One of the many values that we support at the SongLab is the importance of legally binding contracts that serve to protect the intellectual property of music creators.
We feel that it is important that music creators are proactive in using the relevant paperwork to protect the interests of themselves and others they work with by using written agreements. The three main agreements that we find to be the most useful are available for you to download below.
Downloads:
Collaboration Agreement
This serves to protect both the songwriting copyright and the master rights retained with a recording of a song.
Studio Release
Whilst it might seem obvious to many that a studio or producer would release any ownership of master rights once a payment is made for their services, this is unfortunately a problematic area for many creators. Lets imagine you’ve got a placement for your song on that cool new Netflix show. You’re going to need to sign a sync license for its release. If you suddenly find that the person that you hired makes a claim, your intellectual property could be affected. The solution is simple. Ask the producer or studio to sign this document once the project is completed. By using this document you are asking any studio or producer that you work with to release the master rights to you upon the completion of any hired work.
Work For Hire Agreement
This agreement relates to anybody that you have hired to perform on your recording. This is one of the most overlooked areas for music creators. Below is a document that you can use to protect yourself from any infringement. It also serves to inform the performer as to their compensation.