What are Pre-Sample Splits?
When you write a song with other people, you usually agree on splits: the percentage of ownership each person gets of the song. These splits matter because they decide how royalties are shared.
If a sample is used, the original creators often get added to the song splits. This is decided in the clearance process, and could be as high as 100% if the sample is a big part of your track.
Why is this important? Once the sample is cleared, the sample owners get their share first.
Whatever is left gets split according to your pre-sample agreement. Having this in place avoids confusion, arguments, and/or lost income later.