hi my band has had a bit of an argument over splitting up the money we make, should the songwriter/lead singer get more than the rest of the band? or should it just be evenly split.
      Answer1:Unless you have a written agreement to the contrary, Id say evenly split. Although any one band member can be replaced with a better player/singer/writer, you work as a team. You all succeed if one is good at what they do, or you all fail if one is bad at what they do. Its called teamwork.
      Answer2:That very question is the reason most bands split up.If the band is performing original material, it makes sense for the songwriter to be compensated for it. Lead singer, there is no such logic, in my opinion.However, where the problem comes up is: what if another band member contributes a song?This is something all of you need to agree on, there is no hard and fast rule. Preferably, some system can be agreed upon which compensates the songwriter(s) for their efforts, while still remaining simple and (hopefully) flexible enough to deal with changing conditions.
      Answer3:Im sorry, but it should be evenly split. Songwriting is a hobby and unless your lead singer gets a deal with a big record company they CANNOT expect to get more than their band mates, thats just RUDE. You need the WHOLE band to play the gig, it does not really matter who wrote the lyrics, as long as EVERYONE had a part to play in making the performance great, it should be evenly split, and if your lead singer has a problem tell them to go solo. (Singers are a dime a dozen since American Idol came out.) If there are 4 people in your band and you got 1,000$ for doing a gig take out a calculator and divide 1,000 by 4. Seriously, it sounds like your lead singer needs to get his/her priorities in order.