Loren Weisman Brand Communications and Optics Strategist Orlando, Florida · Working worldwide

Bad Music Contracts and the Artist’s Responsibility

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Loren Weisman

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Bad music contracts are the subject of this Short video for artists, musicians and anyone signing a contract that spends money on them. It might not be a great contract, but if you signed it and you didn’t take the due diligence to look through what you were responsible for, then you made it just as bad.

This video first went up on YouTube on April 28, 2025. The written post was added on November 1, 2026.

Watch on YouTube

Are Bad Music Contracts the Artist’s Fault?

Bad music contracts can hurt artists, and the artist who signs one without the due diligence may share the blame. Taking the responsibility and accountability to see what you are signing and what you are responsible for can matter, in Loren Weisman’s view.

  • Some music contracts may be awful and set up in ways that get artists to spend more money.
  • Signing a contract without looking through what you are responsible for may leave you with an equal share of the blame for a bad deal.
  • With hundreds of thousands or millions of dollars possibly spent on you, reading what you sign can matter.
  • Many artists who got bad contracts may have hurt themselves by what they chose to sign and ignored.

Bad Music Contracts: The Full Transcription

Signing Without the Due Diligence

It might not be a great contract, but if you signed it and you didn’t take the due diligence to look through what you were responsible for, then you made it just as bad. My name is Loren Weisman.

I’m a brand communications and optics strategist. I used to be in the music business.

Awful Contracts and Your Own Responsibility

And I was watching this video with Jelly Roll, and he was explaining how they’re just these awful contracts and they’re set up to screw artists, and it’s getting artists to spend more money here and not realize what they’re doing to my view and the way I saw it, and it might sound a little harsh, but if you’re looking at a contract where millions of dollars, hundreds of thousands of dollars are going to be spent on you and you’re not taking the responsibility and the accountability to see what you’re signing, to see what you’re responsible for, to see what the outcomes of this thing are, then that’s completely on you.

Many artists got some bad contracts, but many of these artists, because of what they chose to sign and ignored, were the ones that screwed themselves over.

Contracts and Deals in My Talks

Investment, raising capital and the realities of deals with publishers and literary agents.

Questions and Answers

Who is responsible for a bad record deal?

Responsibility for a bad record deal can fall on both sides. An artist who signed without the due diligence to see what they were responsible for may carry an equal share of the blame, as Loren Weisman sees it.

What do artists overlook before signing a music contract?

Artists may overlook what they are responsible for and what the outcomes of the contract are. When large sums may be spent on them, reading every term can help them see what they are signing.

Are music industry contracts designed to hurt artists?

Some music industry contracts can be awful and may be set up in ways that hurt artists. Many artists in those deals may still have hurt themselves by what they chose to sign and ignored.

More Videos and the Podcast

Loren Weisman is a Brand Communications and Optics Strategist who specializes in illuminating authoritative intelligence and amplifying authentic experts.

Weisman is the host of the brand communications and optics podcast Wait What Really OK.

© 2011 to 2026 Loren Weisman. All Rights Reserved ® ℗

Bad Music Contracts and the Artist’s Responsibility

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