Journal Contracts
Before you sign a management agreement
Twelve things to check in any management contract, including ours.
The short answer: before signing a music management agreement, check the term, the commission rate and what it is taken from, what is excluded, how long commission runs after it ends, who holds the money, what the manager can sign for you and how either side can leave. Then have it reviewed by an independent music lawyer before you sign.
A management agreement is often the first long contract an artist signs, and it shapes every deal that follows. Most problems with managers are not about bad people. They are about vague documents that meant one thing to one side and something else to the other. These are the twelve clauses we would check in any agreement, including our own.
The twelve checks
The term
How long does the agreement run, and how is it counted? Years are clearer than album cycles, which can stretch indefinitely. Ask what happens at the end: does it stop, renew automatically, or continue until someone gives notice?
The rate
The percentage, and whether it changes for different income or rises and falls with earnings.
Gross or net
Especially for touring. Which costs come off before the percentage is applied?
Exclusions
Recording and video budgets, tour support, money paid on to other people, and anything agreed before the manager started should not carry commission.
The sunset clause
How long commission continues after the agreement ends, on which work, and whether it tapers. Beware anything in perpetuity.
Key person
If you are signing with a company because of one person, can you leave if that person does?
Scope and territory
Does the manager represent you worldwide and in every part of your career, and are they able to deliver that? If not, can parts be carved out?
Expenses
What the manager can charge back to you, at cost or with a margin, and the amount above which they need your approval first.
Money flow and accounting
Who receives the money? Ideally fees are paid to you and the manager invoices commission. If the manager collects, how quickly is it passed on, and how often do you get statements? Can you audit them?
Power of attorney
Can the manager sign contracts on your behalf? If so, it should be narrow, limited to specific things and never cover major deals without your written approval.
Ending it
What happens if either side wants out: notice periods, the conditions for ending early, and what each of you keeps.
Your data and records
When it ends, do you leave with your contacts, dates, contracts, statements and website? It should be written down.
Independent advice
A manager who discourages you from taking independent legal advice is telling you something. A good one expects it and will wait for it. In the UK, the Music Managers Forum publishes guidance for artists and managers, and a specialist music lawyer can review an agreement for a fixed fee.
Our own terms are published in full on How we work, including the term, the commission, the sunset clause and what is never commissioned, so you can compare them before we ever meet. For how commission works in detail, read management commission, explained.
This article is general information and not legal advice.
Quick answers
How long should a music management contract last?
Commonly three to five years, sometimes with options to extend. Shorter terms, or a trial period before a longer one, give both sides a way out if it is not working. Ours is three years, then year to year with ninety days’ notice.
Do I need a lawyer to review a management agreement?
Yes. Always have a management agreement reviewed by an independent music lawyer before signing, not the manager’s own lawyer.