35+ Sample Company Performance Contract Templates

What Is a Performance Contract?

According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, performance is the execution of a particular action. A performance contract ensures that the delivery of action meets a company, a manager, or a businessman’s expectations. It is an agreement between a performer and his/her boss or clientele. Most often, there are penalties if a performer doesn’t meet the standards of an employer or a client under a performance agreement. In large corporations, managers use this contract as a tool to improve an employee’s work performance. In partnerships, business partners use a performance agreement document to define both their roles in the partnership. In entertainment, companies use this contract to employ entertainers for office parties or special events. Additionally, performers or venue owners use this written agreement during weddings, shows, concerts, family reunions, etc. In the entertainment industry, you can also call a performance contract as an entertainment contract, a music performance contract, or a band contract.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, in 2018, about 187,600 musicians and singers were employed.

In the same year, 21,200 dancers and choreographers had jobs as performers.

Looking at the big picture, Statista reports that the worth of the entertainment and media market worldwide reached about $678 billion in 2018.

Qualities You Can Find in Great Performers

Entertainers usually do their job for the money, but great performers are more than that. Exceptional entertainers have qualities that influence the community, their audiences, and even their inner circles. So, here are the qualities of great performers.

They are happy for the victory of others. Successful teams in sports win because most of their great players sacrifice their egos to build up others. Great performers value the meaning of cooperation. Note that popular TV series, extraordinary theatre productions, and remarkable films have actors who know how to cooperate and work as a team. So, be glad for the success of your co-performers and value those who work behind the curtains if you are a performer yourself.They seek novelty. Novelty is often associated with attention disorders, drug abuse, and gambling. According to doctors, seeking novelty is a trait that keeps an individual happy and healthy as he/she ages. If an individual, who is a performer, uses this trait rightly, then it will reflect in his/her creativity as an entertainer. To truly succeed, one must be able to control one’s impulses while opening his/her mind to something new.They are passionate. Whether you’re a singer, dancer, or an artist who is passionate about your job, you’ll find it difficult to distinguish between life and work. That is because you also consider your job as your life. Exceptional performers look for ways to include their family and friends in their work instead of neglecting their service. They make sure that their hobbies, interests, and values are part of their daily work life. Think of members of a boy band who are brothers by blood and have parents as their managers. So, if it is possible, employ your family members and enjoy life to the fullest.They are empathic. Entertainers must attempt to create something new to fulfill a need or solve a problem. An empathic performer knows how to put him/herself in the shoes of another. Remarkable performers first imagine themselves as audiences before they go live. For artists, success depends on what their audiences think about them.They want to prove themselves. Many performers have a deep desire to prove those people who didn’t believe in them. It can be brothers who laughed at their talents, parents who didn’t approve of their chosen paths, or friends who beat you with natural aptitudes. These things motivate a great performer. Extraordinary performers drive themselves with these motivating factors and prove themselves as true entertainers in the end.They go beyond the work norm. Though studies report that working for more than 40 hours per week can lessen productivity, successful entrepreneurs work more to fight their competitors. The same is true with performers. They want more bookings, more concerts, more contract offers, etc. They go beyond the norm and toil until they reach their goals.They use their money wisely. We see a lot of famous actors buying a dozen cars, purchasing private planes, spending thousands of dollars for a branded bag, and more. Great entertainers don’t use money just for themselves. They give a portion back to the community that helped them. They influence and make an impact in the lives of others. We all know Angelina Jolie for adopting orphans and giving them a brighter future.They are not too proud of themselves. In social media platforms, people tend to praise themselves with their own words. It’s easy to display all your accomplishments and wise words with just one click on Facebook. Entertainers or performers, especially, have to do those things to promote themselves. Typical performers only seek for promotion, but great performers recognize the help they get from their mentors. They ask questions, seek advice, and acknowledge the efforts of others.They value dignity more than success. An entertainer who is in touch with reality knows that success comes and goes, but respect lasts for a lifetime. The recognition you gain from your audience is a reflection of your performance. Also, the admiration you get from those who labor with you backstage is a mirror of your attitude towards them. Moreover, commendation your client has for you is the outcome of your sincerity in service.

