Self-Producing Your Album? Choose the Right AFM Sound Recording Agreement

September 1, 2026

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by Jamie Vespa, Electronic Media Services Division Contracts Compliance Manager

Although it can seem daunting at first, recording your own album is an extremely rewarding experience. The AFM is here to help by offering protective sound recording agreements for you and the musicians you hire. (Please note, the agreements described here are intended for musicians who are self-producing an album for release to streaming platforms and physical sales. They are not meant to cover symphonic or theatrical productions.)

After signing and recording your album, you may contact the AFM to announce your release in the International Musician. To submit your recording, visit: www.internationalmusician.org/new-releases.

First, it’s important to establish who will own the copyright to the recording (a.k.a. the “master record”). If you’ve signed a record deal where the label will own the master, contact your AFM local for assistance since the label may already be signatory to the Sound Recording Labor Agreement.

If you’ll be self-producing and self-releasing your album and you’ll own the master, one of the agreements below could be the perfect fit.

The Joint Venture Agreement was created for self-producing bands whose members will share ownership of the master. This agreement can also be utilized by a solo musician self-producing and self-releasing their album. The band or solo artist would sign the Joint Venture Agreement with the local where the recording sessions are taking place. There is no employer and no money due for releasing the album. Rather, if a song from the album is licensed for use in a new medium (for example, a commercial), the licensee (ad agency in this case) would need to file the applicable AFM agreement and make payments to each person who signed the Joint Venture Agreement.

If there are any instrumentalists on a recording who will not own a portion of the master, this agreement wouldn’t be appropriate. Keep reading to find an agreement to better suit your project.

The Limited Pressing Agreement is a work-for-hire agreement intended for independent artists who are employing instrumentalists and don’t expect to sell more than 10,000 copies in the US or 3,000 copies in Canada. In 2023, the AFM updated the agreement to account for digital downloads and streams. One download of a song is equal to one full album sold, and 1,500 streams across digital service providers (DSPs) also count as one album sold. The AFM established a minimum hourly rate of $60 in the US and $50 in Canada for working under the Limited Pressing Agreement, but you should contact your local for specifics on pricing in case its executive board has established higher rates in your area. Like other AFM agreements, each instrumentalist is entitled to the minimum scale wages (established by the local) and pension benefits.

If the instrumentalists are recording overdubs in their home studios on a pre-existing track, you could cover their work under the Single Song Overdub Agreement. Payment is on a sliding scale with a minimum of $100 per song.

The Demo Agreement is intended to cover sound recordings that will not be shared publicly but rather via a password-protected link for the purpose of obtaining work. Instrumentalists are entitled to receive at least the minimum hourly rates established by the local where the sessions are being held as well as pension benefits. If audio from a demo session is uploaded to a DSP or pressed for sale, the project should be upgraded to either the Limited Pressing Agreement or Sound Recording Labor Agreement.

If you know you’ll be hiring instrumentalists for your project and suspect you may reach the 10,000 (US) or 3,000 (Canada) thresholds, you should consider signing the Sound Recording Labor Agreement (SRLA). You can do so on a per-project basis via the Single Project Short Form LOA or you could opt into becoming a full-term signatory, meaning all your sessions and projects upon signing would be covered. The SRLA is the costliest AFM sound recording agreement, but you can apply for low-budget status, if the all-in budget for the project is under $99,000. In addition to wages, pension, and health and welfare benefits, SRLA instrumentalists receive residuals from the Sound Recording Special Payments Fund. For more info on the fund, please visit their website: www.sound-recording.org.

Resources and Next Steps

The AFM Electronic Media Services Division (EMSD) has created toolkits to help guide you through the sound recording agreements as well as recording contracts for use in other media. Please visit the EMSD Resource Center in the “Our Musicians” tab of the AFM website: www.afm.org/recording-and-digital-media/. Copies and templates of the Joint Venture, Single Song Overdub, Limited Pressing, and Demo agreements can be found in the “Document Library” of the AFM.org member section. For more information on these agreements, please contact your local or EMSD.

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