Stop signing endless contracts that lock you into musical servitude

Rico Anthony discusses the critical importance of contract terms for musicians, highlighting how neglecting to establish a duration for service agreements can trap performers in stagnant pay situations for years.

• $500 per week example for church musicians playing services and rehearsals
• The "term" defines how long the contract is valid and should be included in every agreement
• One-year contracts create natural renegotiation points for both parties
• Term negotiations apply to both regular gigs and one-off engagements
• Without defined terms, musicians may never receive raises or improved conditions
• Contract terms provide clean break points if either party wants to end the relationship
• Even if pay remains the same upon renewal, musicians can negotiate other benefits

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Chapters

• 0:00 Introduction to Music Contracts
• 0:52 The Importance of Contract Terms
• 2:12 Application to Different Performance Settings
• 3:20 Final Thoughts and Call to Action

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

Hi, thank you for tuning in to the Brother Musician podcast. My name is Rico Anthony. Today I want to talk to you about contracts. You get a new job at a new place. Let's call it a church. You get a new church and the first thing that they want you to do is sign a contract. You've already agreed to the amount. Let's say they're going to pay you $500 a week. Amount let's say they're going to pay you $500 a week and with that $500 a week, there's a scope for the job that they want you to do, which is they want you to play every, every Saturday or every Sunday, and they want you to do rehearsals on Wednesday nights or Thursday nights. So that's the job. We know we're coming into play and we have to do a rehearsal and, with that being said, we know that we're going to make $500 a week for doing that.

Speaker 1: 0:52

Okay, now, after you do that, this is the part that I really want you to look at. It's called the term. How long is that contract good for Most? Most musicians, most singers, most artists, sound engineers they sign the contract and it never has a term. So you sign a contract and they can. They don't have to give you a raise ever because you didn't agree to any term, any amount of time that you're going to be performing that service for. What I want you guys to start looking at is the term and agree to a term, so they're going to pay you $500 a week to play and then on Wednesdays you do rehearsals, or Thursdays you do rehearsals. Let's make that contract for a year and then, after that year, guess what we have to do? We have to renegotiate the contract.

Speaker 1: 1:47

Now that makes it great for both sides, because either I mean, if you're not doing a good job, it's always a good time to cut ties. If they're, if you're not satisfied with them, that's a good time to cut ties and do something else. But what I will say is the term is probably other than the amount on the contract and the job that you're performing. The term, the amount of time that you are locked into that contract, is very important. This keeps people from feeling like they got to hold on to you forever or you have to hold on to them forever, and then let's just say that they don't. You know, at the end of the term the pay is the same, that's fine, but maybe you can ask for another week of vacation, or maybe you can ask for something else to go along with the contract to make it a little bit sweeter. This also works at a engagement on a Friday night. So they send over the contract, you agree to it. They send you your deposit, you agree, you agree to it.

Speaker 1: 2:50

But now the question is what's the term? How long do I have to perform? Is this going to be a three hour event? Is it going to be a two hour event? What happens after that time? You know, is it? Can I leave? Those are things that I want us to start discussing just a little bit more. The term how long am I locked in to this obligation? Now, you may enjoy it, but it becomes less enjoyable when nothing changes after years and years of service. All right, that's my two cents on the contracts in term. Have an amazing day. Please like, subscribe and share if this content is bringing any value to you. Have a great day.