Music Business & Contracts
Information around contracts and the music business
11 articles
- Record Deals Explained: Royalties, Recoupment & Rights 2026Master record deal mechanics: royalty rates (15-25%), recoupment math, 360 deals, and negotiation strategies. Protect your career with expert insights.
- Management Agreements Explained: Contracts, CommissionsUnderstand management contracts: standard 15-20% commissions, sunset clauses, key person provisions, and red flags. Protect your career before signing.
- Publishing Deals Explained: Songwriter Contracts Guide 2026Understand publishing deals: traditional, co-pub, and admin agreements. Learn which royalties you keep, what you give up, and how to protect your catalog.
- Sync Licensing Fundamentals: Get Your Music in TV and FilmMaster sync licensing: earn $500 to $50,000+ per placement plus ongoing royalties. Learn what music supervisors want and how to prepare your catalog.
- Booking Agent Agreements: Protect Your Live Performance DealsLearn booking agent commission rates, contract terms, and red flags. Territory, exclusivity, sunset clauses, and when you need agent representation explained.
- Producer Deal Structures: Fees, Royalties, and OwnershipLearn producer payment models, points calculation, and ownership rights. Work for hire, royalty splits, and essential contract terms for independent artists.
- Music Distribution Deals ExplainedUnderstand every distribution deal type from DIY to label services to full label deals. Learn what terms like recoupment, cross-collateralization, and reversion rights actually mean.
- How to Audit Your Record Label Royalty StatementsUp to 95% of label royalty statements contain errors. Learn when to audit, what it costs, what auditors find, and how to protect your music income.
- Royalty Split Agreements: Complete Guide for MusiciansLearn how to create royalty split agreements for every collaboration. Covers composition splits, master points, producer deals, and tools to document ownership.
- International Rights and Cross-Border Royalties: A Musician's Guide to Getting Paid GloballyLearn how cross-border music royalty collection works across 111 countries. Collection societies, neighbouring rights, publishing admin, and closing revenue gaps.
- Fan Data, Consent, and the Law: What Every Artist Team Needs to KnowA sourced breakdown of GDPR, the ePrivacy Directive, and US privacy law as they apply to fan tracking, redirect links, and audience data.