Mutual, with a written purpose
Both parties protect each other’s information equally. You write what it is shared for, for example evaluating a record deal or listening to demos for a featuring, and the information can only be used for that.
Music NDA
Music NDA template for unreleased songs and plans
For when you play unreleased music, share stems, show a contract’s numbers or talk about a release before it is public. It is mutual: both sides protect what the other shares. You write what the information is shared for and for how long, and the other side signs online. In English or Spanish. Starting from a template uses no credits.
TONTRIA Law guides you and drafts your documents. For a lawsuit or a big negotiation, consult a lawyer.
What the template includes
What counts as confidential
Unreleased music, demos, recordings, stems, lyrics and arrangements; release dates and schedules; contracts and their numbers; royalty statements and financial data; audience and follower data; marketing plans, contact lists and strategies; and anything derived from them. It is protected even if it was not marked as confidential, when a reasonable person would understand it is.
Usual exclusions
Information that is already public through no fault of the receiver, that it already had, that a third party gave it lawfully or that it developed on its own. If a court or the law forces it to disclose something, it must warn the other side and reveal only what is strictly required.
Who can see it
Only the receiver’s staff, contractors and advisers who need it for the purpose, bound by the same secrecy; the receiver answers for any breach by them. No copies or downloads beyond what the purpose needs, no removing watermarks or metadata, and any leak must be reported at once.
No public links and no AI training
It forbids uploading the information, especially unreleased music, stems or lyrics, to public platforms, social networks or file links without access control, and to AI tools that train on what they receive or do not guarantee in writing that it stays confidential. It also forbids using it to train models, imitate a voice or style, or create derivative content.
Return or destruction
When asked, or once the purpose is done or dropped, the receiver returns or destroys everything within 15 days, at the owner’s choice, and certifies it in writing. Copies kept by law or in backups stay covered while they exist.
No licence and no obligation
Sharing gives no right over the songs, recordings, names or brands. Neither side is obliged to share anything, sign a later deal or keep negotiating, and the NDA creates no partnership, agency or exclusivity.
How long it lasts
You set the period in which information is shared and how long the secrecy lasts after it ends. For unreleased music and recordings the secrecy lasts in any case until the owner releases them lawfully, if that comes later.
Breach
The receiver pays for the damage caused by its own or its people’s breach, and, where the law allows, the owner can ask a court for urgent measures to stop a leak.
When to use it
- You send unreleased songs, demos or stems to a label, publisher, A&R or another artist
- You show a manager, investor or partner your royalty statements, contracts or numbers
- A producer, mix engineer or session musician will hear your music before release
- You present a release plan, a campaign or a project to an agency or a brand
Before you sign: what to check
- That the purpose is written precisely: the information can only be used for that
- How long information is shared and how long the secrecy lasts afterwards
- That unreleased music stays secret until it is released, even if that takes longer
- The ban on public links and on AI tools that train on what they receive
- Who on the other side can see the information and that they answer for their people
- That the files are returned or destroyed when the purpose ends
The NDA is one of the everyday documents in the contracts musicians sign. If the person who hears your demos ends up writing or playing on the song, agree the shares in a split sheet.
Frequently asked questions
Is the music NDA template free?
Yes. On the Free plan you can use every template as often as you want; starting from one uses no credits. The Free plan includes 2 documents to sign online each month, and Pro has unlimited signatures. See the plans.
Is it mutual or one-way?
Mutual: each side protects what the other shares, under the same rules. If only you will share information, it still works, because the obligations apply to whoever receives it.
Do I need an NDA to send unreleased music?
No law requires it, but it puts in writing that the songs cannot be shared, uploaded or used for anything other than the purpose, and gives you a clear basis to act if they leak. It is common before sending demos to a label, a publisher or artists you have not worked with.
Does it stop someone from putting my music into an AI tool?
It forbids it in writing: the information cannot be uploaded to AI tools that train on what they receive or do not guarantee in writing that it stays confidential, and it cannot be used to train models or imitate a voice or style. Like any contract, it does not make a leak impossible; it gives you the grounds to claim.
How long should a music NDA last?
You choose two periods: how long information is shared and how long the secrecy lasts after that. Whatever you choose, unreleased music and recordings stay secret until the owner releases them, if that comes later.
Which app can I use to make and sign a music NDA?
TONTRIA Law: start from this template, write the purpose and the periods and send it to be signed online, with no account needed for the other side. If someone sent you their NDA, upload it and it marks the purpose, the term and anything one-sided, quoting each clause (about 10 credits).
Other templates
Know what you are signing
Upload your next contract or start a split sheet today, and get your deals on paper.