How To Become a Better Performer

An entertainer survives by signing more performer contracts because performing is what he/she does for a living. Whether you are doing a dance performance, a music concert, or a theatrical act, you must give your best shot in all your arrangements. With that said, here are the steps to become a better performer.

Step 1: Ask Yourself the Reason Why You are Performing

Why are you performing? Your reason for doing what you are doing will reflect on your performance. Every singer, dancer, or actor has a reason for doing their jobs. It can be for money, for fame, for the audience, or a good cause. Your reason for performing is a motivating factor that will help you become comfortable with what you are doing. So, ask the question over and over again, and you’ll see what resonates within you.

Step 2: Always Prepare Before Getting on Stage

Performers can still get nervous even when they know they’ve prepared. How much more tension will someone get when he/she doesn’t even prepare? Therefore, as a performer, you must be more than a hundred percent prepared to overcome your anxiety on stage. By giving your all in practice, you will be able to show your best talent to your audiences. Practice everything, every detail of what you are going to do on stage.

Step 3: Understand Your Material

You must relate to the music you are singing or dancing if you are a singer or a dancer. That is how you connect with the crowd who got all their eyes on you. For example, a wedding band must choose the right songs for the wedding reception, which couples can relate to. Another example is in musicals, where every actor’s understanding of his script helps his audience correctly interpret the character.

Step 4: Deal With Your Insecurities

Insecurities will always be present when one performs, especially in huge events. Insecurities are like energy. They are forces that directly affect the way one performs. If that energy says that you’re not a good performer, you will probably do a poor performance if you believe your nerves. Therefore, transform your insecurities into excitement. One good example is a public speaker who makes long speeches for his audience. His strategy is to tell the crowd that he is nervous before he makes his speech; this statement then gives him more confidence. Also, he tells his audience that he is excited as well. Just those two statements changed the speaker’s nerves and gave him more enthusiasm in speaking.

Step 5: Do What You Have to Do

It will be pointless to master all the four steps above without doing what you have to do. You have to perform, even if your mind tells you that you don’t have any place to perform. Look for entrepreneurs, company owners, or individuals who need your service. Once you’re an established performer, your clients will spread the word for you. That is if you do your part well under a performance contract.

What is a live performance contract?

A live performance contract is an agreement between an artist or a manager and a venue owner who stages the performance. The details of the contract will depend on what the artist is going to perform and where he/she is going to do it. If you are a manager entering into a contract on behalf of an artist, make sure you have the authority to do so under another contract. When a manager arranges a gig, and a problem arises, a contract will protect him from being accused as the source of the problem. The problem may be the artist or the venue owner him/herself. The manager is only the middleman.

What does a performance guarantee mean?

Generally, a performance guarantee is a term people use in the construction industry. A performance guarantee is an independent contractor’s promise to finish a particular project. It is a document that legally binds a contractor to perform his obligations. Typically, a bank or an insurance company issues this document to the employer on account of the independent contractor. A performance guarantee gives the employer assurance that a contract will meet his project deadlines on the set timeline. So, if a contractor breaches the contract, he will have to repay the employer for the damages done.

Why use a performance contract?

Venue owners or event managers usually use a contract to spell out the performance conditions to the entertainer. Note that performers or their agencies can also use the document. For example, a soloist singer can use a performance agreement to show the conditions and terms of his/her performance to a client. Other freelancers who can also use this contract are artists, bands, clowns, DJs, dancers, and magicians. Moreover, venues for entertainment can also use this contract to schedule performances, manage cancellations, and protect themselves from contingencies.

A performance contract is a document that protects the parties involved in it. If you are a manager, a written agreement will protect you when issues arise between a performer and a client. If you are a venue owner, business owner, or an individual who needs the service of an entertainer, a contract will be your means to state your expectations.  If you are a performer, a contract will serve as your ticket to perform.