ABSTRACT
When the artist and the manager are ready to shake hands and begin their business relationship, it means they have agreed in principle to a contract and are prepared to exchange promises. The promises? Artists agree to have their careers managed by no one else, and the manager agrees to manage an artist’s career and exploit their talents for commercial gain. That is the short version. As in all business matters, agreements are formalized within a contract in order to have a record of what responsibilities each has pledged to the relationship. This chapter is not so much about law, but rather about reviewing the key provisions of a contract between the artist and their manager and understanding the importance of those provisions in defi ning the relationship between the two. Although there are some artist-manager relationships that are not memorialized with a written contract, something as brief as a written management summary can provide at least a measure of understanding of the promises the artist and the manager are exchanging.
