Music contracts: the 14 agreements musicians sign
A music career runs on paper: who owns the recording, who wrote the song, who takes a commission and for how long. Here are the contracts you will meet, from the first split sheet to a record deal, what each one decides and the clauses to read twice.
This is a general guide, not legal advice. Contract law, copyright and the rules of collecting societies change from country to country, and the same name can describe very different deals. Read the contract in front of you, not the one you expect.
The map: who signs what
Almost every music contract answers one of three questions: who owns the song (the composition: melody and lyrics), who owns the recording (the master), and who works for whom (management, booking, a session). Keep those apart and most contracts become easier to read.
| Contract | Between | What it decides |
|---|---|---|
| Split sheet | Everyone who wrote the song | Each person’s share of the composition (and, if you add it, of the master) |
| Publishing deal | Songwriter and publisher | Who administers and collects for your songs, for what share and for how long |
| Recording contract | Artist and label | Who owns and pays for the masters, the royalty and the advance |
| Distribution agreement | Artist or label and distributor | Who delivers the music to stores and what they keep |
| Producer agreement | Artist and producer | Fee, producer royalty or points, credit and the producer’s share of the song |
| Beat license | Artist and beatmaker | How you can use a beat: lease or exclusive |
| Featuring agreement | Main artist and guest | Permission to use the guest’s name and performance, payment and credit |
| Sample clearance | You and the owners of the sample | Permission to use part of someone else’s recording and song |
| Sync license | Owners of the song and master, and a production | Use of the music in a film, series, ad or game |
| Management contract | Artist and manager | Commission, term and what happens after it ends |
| Booking / performance agreement | Artist and promoter or venue | Fee, deposit, set times, technical needs and cancellation |
| Band agreement | The members of a band | The name, the money, the decisions and what happens if someone leaves |
| Session / work-for-hire release | Artist and a hired musician or creator | Payment for the work, with no further claim on the recording |
| Image release and NDA | Artist and anyone filmed, or anyone who hears unreleased music | Use of a person’s image; keeping unreleased material private |
Agreements about the song
Split sheet
The first contract of most songs, and the one people skip. It lists everyone who wrote the song and their percentage, and it is signed before release — ideally the day of the session. Without it, registering the song with a collecting society or a publisher becomes a negotiation after the money appears. See what a split sheet must include, with a free template.
Publishing deal
A publisher administers your songs: registers them, licenses them and collects the songwriting royalties, in exchange for a share. The main shapes are an administration deal (the publisher collects for a fee, you keep ownership), a co-publishing deal (you share ownership of the publisher’s side) and a full publishing deal (the publisher owns the publishing share). Read the term, the territory, whether the deal covers songs you wrote before signing and when the rights come back to you. How the money flows is in how music royalties work.
Sync license
Placing a song in a film, series, ad or game needs two permissions: one for the composition and one for the master. Who signs each one, and how a sync fee is negotiated, is explained in sync licensing for musicians.
Agreements about the recording
Recording contract (record deal)
The label pays for recording and promotion, usually with an advance it gets back from your royalties, and in exchange owns or licenses the masters for a term. Some deals also take a share of your shows, merch or publishing: that is a 360 deal. The clauses, the math of recoupment and the questions to ask are in what a 360 deal is and how record deals work.
Distribution agreement
The distributor sends your music to streaming services and stores. Read what it keeps (a fee, a percentage or both), whether it asks for exclusivity, and how you leave without losing your codes and stream counts — see ISRC and UPC.
Producer agreement
When a producer makes a record with you, the contract sets the fee, any producer royalty (often called points) and whether the fee is an advance against it, the credit, who owns the master and whether the producer is also a co-writer of the song. That last point goes in the split sheet too: producing and writing are two different things, and both can be true.
Featuring agreement
A guest verse needs written permission to use the guest’s performance and name, and an agreement on payment (a fee, a royalty or both), credit, the guest’s share of the song and approval of the final mix. If the guest is signed to a label, that label usually has to approve it.
