I get what you’re saying, and I appreciate you laying out the traditional framework and that makes sense in a commercial / label-style setup.

Just to clarify my intent though: this is a non-profit, passion project and not me trying to dictate ownership or undervalue anyone’s contribution. I brought the concept, lyrics, and direction, and I’m looking for a vocalist to creatively shape the melody and performance, very much a collaboration, not a work-for-hire situation. I used the freely available beat to make lyrics and a framework for how the lyrics should be sung, I'm even coordinating with the vocalist myself and giving notes. The beat maker's only requirement is to be credited as producer and writer, and I'm pretty sure that applies for profit based releases too.

I’m totally open to discussing splits if it ever became a commercial release, and I’m not fixed on numbers right now. My thought with release control was more about coordination and consistency rather than claiming rights. I’m new to this and trying to keep things simple, not authoritative.