No. 36Release & Reversion
Key Person Clause
Also called key man clause, key executive clause, personal services clause
A clause allowing you to terminate the deal if a specific person, the one who signed you, leaves the label.
Neutral
Key person clauses protect the artist when relationship continuity is at risk, very valuable to negotiate in.
- Appears in
- Recording Agreement, 360 Deal, Publishing Deal
- Topic
- Deal Continuity
- Jurisdiction
- United States
- Reviewed
- July 2026
In plain English
A key person clause names a specific individual (usually the A&R executive who signed the artist) and gives the artist the right to terminate the contract if that person leaves the company. It recognises that the relationship between artist and a specific champion at the label is often the deal's foundation.
Why it matters
Being signed to a label is fundamentally a relationship with the people who signed you. If your A&R leaves, the new team may deprioritise you, give you less support, or actively want to drop you but be contractually prevented from doing so, leaving you in limbo.
Where it can land
The same clause is drafted three ways. These are the positions we see, worst first, so you can tell at a glance which one is in front of you.
- No key person clause at all
- Key person definition is so broad it can never be triggered
- Notice period for termination under key person clause is very long (90+ days)
- Label can satisfy the clause by assigning another executive of equivalent seniority
- Named key person with right to terminate within 30 days if they depart
- Cannot be satisfied by assignment to a different executive without artist consent
The language
The drafting language and the negotiation moves for this clause are part of the workspace.
You have read what the clause means and where the risk sits. The rest is the side-by-side of how it reads when it is against you and when it is not, plus the specific moves that get it there.