Sample clearance
Using part of another recording needs two permissions: from the owner of the master (usually a label) and from the owners of the song (usually publishers). Clear the sample before release, not after: an uncleared sample can take the song down. The steps are in how to clear a sample.
Beat licenses: lease or exclusive
Beats sold online are licensed, not sold. The two families:
| Lease (non-exclusive) | Exclusive license | |
|---|---|---|
| Who else can use the beat | Other artists can license the same beat | Only you, from the date you sign; check whether earlier leases stay valid |
| Limits | Usually caps on streams, sales, videos or shows, and a file type (MP3, WAV or stems) | Usually none on use; read what the producer keeps |
| Song and credit | The producer normally keeps the beat and a share of the song | The producer often keeps credit and a share of the song too |
| YouTube Content ID | Not eligible: Content ID requires exclusive rights to the audio | Possible only with exclusive rights; earlier leases can cause conflicts |
The Content ID rule comes from YouTube’s own eligibility page (checked on October 13, 2026): you must have exclusive rights to the material, and content licensed non-exclusively from a third party is not eligible. Every beat store writes its own license terms, so the caps and shares above vary from one beat to the next: read the license before you pay, and keep a copy with the song. If you are the producer, see how to sell beats online for the seller’s side.
Agreements about your career
Management contract
The most common surprises are in five clauses: the commission (and whether it is on gross or net income), what income it covers (recordings, shows, merch, publishing, brand deals), the term and how it renews, a key-person clause if you sign with a company for one person, and the post-term commission (the “sunset”): what the manager keeps earning on deals made during the term after the contract ends. When you need a manager and how to find one is in how to get a music manager.
Booking and performance agreements
A show should have the fee, the deposit and when the rest is paid, set times, the technical rider and hospitality, who pays travel and lodging, and what happens if either side cancels. A booking agent’s contract adds their commission and territory.
Band agreement
Write it while everyone is still friends: who owns the band name, how money and costs are split, how decisions are made, how songs are credited, and what a member who leaves takes with them.
Everyday paperwork
- Session musician or work-for-hire release: a hired player, designer or video editor is paid for the work and confirms they have no further claim on the recording or the artwork.
- Image release: permission from people who appear in your video or photos to use their image.
- NDA: for anyone who hears or handles unreleased music before release.
- Rights assignment: a written transfer of a right from one person to another, for example when a co-writer sells their share.
How to review a music contract
Before you sign anything, go through this list with the contract open:
- Who and what. The right parties, your legal name, and exactly which songs, recordings or services are covered — including future ones.
- Rights. Is anything assigned (transferred) or only licensed? For which territory? Does it ever come back to you?
- Term. How long it lasts, how it renews and how you get out. Watch for automatic renewals and options only the other side can exercise.
- Money. Every percentage and what it is calculated on, advances, what is recoupable, when you get paid and how you get statements. Do the math with a real example.
- Control. Who approves the music, the artwork, the release dates and the use of your name and image.
- Exit. Termination, what happens to the rights after it, and the post-term commissions.
- Disputes. Which country’s law applies and where a dispute would be heard.
- Everything in writing. If something was promised on a call, it should be in the contract.
TONTRIA Law does the first pass for you: upload the PDF or Word file and it marks the clauses with risk, quotes the exact text and suggests what to change. It also drafts split sheets, beat licenses, featuring and producer agreements from a template or from your description, and sends them to sign online. It is an AI legal assistant, not a lawyer.
When to call a music lawyer
An AI review or a template is enough for a split sheet or a simple release. Get a music lawyer (an entertainment lawyer who works with music) when the deal is long or large: a record, publishing or 360 deal, a management contract for several years, the sale of your catalog or masters, a sample that is already out without clearance, or any dispute. Arrive with the contract read and your questions written down: it saves the lawyer’s time and your money.