Whether you wish to create a makeup artist contract, music artist contract, freelance contract, artist management contract, artist commission contract, artist performance contract, or artist business manager contract, your primary goal is to clear out misconceptions and avoid future conflicts.
1. Know What You Want
Before creating a contract such as that with an artist, you should think about what both of you want. Your ideas should meet in the contract; meaning, both of you should be informed and have accepted the terms. In case one of you disagrees, at least it's already reconciled before the contract was written and signed.
2. Confirm Specific Details
Similar to any other contracts, an artist agreement contract should have specific details especially on the exhibition such as name and address of the borrowing organization and lender, details of work to be lent, insurance and transport agreement, reports about the conditions on the procedures to be undertaken, time frame, dispute resolution details, copyright agreements, as well as the payment schedule on the delivery of work.
3. Specify Your Terms and Conditions
As a courtesy to the artist, it is important that we define our terms. Be specific with the period you will work with the artist. Specify the duration of the legal agreement. Additionally, creating short-term agreement at first would be better in order to test how well both entities work together. According to soundmusicadvice.com, working together with an artist/manager is similar to having an intimate relationship. Therefore, it would be better to not settle for a long-term agreement yet.
4. Clear Out Payment Procedure
When making any business with an entity, it is important to inform them clearly about how and when will they be paid. Especially when you already paid another party, it is important that you inform the other one on how long they will have to wait for their turn to receive theirs. Set a payment schedule and procedure.
5. Look into the Legal Parlance
According to an article in thecreativeindependent.com, a contract should take into consideration that governing laws vary from state to state. This means that some states provide higher rights for the artist than you and there are some who do otherwise. In the event contract, you have to sue your artist for some legal justifications yet they are in another state; chances are, you'll lose. The state where your artist resides will also determine the legal jurisdiction including the degree of such offense (or if it's even considered one).