The Beatles. The Beach Boys. The Platters. Sister Sledge. Pink Floyd. The Eagles. When these bands broke up or members left, they became embroiled in litigation. While an internal band agreement isn’t a cure-all, sitting down with your bandmates and agreeing on how the band will resolve certain issues before those issues arise may reduce conflict and confusion down the road.
Topics covered by a very basic internal band agreement should include the band name (Who owns it? Who can use it? What happens to the name and logo if we break up?), handling money (Who handles income and debts? Who pays for what?), the acquisition of equipment and other assets (Who pays for it? How is it stored and transported? Do we need insurance, and who pays for it? How do we decide on artwork and merch?), general business decisions (Majority vote? Dispute resolution?), creative decisions (Who owns the songs? Who owns master recordings? Who decides what songs we record and what gigs we take?), and relationship matters (Can we fire a band member? Can we add new members? What responsibilities does each member have? Should we form a legal entity, like a corporation or an LLC?).
If you have questions about creating an internal agreement for your band, give us a call at 253.858.5434 to set up an appointment.