Contracts

Jasaoke · Post by **Jasaoke** » Tuesday Dec 07, 2010

I've got some general wondering about contracts. Does anybody use them? or not use them anymore? How receptive are venues/owners to signing them? What are some of the terms of your performance?

Jasaoke · Post by **Jasaoke** » Monday Apr 18, 2011

Wow, 1500 views and not 1 reply. Anyone?

Merge · Post by **Merge** » Monday Apr 18, 2011

My old band used to use them. Some owners were ok with them, some weren't. I think they have their place, but not make people will take someone to court for the $30 they were stiffed after a show.

lonewolf · Post by **lonewolf** » Tuesday Apr 19, 2011

I haven't used them since I quit the Musician's union back in about 1977.

Unless you are into thousands of dollars per gig, contracts are generally just a waste of time. Lower dollar amounts will cost more in legal fees to enforce the contract than the contract is worth.

When you book a gig, make sure you go into details like starting time, length of show (or finishing time), breaks, are drinks free, are dinners free, PA & lights considerations and anything else you may want to get out of a gig.

Jasaoke · Post by **Jasaoke** » Tuesday Apr 19, 2011

Well, that's what I was thinking; not so much for legal enforcement, but so that everybody is clearly on the same page about the details beforehand.

We are, after all, musicians and for bookings we deal with bar owners so let's face it, neither party is known for their razor-sharp memory or reliability. My thinking is that the main advantage to using one is that it is a written list of details, provisions, time, dollars, that both parties agree to ahead of time and hopefully avoid the confusion that causes bigger trouble. I would hope it could help keep BOTH parties honest and professional. Not so much "I'll sue" but rather "Hey, you said..."

Thanks for the input, guys.