- Signing a contract is a very pivotal moment for every music artiste, whether upcoming or established
- A music contract is enough to make or mar the trajectory of their music career
- However, for many young artistes, TheRadar explained the important things to note before signing a music contract
There is an undeniable joy that comes from doing what you love and earning a living from it — many music artistes are in this category.
However, such joy can easily turn sour if decisions are not carefully considered. This has seen music artistes fall prey to shady deals.
These greenhorn artistes often pick ignorance as an excuse for their hasty decisions to sign music contracts.
Out of youthful exuberance and also so lost in the euphoria of getting a record deal that they often pay less attention to its depth.
Notable artistes like the Late Mohbad, Shallipopi and Seyi Vibes reportedly left their record labels over allegations of being exploited particularly in regard to their royalties.
For many artistes who may not understand the nature of music agreements and contracts, TheRadar examined important things to know before signing a music contract.
7 things artiste must know before signing a contract
- Intellectual property rights
Intellectual property simply talks about the ownership of an artistes’ work including music, artwork or any other creative output.
Music artistes must ensure they retain their intellectual property rights on projects. Before signing, this part can be negotiated to find what works for the artiste.
- Master rights
Master rights refers to the original versions of artistes’ songs. Whoever owns the masters has control over how the music is used, licensed, and monetized. Traditionally, record labels own the masters, especially in a 360 deal.
For a music artiste, retaining control over masters is crucial because they are the most valuable asset but not easy to acquire if the artiste started their career ignorantly with a record label.
However, what young artistes need to do before signing a music contract will be to negotiate a buyback clause. This helps them to get the full rights of their songs after certain years.
- Duration and termination
This is very crucial. Many times, music artistes have called out their record labels to the point of leaving before the expiration of their contracts.
Upcoming artistes should take this part very seriously to know if the duration is something they want. It is important to know how long your contract will last with a record label.
- Royalties and compensations
A music contract should also include the royalties and compensations entitled to a music artiste. Signing a deal can be both exciting and daunting for upcoming artistes but these terms should be clearly defined.
Music artistes should know how much he would make from the sales of his music and royalties percentages he will get off steaming sales as well. It should specify how often these payments will be made.
- Exclusivity rights
For the exclusive rights, record labels most times specify for artistes who to and not to work with during their stay with them.
Music artistes should be cautious of granting all exclusive rights to record labels in order not to limit their opportunities and growth. This is a part for music artistes to consider before signing a contract.
- Get a lawyer
The need to seek legal counsel is something that cannot be overemphasised. Music artistes must ensure they run their contract via a lawyer.
The lawyer will help break down the contract for better understanding. The lawyer will also ensure their the contract aligns with the artiste’s goals and aspirations.
- Know your deliverables
A music contract should specify the expected deliverables of a music artiste. This can specify the number of albums and singles he is expected to release.
The contract should also include the number of performances he should conduct. The most important question is: Are your deliverables achievable? It should not be an insurmountable demand that puts you under pressure to achieve.
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