Don’t Forget Your Paperwork

When I write this phrase, I hear Roz from the Monsters, Inc. movie; the front desk slug-like monster asking about Sully and Mike’s paperwork in the most nasal and obnoxious way *insert giggle*. When planning an event, however, the paperwork is no laughing matter. It is important to understand the difference between an offer, contract, rider, and addendum. There can be other documents, but when working with a speaker, artist, band, or performer, these are the most common documents you will run into. They are all in place to communicate expectations. Each one serves a unique purpose and without the right ones, you could open up yourself, your organization, and your event to various liabilities and unexpected expenses.

If you or your organization are not familiar with the jargon used in any of these documents, it will be important to consult your legal team and perhaps your insurance company. This blog is merely drawing your attention to the different kinds of documents, their uses, and why you need them. It is in no way providing legal advice.

When engaging a guest artist, band, performer, or speaker [all now referred to as the performer], their agent is generally the first person you work with. They will negotiate the terms of the visit: performance, travel, payment, and all of the details on the performer’s behalf. The agent is also generally who receives the first or deposit payment.

The four main documents are the offer, contract, rider, and addendum. These can be very extensive and lengthy documents. It is incredibly important that you read every word of each one. Do not skip or skim. Occasionally agents bury details deep within them to see if you actually read every word (see my blog “Read Every Word”). You may need to read them more than once. Make notes, ask questions, and remember that everything is negotiable. Below are very brief summaries of each document. They could each have their own blog.

• The Offer. This may not always be a formal document, but it will definitely be a chain of emails back and forth between you and a performer’s agent. This is where you negotiate payment for the performer. It includes the terms of the payments, the amount, whether travel and meals are included or being billed separately, if the performer is the headliner or an opening act, and other details enticing a performer to come to your event.
• The Contract. This is the main document outlining the legal mumbo jumbo; the terms and conditions, force majeure, cancellation policy, payment terms, specifics like date, time, length of performance, liability, risk, insurance, hold harmless clauses, and a lot more.
• The Rider. A rider generally accompanies a contract for a performer and identifies their performance needs like lighting, sound, and video requirements, back line equipment, staffing needs, load in and out times, number of greenrooms and refreshment preferences, and times and types of meals to be served.
• The Addendum. There isn’t always an addendum. This could be added to the contract process if there is something left out by either party or there is an addition of some kind like a meet-and-greet session or an interview with a local reporter while the performer is on-site. An addendum is drafted and signed by both parties before being considered approved and adopted as part of the whole agreement.

Being familiar with the different types of paperwork will make it much easier and more efficient for you when engaging a performer. It’s worth your time to sit with an attorney and a representative from your insurance company to learn which phrases are standard and which ones you want to flag for their review before signing.

Are there other documents you encounter on a regular basis? Share about them here or send me an email! I love learning from others too!

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Want to schedule a consultation with Tracy Baer? Visit tracybaer.com.