Your Pre-Signing Checklist
You do not need a law degree to avoid the worst deals. You need a short list of questions you ask every single time, before your signature touches anything.
The short answer: before you sign, get clear answers to four things — how long it lasts, who owns what when it ends, exactly how the money works, and how you get out. If the other side will not put those answers in writing, that is your answer. And for anything big, have a real lawyer read it first.
The questions to ask every time
- Term & renewal. How long does this last? Does it auto-renew? What is the exact date and window to cancel?
- Rights granted. What am I giving — a license or ownership? Which songs/recordings, and which territories? Just this project, or my catalog and future work?
- Ownership at the end. When this is over, do I still own my masters and my publishing?
- The money. What is the exact split, in numbers? Who pays whom, and when? What is recoupable, and what counts as an expense?
- The exit. How do I leave? What happens to my music, my data, and my links if I do?
- Everything in writing. Is every promise someone made out loud actually in this document? If it is not written, it does not exist.
When to stop and get a real lawyer
Some deals you can read carefully and handle. Others need a professional before you sign — the stakes are simply too high to guess. Get an attorney when:
The golden rule
Never sign under pressure, and never sign what you do not understand. "I need to have someone look at this first" is a complete, professional sentence. Anyone who gets angry that you want to read a contract is telling you exactly why you should.
This is general education, not legal advice — Done Deal Digital is not a law firm. The right move always depends on your exact deal, your state, and the wording in front of you. Before you sign anything, run it past a qualified music attorney.
That's the short version
Ask the right questions every time — and know when to call a lawyer
The full chapter in What’s Legal & What’s Not gives you the complete, printable pre-signing checklist, the clause-by-clause questions in plain English, and the exact thresholds where a quick lawyer review pays for itself many times over.
Get the Guide — $39 →11 chapters · instant PDF · checked against the real law.