Collaborations and working with brands

This module explains common practice. It isn't legal or tax advice; have a lawyer review significant agreements and a CA advise on tax.

Collaborating with other artists

A collaboration puts your music in front of another artist's audience, and theirs in front of yours. It works best when:

• The audiences overlap but aren't identical: a Tamil indie artist and a Chennai producer, a classical vocalist and an electronic duo.
• Both of you promote it equally. Agree the content plan before release.
• Everything is agreed in writing first: splits for the song and the recording, credits, who releases it, and how money is shared. Use a split sheet and the collaboration checklist.

Smaller collaborations count too: a duet Reel, a Collab post, a remix, a shared live set, or a feature on each other's playlists.

What brands actually buy

When a brand approaches you, work out which of these they want, because each is priced differently:

Getting brand work

1. Make yourself findable: a business email in your bio, an EPK, and a short media kit with your audience numbers and past work.
2. Pitch brands that already fit: products you use, local businesses in your city, brands sponsoring music in your genre.
3. Lead with an idea: "A Reel series where I write a song about your café's regulars" beats "Do you want to work with me?". Use the brand pitch template.
4. Start local. Cafés, venues, clothing labels and colleges are often more open than national brands.

Pricing

Never price by follower count alone. Consider:

• Deliverables: how many pieces, of what kind, with how many rounds of changes.
• Usage: organic posting on your page only, or paid use by the brand, and for how long.
• Exclusivity: if you can't work with competitors for six months, that's worth paying for.
• Your music: using your song is a separate licence, priced on top.
• Your costs: production, travel, crew and your time.

Write a simple rate card, and quote per project.

What to check in a brand agreement

• Deliverables and deadlines, in detail.
• Approvals: how many rounds of changes, and how fast they'll reply.
• Usage rights: where, for how long, and whether paid ads are included.
• Exclusivity: which competitors, for how long.
• Payment: amount, schedule (ideally part in advance), and the deadline after invoice. Expect TDS to be deducted on many payments, and check GST with your CA.
• Music rights: if your song is used, a clear licence, not a transfer of ownership.
• Cancellation: what you're paid if they cancel.
• Disclosure: that the content will be labelled as required.

See the contracts module and money admin.

Disclosure rules in India

Two sets of rules apply to paid or gifted posts:

• The Department of Consumer Affairs issued "Endorsement Know-hows!" in January 2023 for celebrities, influencers and virtual influencers. Anyone with an audience who endorses a product must disclose a material connection with the brand.
• The Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) has guidelines for influencer advertising on digital media, first issued in 2021.

In practice:

• A material connection includes payment, free products, discounts, gifts, trips and other benefits.
• Use a clear label such as "Ad", "Advertisement", "Sponsored", "Collaboration" or "Partnership".
• Put it up front, where people see it without tapping "more", not hidden among hashtags.
• On videos and live streams, disclose in both audio and video.
• Don't endorse anything you haven't used or checked.
• Use Instagram's paid partnership label as well, where available.

Your checklist

1. Make a list of five artists to collaborate with this year.
2. Put a business email in your bio, and build an EPK and media kit.
3. Write a simple rate card.
4. Get every collaboration and brand deal in writing.
5. Label every paid or gifted post clearly.