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Featured Artist Agreement

For lead and featured artists collaborating on a track.

Drafted by a Harvard Law entertainment attorney.

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Custom Contract

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About 2 to 5 minutes

Editable Template

Download a blank version in Word or PDF that you fill out yourself. Every spot to fill is highlighted in yellow.

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Custom Contract or Editable Template?

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Feature	Custom Contract	Editable Template
Best for	Most users	Editing everything yourself
How it works	Answer guided questions	Fill highlighted fields yourself
Word and PDF	Yes	Yes
E-signature	Yes	No
Time required	About 2 to 5 minutes	Depends on your edits
Price	$50	$50

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Is this the right contract for your guest feature?

This contract is built for a guest artist appearing on another artist's recording or joining a headliner at a live show. It sets the guest's services, credit, payment, and the recording or performance details that apply to the engagement.

Good fit for

Artists adding a featured guest to a track
Guest artists appearing on someone else's song
Featured guests joining a headliner at a live show
Supporting artists performing at an event
Features paid a fee, a royalty, or both
Guests who helped write the song
Deals needing a guest's label clearance

You may also need

Songwriter Split Sheet - when the guest helps write the song
Music Producer Agreement - when a producer makes the recording
Record Label Agreement - when the release is through a label
Artist Management Agreement - when a manager coordinates the deal
Non-Disclosure Agreement - before sharing unreleased material

What's Inside This Contract

Guest's performance or contribution

Describes what the featured artist will perform or contribute.

Compensation

Sets any fee or royalty paid to the guest.

Grant of rights

Covers the rights granted, ownership, and any label clearance.

Hospitality and cancellation

Addresses any hospitality terms and what happens on cancellation.

Representations and warranties

Each side confirms it has the right to enter the deal.

Disputes and general provisions

Covers standard terms such as notices, how disputes are handled, and signatures.

Not sure what a section means? Every contract you create includes a built-in "Explain Sections" view with a plain-English note for each part of the document.

Before you start

It helps to have these details on hand before you create your contract:

Host artist name and featured artist name
Whether the feature is for a recording or a live performance
The track or live-show details
How the feature is credited
Whether the guest is paid a fee, a royalty, or both
Any publishing share for the guest's writing
What clearances the guest's label requires
Any production, hospitality, or cancellation terms

Points Worth Negotiating

Whether the engagement is for a recording or a live performance
How the feature is credited
Whether the guest is paid a fee, a royalty, or both
Any publishing share for the guest's contribution
What clearances the guest's label requires
The recording delivery terms or live-show details

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a featured artist agreement?

It is an agreement for a guest artist appearing on a recording or at a live performance. It sets the guest's services, credit, payment, and, for a recording, any royalty, publishing share, and label clearance.

Who should sign it?

The host artist and the featured guest both sign. When the guest is signed to a label, that label may also need to clear the appearance.

What is label clearance?

When a featured artist is signed to a label, that label must approve the appearance. The agreement addresses this clearance.

Is a feature paid a fee or a royalty?

Either or both. Some features are paid a flat fee, while others receive a royalty share, set out clearly in the agreement.

Does a featured artist get publishing?

Yes, when the guest helped write the song. They receive a writing share, recorded on a split sheet.

What should I have ready before creating it?

Have the artist names, the track or live-show details, the credit, the fee, and any recording-specific royalty, publishing share, or label clearance.

Should I choose the custom contract or the editable template?

Choose the custom contract to answer a few questions and have it filled in for you. Choose the editable template if you prefer a blank version with labeled fields to complete yourself.

What are common warning signs in a featured artist agreement?

These are common issues to watch for in any featured artist agreement:

Unclear services or performance details
No label clearance where one is needed
Unclear credit terms
Vague payment or royalty terms
No publishing split where the guest contributed writing
No cancellation terms for a live engagement

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