Contract's about touring

[Manuel1975]

Hi There,

 

In 2011 I'm touring for a Dutch DJ. Its my first tour and I'm doing lighting and visuals. The client has prepared a contract which is full of errors and I'm gettin nervous. Can you Guys tell what the essentials topics are?

 

Kind regards,

 

Manuel

[Brian]

I see that you are based in Amsterdam and the contract is issued by a Dutch company. UK contract law will be different, especially around employment and taxation, so any advice you receive here ought to be checked by your own accountant and lawyer.

[gareth]

Brian's quite right about Dutch contract and employment law probably being quite different from that in the UK, so having it checked out by local professionals will be far more useful than getting informal advice from people in a different country.

 

That said, it would be interesting to know what you consider these "errors" to be - there might be something that someone is able to help you with ...

[ramdram]

Presume you have an entertainments union or guild or similar? I would suggest they are the first port of call. They must have "local" knowledge and a far better grasp of Dutch law than "we" have. "We" being anyone not living in Holland, ** laughs out loud **.

 

Failing that, a chat with a Dutch contracts lawyer with experience in such areas as entertainment. Would you be touring outside Holland for example??? Might be all sorts of local rules and regs you would be wise to research before putting your signature to any contract.

 

The only prob there tho'...will your employer sign a contract not written by himself?

[Manuel1975]

Hi All,

 

Its a worldwide thing. We will going abroad on and off trough 2011. Im asking for general pointers. For instance: what should I ask for the days when im not working but abroad and thus can not do other projects.

 

Its for a dutch DJ with British management. The manager made some errors in the figures department. We agreed for a certain dayprice and he entered completely other (far lower) figures in the draft of the contract.

 

Thanks again!

[charlyfarly]

Hi All,

 

Its a worldwide thing. We will going abroad on and off trough 2011. Im asking for general pointers. For instance: what should I ask for the days when im not working but abroad and thus can not do other projects.

Mileage varies on this one but as far as I'm concerned when on tour I get full pay on a day off...I'm not available to pursue other work if I'm out of my home country. Management try and wriggle on this one and a lot only offer half a days pay. Per diems (PD's) are another area too; some tours offer it every day on the road but in todays financial climate they are being increasingly offered on days off only, the argument being that you are usually offered tour catering / meal buyout money on work days. Managers see it as no more than "pocket money" that is frittered away on booze etc. :** laughs out loud **:

 

Its for a dutch DJ with British management. The manager made some errors in the figures department. We agreed for a certain dayprice and he entered completely other (far lower) figures in the draft of the contract.

Definitely get this looked at by a third party for advice or bring it up with the management yourself. It is perfectly reasonable to do so. So many contractual problems occur because the small print is not looked at or wording is confusing.

Negotiate! You are offering a service and need to find common ground that is acceptable to both parties!

 

Hope this helps.

[son of lx dad]

You should be paid for every single day you are on the tour at full rate. They have booked you for a certain length of time and how they choose to use you in that time is their problem not yours. You should get full pd's for every day you are booked including travel days. Very simple. Straight forward. Its always been have me on that basis or not at all, for me.

[charlyfarly]

It would also be prudent to add that Public Liability insurance is a must if you are flying stuff in the air or to cover any damage to equipment or third parties.

Also please make sure you are covered by adequate Travel/Medical Insurance. In the UK there is a reciprical agreement with EU countries to cover basic medical help if you had a sprain or something but not necessarily for major medical problems and certainly not for repatriation back to your home country for ongoing treatment.

[scjb]

Agree with Son and Charley. You should be billing at your day rate for every day you are away and not available to work a day for someone else. This may include the travel days at the start and end of the tour too!

 

PD's are getting harder and harder to come by, but they ought to be paid for every day you are away from home.

 

Sorry if this is a "me too" post, but these are important points!

[sleepytom]

Agreed

You should certainly aim for full pay for all days including travel days + days "off".

PDs for all days should be standard too

 

Hotel rooms - on a cheap tour they will want you to share rooms. Having your own room is far preferable if you can get them to agree to it. Make sure they are providing accommodation or a tour bus to sleep on for all show / travel days. Finishing load-out at 5am to sit in the back of a splitter for 4 hours before you do the next gig will quickly cause insanity!

 

Djs are great ones for being looked after well themselves but abandoning their crew. This is always worse on a small tour than a big one. If there is no tour catering then make sure your meals are in your contract and beware of the danger of the DJ + TM going out for sushi whilst you have to load-in / build the show!

 

Payment terms are also important, more so for long tours than short ones. Try to get them to pay you frequently (weekly / fortnightly) rather than at the end of the tour. PDs should be in cash on a daily basis. Make sure you get them each day.

 

If your providing equipment then you need to be very clear about insurance, and liability in case of failure.