Artist agreements / Recording consent
Consent to record a live performance
Every corporate event has a phone in the front row and a social team that wants a reel. This one page settles who may post what, before the performer walks on.
For education only. Not legal advice.
For education only. This template is general information, not legal or tax advice, and not a lawyer-drafted document. C4E Talent is a talent agency, not a law firm, and using this template does not create a lawyer-client relationship with anyone. Law and tax rules change and differ by state and country. Have a lawyer or chartered accountant review it for your situation before anyone signs. You use it at your own risk.
Written by C4E Talent, a talent management agency in Mumbai. Updated 28 October 2026.
The short answer
A performance recording consent says what an organiser may record of a live act, where the recording may be used and for how long, how the performer is credited, what edits are allowed, whether the recording may be used to train AI or clone the performer's voice, and how the performer can ask for a clip to come down. This template covers it in 8 clauses.
- Who signs
- The performer and the event organiser or client who wants to record.
- When
- Before the event, or on the day before the set. Never after.
- Length
- 8 clauses, each with a plain-English note
- Formats
- Word and PDF. Free, no sign-up.
The agreement, clause by clause
Each clause reads as it does in the download. Fill the [BLANKS], and where a line starts with ☐, keep the option you want and strike the rest.
Who and what
1.1[PERFORMER NAME OR STAGE NAME] (the "Performer") performs at [EVENT] on [DATE] at [VENUE, CITY], organised by [ORGANISER NAME] (the "Organiser").
What may be recorded
☐ Photos only.
☐ Video and sound of [THE FULL PERFORMANCE / UP TO [NUMBER] MINUTES].
☐ Sound only.
2.1Recording is by the Organiser's crew. Guests' phone recordings are outside the Organiser's control, but the Organiser will ask guests not to record the full performance.
2.2The Performer confirms that any music, video or other material in the performance is the Performer's own or cleared for recording, or will tell the Organiser in writing before the Event which parts are not, so the Organiser can mute or cut them.
Where it may be used
☐ Internal use only, within the Organiser's organisation.
☐ Clips of up to [60] seconds on the Organiser's own social channels.
☐ The full recording on [PLATFORM],
☐ public
☐ unlisted.
☐ In paid advertising, for a fee of [AMOUNT].
3.1No other use, and no sale or licence of the recording to anyone else, without the Performer's further written consent.
Credit
4.1Every public post will credit the Performer as [NAME AND HANDLE].
Edits
5.1The Organiser may trim the recording for length, but will not edit it in a way that changes the meaning of a joke or line, or combine it with other material that misrepresents the Performer.
No AI training or voice cloning
6.1The Organiser will not use the recording, or allow it to be used, to train an AI model, or to generate the Performer's voice, face or style.
How long, and taking it down
7.1The Organiser may use the recording as agreed for [12 MONTHS / AS LONG AS IT REMAINS POSTED].
7.2The Performer may ask in writing for a clip to be taken down. The Organiser will remove it from its own channels within [7] days if the request is reasonable, such as a clip that is out of context.
Payment
☐ The uses above are included in the performance fee.
☐ The Organiser pays [AMOUNT] for the uses above, in addition to the performance fee.
Signed by: Performer; Organiser. The download has signature, name and date lines for each.
Take the agreement with you
Consent to Record a Live Performance: Word to edit, PDF to print. Blanks are highlighted.
Law and tax notes
India
Under the Copyright Act 1957, a performer has the exclusive right to record their live performance and to broadcast or communicate it to the public (section 38A), for 50 years (section 38). The performer also keeps moral rights (section 38B): to be named, and to stop a distortion that harms their reputation. Trimming for length is not a distortion, which is what clause 5 allows. This form is the consent, with its limits written in.
UAE
The UAE has its own law on copyright and neighbouring rights, Federal Decree-Law No. 38 of 2021. If the event is in Dubai or elsewhere in the UAE, have a UAE lawyer confirm the performer's rights there before relying on this form.
Questions people ask
Can a company record a comedian's show at its event?
Only with the performer's consent. Under section 38A of the Copyright Act 1957, recording or broadcasting a live performance needs the performer's consent. This form records that consent and its limits.
Can we post clips of the performance on social media?
If the performer agrees. A common term is clips of up to 60 seconds on the company's own channels, crediting the performer by handle.
Should the performer be paid extra for a recording?
Short social clips are usually part of the fee. A full set posted publicly, or use in an advertisement, is normally paid separately.
The other templates
- Artist booking agreement · The client (a company, an event agency or a family) and the artist, or the agency signing for the artist.
- Agency-to-agency booking · The event agency that holds the end client, and the artist's agency. The artist countersigns.
- Artist invoice · The artist, or the agency that contracted the gig, sends it to the client.
- Artist management agreement · The artist and the manager or agency.
- Artist listing agreement · The artist and the agency or site that lists them.
- Confidentiality letter · The artist signs it and gives it to the client.