SoundExchange: under the AMP Act (Title III of the Music Modernization Act), a producer, mixer or engineer with a written contract entitling them to royalties from a recording can be paid a share of its digital performance royalties directly, when the artist signs a letter of direction with SoundExchange.
• SoloWOS holds the signed paper: the split sheet and agreement as PDFs with each signer's signature and an audit trail. It doesn't calculate, collect or pay royalties.

This is general information, not legal advice. Rules vary by state; check yours with a lawyer or your licensing board. For any deal with points, an advance or master ownership, talk to an entertainment lawyer before you sign.

A typical week in the studio

• Monday: a band books two 4-hour blocks for drums and bass, deposits paid.
• Tuesday: a solo artist misses their 5 p.m. session. You mark the no-show; your policy keeps the deposit, and an automation emails them a link to rebook.
• Wednesday: you record a walkthrough of mix v2 for a single. The artist leaves three comments, each at its timestamp.
• Thursday: the band accepts the three-song production proposal and signs the agreement and split sheet with both guitarists as co-writers.
• Friday: plugin subscriptions and the session keyboardist's fee go into Expenses, assigned to the band's project.

All 13 tools, one by one

How a producer with a home studio or a rented room uses each tool.

• Link in Bio: your production reel or playlist, your studio booking page and your project form, all from the link in your bio.
• Short Links: a short link to each beat or demo you send an artist, with clicks per day; if you move the file, change the destination and keep the link.
• Forms: the project form with genre, number of songs, release date and reference tracks as links.
• Scheduling: studio blocks of 2, 3 or 4 hours (up to 8 per booking), with a deposit at booking, a setup buffer and an email reminder the day before.
• Proposals: the per-song or per-EP production with each stage as a line, the mix rounds included and the deposit. Duplicate it for the next song.
• E-Signatures: the producer agreement and the split sheet, signed in order by the artist, their manager, each co-writer and you.
• Document Tracking: the credits page as a PDF so the artist and manager can review it before signing, then request signatures on the same file without uploading it again.
• Screen Recording: arrangement reviews with system audio and comments at the exact second. The audio is compressed, so it's not for approving the master.
• Notes & Boards: a board per song: vocals tracked, editing, mix v1, v2, master, stems delivered. Start the timer from the task you're on.
• Time Tracking: overtime in the studio and editing billed by the hour, per project at your rate; at month-end it goes onto the invoice.
• Invoicing: the deposit and balance for each production and the overtime invoice, paid by card through your Stripe account or by ACH.
• Expenses: plugins, gear repairs, room rent and session players, each assigned to the project it belongs to.
• Automations: rebooking the artist who missed a session, a follow-up 3 days after a proposal goes unanswered, and a task to deliver stems when an invoice is paid.

For taxes: labels, artists' companies and other businesses that pay you $2,000 or more for services in 2026 report it on Form 1099-NEC (it was $600 through 2025). Card payments through Stripe or PayPal only produce a federal Form 1099-K above $20,000 and 200 transactions a year, and some states set lower thresholds. Royalties are reported differently, so ask your accountant how your points income will show up.

SoloWOS or Acuity Scheduling: which fits

If studio time is most of your income, a scheduling app like Acuity Scheduling is the obvious comparison. It does more on the booking side; SoloWOS adds the production proposal, the signed agreement and the hours on the same account.

Choose Acuity Scheduling if:

• You sell 10-hour session packages or let artists pay in installments.
• You take payments through Square or PayPal as well as Stripe.

Choose SoloWOS if:

• Your money comes from productions as much as studio time, and you want the quote, the split sheet and the deposit in one place.
• You want overtime and extra mix rounds to land on the invoice without retyping them.

Prices and features checked between October 17 and 23, 2026 on each company's site.

Start with these three

Scheduling with the studio session paid at booking, Proposals with your per-song production as a template, and E-Signatures for the producer agreement and split sheet. No-shows stop costing you the block, and the splits are on paper before anyone records.

Free tools that help

• Freelance rate calculator for your hourly studio rate.
• Project cost calculator to price a song from the hours in each stage.
• Break-even calculator to see how many studio hours cover your rent and gear.
• Self-employment tax calculator to set aside enough from each production fee.

What SoloWOS won't do for a music producer

• It doesn't host, stream or deliver WAVs or stems. They go from your own cloud storage, with a short link if you want click counts.
• Portal approvals take images and PDFs: the single's cover art can be approved there, a mix can't.
• No distribution, no song or copyright registration, no PRO or SoundExchange filings, and no royalty calculations or payouts.
• Each booking is for one person, with no room or gear booking by resource.
• SoloWOS doesn't file taxes, issue 1099s or collect sales tax for you. Invoicing sends the invoice with a pay link (card through your Stripe account) and your other payment details; your accountant or tax software handles the rest.