Legal Question in Business Law in Kentucky

musical contract

Here is my question. What kind of contract do i need regarding a musical project where a musician is needed for songwriting purposes only? I want it to clearly state that this invidual is being used for songwriting purposes only ( and voice recorded for personal use only) but we will use his singing style, possibly lyrics, but the finished marketable project will have a different musician composing the part. Will this person recieve royalties of any kind considering they aren't the one actually being used on the finished recording? I believe it is only fair that they get credited with writing the song under copyright and credited in the album itself ( and everywhere else the material is used) as being the songwriter. My main question is what kind of contract do I need for this, and who do i need to seek to get one written up? This will be stating money paid for services and terms of agreement. Thanks


Asked on 3/25/07, 7:27 am

1 Answer from Attorneys
Gregory Napier Troutman & Napier, PLLC

Re: musical contract

Without being too flippant, you need the kind of contract that says what you want it to say. For example, if you do not want the person to receive royalties then the contract needs to clearly say that so that there is no mistake in the mind of the other party.

I know it is tempting to do these sorts of things without paying an attorney, but you may pay more in the long run if you draft the contract poorly. Draft the contract the way you want it and then find an attorney to review it for a couple hundred dollars. It's worth the peace of mind.

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Answered on 3/26/07, 9:43 pm


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