Reviewing an artist or management agreement

A management agreement gives a manager a share of everything the artist earns in return for guiding the artist's career, and the agreement decides how wide that share is, how long the term runs, and whether commission continues after the agreement ends. The artist also gives up the right to be represented by anyone else for the term. I review the agreement from the artist's side and return it marked up with a written explanation of the changes and which ones a manager will accept, for a fixed fee of £495 in three working days.

Who this is for

Musicians, bands, performers, presenters, athletes, creators and their companies in England and Wales who have been offered a management, representation or agency agreement, and want to know what they are committing to and for how long. The artist contracts as a business, directly or through a company, and the manager is a business.

What to look for in an artist or management agreement

Commission: the rate, the base and what it attaches to

The manager's commission is a percentage of the artist's gross income, and the definition of income decides what the manager takes: recording, publishing, live, merchandising, sponsorship, acting, writing, and in wide drafts everything the artist earns from any activity. The review checks the rate by income stream, asks for commission on net receipts after agreed deductions such as agents' fees, production costs and touring expenses, excludes income from activities the manager does not handle, and checks whether commission is charged on advances the artist may have to repay.

Post-term commission and the sunset clause

Managers ask for commission after the agreement ends on contracts entered into during the term and on the artist's income from them, sometimes for ever. The review asks for a sunset clause under which post-term commission applies only to contracts the manager procured, reduces in steps over a defined period and then stops, and for no commission on renewals or extensions of those contracts negotiated by a successor. The Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998 applies to sums due either way, and the artist should have the right to statements and an audit of income the manager collects.

Term, options, exclusivity and restraint of trade

A management term is measured in years or albums, with options for the manager to extend. A term that ties the artist for too long, on terms too one-sided, can be unenforceable as an unreasonable restraint of trade under the common law, and the review looks at the term, the options and the exclusivity together. It asks for an initial term with the artist's consent to any extension, for performance conditions the manager must meet to keep the artist, for exclusivity to be limited to management services in defined fields, and for the artist to keep approval over every contract.

The manager's authority, the artist's approvals and the money

The agreement will appoint the manager as the artist's agent with authority to negotiate and sign contracts and to collect income. The review limits the manager's authority to negotiation, requires the artist's signature on every contract, and asks for income to be paid into an account the artist controls or a separate client account, with the manager's commission paid from it rather than the manager collecting everything and accounting for the balance. It also checks that the manager will not take a fee from the other side of a deal it negotiates for the artist.

Expenses, key person and the manager's other artists

Managers recover expenses from the artist's income, and the review asks for expenses to be limited to those incurred with the artist's approval and evidenced, with a cap above which approval is required. Where the artist signed with a particular individual, a key person clause should let the artist leave if that individual stops handling the artist or leaves the company, and the agreement should disclose conflicts where the manager represents competing artists and provide for the artist's approval of the manager's own interests in the artist's deals.

Status, minors and termination

The artist is self-employed and the agreement should not describe the relationship in terms that undermine that under section 230 of the Employment Rights Act 1996. Where the artist is under eighteen, a performance licence from the local authority may be required under the Children (Performances and Activities) (England) Regulations 2014 and the agreement needs a parent's or guardian's consent. The review checks termination for the manager's breach, insolvency and failure to achieve defined results, and what happens to contracts, income and commission on termination.

What it costs

Standard review, £495. Marked-up document and a written explanation of the changes. Three working days.

Complex review, £895. Heavily negotiated or unusually complex documents. Five working days.

Buying online forms the engagement on payment. The scope is what the contract review page describes, you accept the Terms of Service at checkout, and I email you within four working hours to get started. If you would rather ask something first, email me.

What you get

• Your own contract returned with my amendments as tracked changes, plus a clean version with every change accepted, ready to send to the other side
• Comments in the document where a point needs explaining
• A written explanation of what I have changed and why, by email or as an attachment if it is lengthy, marking the points I would hold firm on and the ones that are negotiable
• A view on what is normal market practice and what is the other side pushing their luck
• One round of follow-up questions by email, included

What is not included

• Negotiating directly with the other side, which I quote separately once I know who is on the other side. Where the other side is willing to share a live document, I can work in that document directly
• Drafting a replacement contract from scratch
• Advice on the law of any jurisdiction other than England and Wales
• Tax, accounting or regulatory advice
• Disputes about a contract that is already signed

Questions I am often asked

The manager wants a percentage of everything I earn. What should that cover?

The point to review is what 'everything' means, because the definition of income decides what the manager takes. The review asks for commission by income stream on net receipts, excludes income from work the manager does not handle, and looks at whether commission is charged on repayable advances.

Will I still owe commission after the agreement ends?

On contracts the manager procured during the term, usually yes, and the review does not object to that. It asks for a sunset clause so that post-term commission reduces over a defined period and stops, and does not apply to renewals negotiated by your next manager.

Can the manager sign contracts on my behalf?

Only if the agreement gives that authority, and manager drafts do. The review limits the manager's authority to negotiating, requires your signature on every contract, and puts your income into an account you control.

Related guidance and services

• Contract review, £495, the service this page describes
• Consultancy and contractor agreements, £595
• Reviewing a music licence or sync agreement
• Reviewing a brand ambassador agreement

This page is general guidance for businesses in England and Wales, not advice on your own circumstances. Last reviewed: September 2026. Email geoffrey@caesar.co.uk.