Music Business/Law Tips - "Work For Hire" Demo

If you hire a producer and musicians to help you create a demo you are singing on, you need anyone who is making a contribution to the masters (i.e., producers, mixers, engineers, session musicians) to sign a form saying they are working for you on a "work for hire" basis and that you own and control the masters 100% without restriction (so you can pitch and license or transfer/sell the masters freely without any third party claims). Normally someone would sign a work for hire form because you have compensated them in some way like a fee, royalties on sales, and/or a credit.