Written Contract or Verbal Agreement?
THE ARTIST: Angela Sheik (Wilmington, DE)
THE QUESTION: What are your thoughts on written contracts versus verbal agreements? At what point do you suggest having a contract with a venue? A band member? A collaborator?
THE ANSWER: This is a really great question! Honestly, if you and I were to do things “by the book”, we would have contracts for every business relationship we engaged in – producers, publicist, booking agent, and band members. That’s the short and easy answer. There are too many stories of artists getting screwed out of their money, song ownership, or ideas.
What Good is a Contract?
Realistically, you want to have a contract when you’re dealing with anything that involves money (i.e. what percentage do you get when your agent gets your song licensed in Grey’s Anatomy) and shared ownership (does each bandmate equally own the song, or does the lead writer actually own it). No one ever expects to get screwed and most people don’t want to screw another person; but it happens all the time…unfortunately.
Why Should You Have a Contract
Disagreements between two or more parties usually result from miscommunication, misconceptions, and assumptions. Putting something in writing…
- clears the air and lets you know exactly what you’re getting yourself into
- often makes each party take the project more seriously. there’s nothing like “setting it in stone”.
- helps you decide what you really want to take away from the partnership
Put it In Writing
At the very least, put it in writing. It’s ok to confirm something over the phone, but follow up your conversation with an email so that there is some kind of paper trail. I personally have a strict email policy with all things music related. Put it in writing so that you know what you said, you know what they said, and you both have something to reference when the time comes.
Hope this helps! Leave your thoughts and additions in the comments section!
