An entertainment contract is drawn by two parties. One is the organizer of the event and the other is the one who will be performing at the event. This is usually a one time contract and it is valid for one event only. The clauses for this vary from place to place and also from organizer to organizer. This is because a lot of local influences govern the nature of the contractor. Simply put, what works in one country, state, or culture may not work in another.

The various terms that you may expect to find in an entertainment contract are as follows:

1. Any other overriding contract or terms of royalty with any other affiliation is not part of a standalone entertainment contract. This is obvious because an event planner or organizer would not be seeking to protect the rights of other labels or companies. Hence, before you sign on any such contract, it is important to know what you are agreeing to.



2. Almost all contracts need the participants to comply with a strict set of rules and codes of conduct. Since the audience is specialized; hence, the demands are usually quite large. Use of narcotics, alcohol, indecency, obscenity, damage to property etc. results in immediate termination of the contract. Thus, a show is not the playground to conduct oneself in the most independent fashion. This often extends to agreed upon decibel levels and laws pertaining to the protection of the environment and safety of the audience.



3. All contracts must clearly state the breakup of fees that they are willing to spend on the event and its participants. Fees for the performance, additional band fees, transportation charges, and lodging charges should all be accounted for differently and their individual terms of validity should also be set without any vagueness. Most organizers choose to pay a part of the whole amount in advance and the rest upon completion of the event. If this is going to be routed through a manager or a bank, then that too should be clearly stated in the contract.



4. All contracts should enlist the itinerary of the program in detail. This is important because unscheduled photo sessions or media participations have its risks of violating pre conditions set by parent record deals. Apart from that, it is known to derail the events of the day for hours at a stretch. Hence, unless it is written, it is not done.



5. Ancillary points deserve equal mention in an entertainment contract. In the event that a planned stage show is held up, there are some who offer to withhold all pending payments. There are still others who seek compensation well in advance and if such cannot be agreed upon, then they do plan for a refund. What works for one group may not work for another; hence, it is good to have ample time in hand to plan and discuss gray areas before the commencement of the actual event.


As you can see, there is much more to an entertainment contract than simply specifying the terms of the performance; therefore, it is necessary that all parties involved pay specific attention to the terms when entering into such an agreement.