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A musician’s contract (also called an artist management contract) is a legal document signed between a musician (or a band) and a music agency. It usually details copyright issues, booking expectations, payment terms, royalties, and other details relevant to the music industry. This document is usually signed between the musician or the band and the agent and the record company.
At times, however, the complexity of drafting a contract keeps the musicians from using one. Without a written contract in place, a musician and a music agency can face difficult situations, such as the music agency might deny paying the royalty rate or the musicians might deny delivering the agreed number of records.
The music industry has changed following the platforms available for streaming. Today, music is easily accessible via the internet, social media platforms such as YouTube, or even dedicated music streaming services like Spotify. The more the number of channels, the more opportunity for songwriters and musicians to showcase their talent.
But right from the start of writing down the lyrics to that of the production house, there are a lot of agreements and contracts that are signed between the musicians or bands and agencies. These agreements and contracts help safeguard musicians and bands from piracy, provide royalties and disclaimers, define intellectual property rights, sets compliance with the existing entertainment laws of the state, etc.
A musician's contract usually provides details about the agency that will invest in the artist or the band. It also has details about the band's contribution like the agreed number of songs or tracks. The contract also states how the agency will take care of album making, distribution, and marketing and the investment that will be compensated once the records hit the market.
For instance, one of the biggest music contracts was signed in 2001 between Whitney Houston and Bertelsmann Music Group (BMG). BMG invested approximately $100 million for six albums and two hit compilations, which ultimately resulted in success, and BMG made more than $200 million and Whitney Houston became a household name!
Till now, most musicians and music agencies would use google docs to draft these contracts. With Revv, you can easily customize and edit a musician's contract according to your requirements.
In the music industry, there is a wide range of music contracts available that a musician and a music agency should be aware of. Below are a few major ones:
Project/ band contract: If a musician doesn’t want to go as a soloist, then he/ she can join a band or be a session musician and can sign a band contract. This contract will include information about the distribution of income, band name rights, songwriting rights, withdrawal of band members, voting rights, and possession of the equipment.
Record deal: An artist can transfer the ownership of their tracks to any record or music label under the record deal. Usually, the artist gets advance or royalty payments for the transfer of ownership. The record label takes care of productions, volume, duration, and sub-license rights.
Distribution contracts: In this contract, a musician or a record label can give a company (or distributors) the rights to distribute the album or tracks for a specific period. A distribution contract has information about the distribution area, albums covered under the contract, protective rights, release details, cost, and payments for either party signing the contract.
Publishers contract: A songwriter or an artist can transfer the ownership or give partial ownership to the music publisher. It can also be called an exclusive author contract, for which the publishers pay an advance to the artist. This contract outlines the publisher’s roles, duties, and synchronization rights.
Producer and remix contracts: It is usually signed between a producer and an artist, although sometimes they can be between the record label and the producer. By signing this contract, the producer may also get the master recording(or original recordings) and remix rights of the tracks. This contract majorly includes the possible royalty shares, transfer of rights, and adaptations.
Live performance contract: During any concerts or gigs, where an artist or a band needs to perform on the stage, then a contract is signed between the promoter of the concert and the band. The contract includes details about the location, payment, duties of the artist, and the promoter. It can also be known as a performance contract, band performance contract, or music performance contract.
Entertainment contract: An entertainment contract can be exchanged between the event host and the musician/band who will be performing at the event. These contracts for live gigs provide details of the size of the act booked, the location and length of the performance, technical requirements, costs, transport arrangements, logistics, cancellation agreements, related fees, insurance, etc.
It is always better to understand the terms of a contract before signing it. Below are some key terms and conditions that a standard musician contract should have:
Copyright infringement is a major issue in the music business. Without a license, it can be difficult to protect one’s original compositions and without a contract, it can be difficult to reach the market. Below are some benefits of signing a contract:
Revv streamlines the contract management process easily with benefits such as:
Now, safeguard your music in a smarter and faster way with Revv!
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