Deal review and negotiation: brand, recording, management
A recording agreement assigns the master to a label for a term and territory. A brand deal moves the right to use your name. A management contract moves decision-making. In most deals, what each document moves is negotiable, but only if you know which pieces are in play before the contract lands on the table.
What the deal moves
A standard recording agreement assigns the master, the sound recording itself, to the label for a defined term and territory, or grants a long-term license over it. The composition stays separate unless a broader clause folds it in. Watch for wide definitions of "master" or "recordings," which some templates use to pull in publishing rights by default rather than by negotiation. Brand and management agreements follow the same pattern: each right moves only if the contract says so.
Where the leverage sits
The difference between an assignment and a license changes what you own for years. A worldwide, permanent assignment of the master gives the label control without end. A five-year license for Southeast Asia leaves far more on the table to renegotiate or reclaim later. Term, territory, and ownership move independently in every deal, and none of it has a standard answer. Working through those questions before signing, rather than after, decides whether the catalogue still belongs to you in ten years.