The purpose of a management contract
Lesson time: (1min 10sec)
Judge Jules explains why a management contract really exists to protect the manager, and what a management agreement is designed to cover.
Course preview
This lesson is part of the course Legals & Deals: The Basics of The Music Industry
Watch a preview of the full course below.
Lesson transcript:
Understanding the Artist-Manager Relationship
It's important to understand that in a management-artist relationship, the only person that really needs there to be a contract is the manager. This is because the manager is the one who wants to be protected.
The Ideal Scenario
In an ideal world, if you're an artist and your manager isn't appropriate for you, you simply take a hike. But of course, that's probably not very fair.
Reactions to Career Challenges
Sometimes, when things go wrong in an artist's career, the first thing that artist does is turn 90 degrees to the left and look at the first person in the firing line, who, of course, is that manager.
There have been many occasions in my legal career where I've observed the relationship between artist clients and their management. In some cases, the artist has kind of "fired" their management. I felt that maybe this isn't really fair. Clearly, as the lawyer, it's not my position to make a comment.
The Role of the Management Agreement
What the management agreement does is:
- Protect the manager's position if things go wrong.
- Formalize the relationship.
- Structure how the commission is arranged.
Ultimately, if you like, it's a sword that the management can use if the artist decides to change management, strengthening the manager's position.
About the instructor
Jules O'Riordan has over 30 years of experience across the entire spectrum of the music industry. This includes nearly a decade as an A&R for the Universal umbrella of labels, 15 years as a presenter on BBC Radio 1, over 150 record releases and remixes in his own capacity as a recording artist, plus a 30-year career as one of Britain's best-known, globally-travelled DJs (Judge Jules), with over 5000 gigs under his belt, plus extensive experience as an event promoter and artist manager at the highest level. Suffice to say, Jules knows the music industry inside-out, and his clients regard him as a trusted advisor for whom no legal or business affairs challenge or problem is too large or small. Jules has been a lawyer for 10 years. His practice takes in the entire breadth of the music-focused entertainment industry. His legal and deal expertise includes management, recording, publishing, distribution and label services, music-based apps, games and tech projects, production deals, producers, featured artists, endorsements, merchandising, neighbouring rights, TV/film scores, live performance, events and venue agreements, plus copyright and rights infringement and many other disputes. Jules's clients include artists, management companies, record labels, songwriters, event promoters, producers, music tech businesses, production companies, live agents, music publishers and DJs. He has spoken on many panels and seminars including ADE, Brighton Music Conference and AIM events, and has been a guest speaker on legal issues across a number of on and off-line media outlets, including BBC Radio 5 Live, BBC Introducing, Financial Times, The Sun, The Times and Mixmag. Jules speaks fluent Spanish. Who better to demystify the contracts and deals every musician eventually faces? In his course, Jules turns three decades of hard-won industry knowledge into plain-English guidance, so you can understand the business side of music and protect your work long before you sign on the dotted line. read more