Commission and treatment
The video and photos for one song, made on the treatment you approve, with final approval yours. The director works as an independent contractor.
Music video contract
Music video contract template with the director or photographer
For when you hire a director or photographer for your music video or photo shoot: what gets delivered, revisions, the fee and that the video and photos are yours once you have paid in full. In English or Spanish, with the deliverables in a schedule and signed online. 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
Deliverables and specs
In a schedule: for example, the full-length video, a vertical 9:16 version of up to 60 seconds, short promo cuts and edited photos, with resolution and file formats.
First cut and revisions
A first cut before the deadline, the rounds of revisions agreed, and approval if you don’t answer within 5 business days.
Fee and production costs
The fee, how it is paid (for example half on signing and half on delivery) and who pays crew, equipment, locations and post-production.
Rights once paid
The video, the photos and the raw footage become yours once you have paid in full, and nothing is published before that.
Music licence
The director may use your song only to make the video and keeps it confidential until release.
Credits and raw footage
The director’s credit in the video description, delivery of the raw footage and a backup kept for one year.
Releases and permits
Who obtains the releases of the people who appear on camera and the location permits.
Portfolio, festivals and termination
Portfolio use after the release, festival entries with notice, and what happens if the work isn’t delivered, isn’t paid or is cancelled.
When to use it
- You are hiring a director or a photographer for a single, with a budget agreed only in messages
- You are the director and want the deposit, revisions and credit settled before the shoot
- The label or distributor will need proof that the video and the photos are yours
- People who aren’t in the band appear in the video and their releases have to be on file
Before you sign: what to check
- What exactly is delivered: lengths, vertical version, cut-downs and number of photos
- How many rounds of revisions are included and what an extra shooting day costs
- That the rights pass to you on full payment, including the raw footage
- Who pays the production costs and who approves the budget
- Who obtains the releases of the people on camera and the location permits
- How the director is credited, and whether they can enter the video in festivals
What a music video costs and what drives the budget: how much does a music video cost. If you would rather make the video with AI from your song: TONTRIA Motion Studio.
Frequently asked questions
Is the music video contract 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.
Who owns a music video, the artist or the director?
Under this template, the artist, once the fee has been paid in full: the video, the photos and the raw footage. The director keeps the moral rights the law gives them, the credit, and portfolio and festival use after the release.
Do people who appear in the video need to sign a release?
Yes, everyone identifiable on camera other than the artist, and for minors their guardian. The contract says who obtains those releases and the location permits; TONTRIA Law also has a talent release form to send them for e-signature.
Does the contract cover the photo shoot too?
Yes. The same agreement covers the video and the photos of the commission: the photos become yours on full payment and you can use them on artwork, press, merch and promotion. The photographer can’t sell or license them to third parties.
Other templates
Know what you are signing
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