I broke my arm & elbow in a kayaking accident a couple of weeks ago.
Yeah, it's a drag but I feel pretty lucky it's only my arm (you should
see my helmet!). Needless to say, it's sort of curtailed my harp
playing! Fortunately, I don't have any gigs until mid-March and I'm
still able to give lessons. But the incident has got me to thinking
about contracts.
We use contracts to establish important details, to make sure clients
get exactly what they want, and to keep from being taken advantage of by
(frankly) flaky and disorganized people. I *always* use contracts-I
have a wedding contract, one for lessons, and one for "general" gigs.
What if you have a contract to provide services and something happens to
you, rendering you unable to perform? Don't you ever wonder what would
happen if you contracted to supply music at a wedding and you got in a
car accident on the way to the church? Or you get the flu the night
before a gig? Obviously, you would refund the deposit, etc... but are
you liable for anything else? What if something happens a couple of
weeks before the gig and you have to refer the client to someone else
who charges more...or can't find anyone else?
Is there something that should be put in a contract regarding these
eventualities? I'd appreciate anyone's thoughts on the matter!
Thanks-
Jo Christensen