What Is a 360 Deal and When Should Independent Artists Consider One?
What is a 360 deal? It can give a label or partner a share of multiple defined income streams, including recording, live, merchandise, publishing, or brand work. Learn how to compare services, rights, costs, accounting, term, existing agreements, approvals, and exit before signing.
The short answer
A 360 deal gives a label or partner a share of more than recorded-music income, but the name has no fixed scope. Map each category, service, cost, approval, accounting rule, term, and exit. For example, a partner seeking merchandise or live income should identify the work it adds. Have qualified music counsel review the proposal and existing agreements before signing.
Three things to know
- 01
A 360 label does not define the scope; the contract must identify each covered income stream, right, cost, approval, and accounting rule.
- 02
Broader participation should be compared with specific partner work, investment, evidence, and remedies in the same category.
- 03
Existing touring, merchandise, publishing, management, brand, or sync agreements can overlap, so qualified music counsel should map conflicts before signature.
How should artists map a 360 proposal?
Match every category of partner participation with the work, evidence, cost, control, and exit terms offered in return.
Recorded music
Recording, release, distribution, marketing, promotion, accounting, and master exploitation where defined.
- Artist keeps
- Evidence should include budgets, delivery, campaign work, statements, approvals, and unresolved issues.
- Risk
- Master rights, options, recoupment, exclusivity, and cross-collateralization can affect other categories.
- Best fit
- What binding work and investment justify the recording rights and income requested?
Live and merchandise
Tour support, booking coordination, production, manufacturing, sales, logistics, or sponsorship work where included.
- Artist keeps
- Evidence should separate gross receipts, direct costs, partner work, artist operations, inventory, and settlement statements.
- Risk
- A share can attach to activity the artist or another partner already creates and funds.
- Best fit
- Which live or merchandise work does the partner own, fund, approve, and report?
Publishing, sync, and brand
Song administration, licensing, pitching, brand introductions, negotiation, or rights clearance where defined.
- Artist keeps
- Evidence should identify submissions, negotiations, licences, registrations, conflicts, collections, and approvals.
- Risk
- Existing publisher, administrator, manager, agent, or brand agreements may overlap or conflict.
- Best fit
- Which rights are granted, which existing agreements survive, and who controls each approval?
What is a 360 deal and how does it differ from a standard recording contract?
A 360 agreement allows a label or partner to participate in several defined parts of the artist's business. Those categories may include recorded music, live activity, merchandise, sponsorships, publishing, or licensing, but the written grant controls. A narrower recording or services agreement may cover fewer areas. Compare every covered right and income source with the partner obligation, cost, approval, accounting rule, term, and exit that applies to it.
What income streams might a 360 proposal include?
The written proposal controls the categories, and there is no universal 360 package. The Musicians' Union describes the structure as reaching beyond a conventional recording deal into areas such as management, live shows, and merchandise. A proposal may also define publishing, sync, brand, or other licensing income, but those grants must be stated rather than assumed. List each category, the percentage or calculation base, deductions, approvals, accounting, service obligation, and end date. Check every category against existing publisher, manager, agent, venue, merchandise, or brand agreements before treating it as available to grant.
What should artists receive in return for broader rights in a 360 deal?
The core question is what the label is actually doing to justify participation in income it would not otherwise touch. If a label offers tour support, merchandise infrastructure, endorsement introductions, or sync pitching in addition to recording and distribution support, a 360 structure can reflect a broader services arrangement. For example, if the artist already books shows and fulfills merchandise orders, ask what new work, funding, access, or measurable obligation the partner adds in those categories. Evaluate each income category separately before agreeing to participation.
How do 360 deals compare to traditional record deals for independent artists?
Do not assume a traditional record deal, label-services offer, management agreement, or 360 proposal has a fixed market shape. Put the actual agreements side by side. For example, a label that only delivers and promotes recordings should explain why it seeks participation in touring or merchandise before those categories are included. A Velveteen Records deal-scope review separates recorded music, touring, merchandise, publishing, licensing, brand work, data, approvals, costs, and accounting so a broad clause cannot hide inside a familiar deal name. The artist's existing contracts and team also matter.
What questions should artists ask before agreeing to a 360 structure?
Before agreeing to any 360 structure, ask which income streams are included and at what percentage. Ask what specific services the label is providing in exchange for participation in each category. Ask whether the percentages apply from the first dollar or after a recoupment threshold. Ask how long the agreement lasts and what happens to those rights when the deal ends. Ask whether there is an audit right so you can verify the income reported to you. These questions help clarify whether the deal structure is proportional to the services being delivered. Consult a qualified music attorney before signing.
When does a 360 deal make financial sense and when does it not?
Evaluate each category as a separate exchange. List what the artist already owns and operates, what the partner will fund or deliver, what evidence proves the work, which costs are recovered, which income is shared, and how the category exits. A broad deal deserves extra scrutiny when the artist already has working touring, merchandise, publishing, management, brand, or licensing infrastructure. Counsel should test overlap and proportionality.
What should artists do when existing agreements overlap?
Map the proposed grant against every manager, booking, publisher, merchandise, brand, sync, and financing agreement before negotiating. For example, a label's live-income clause may overlap with an agent's commission or a manager's authority even if the proposal uses different wording. Record which party controls approvals, receives money, pays costs, and reports activity in each category. Ask qualified music counsel to resolve conflicts before any broad rights grant is signed.
How this 360-deal guide is grounded
Practical notes
- A deal-scope review should map every income and rights category to specific partner work, evidence, cost, approval, accounting, and exit terms.
- This guide avoids universal percentages and market-history claims because the current written agreement and the artist's existing contracts control the decision.
- The page is educational, not legal or financial advice. Qualified specialist counsel should review overlapping rights and obligations.
Source notes
- Musicians' Union, Record Label Contracts & Agreements, including its 360-deal overview and recording-contract questions, accessed August 5, 2026: https://musiciansunion.org.uk/working-performing/recording-and-broadcasting/working-as-a-recording-artist/record-label-contracts-agreements
- Musicians' Union, Standard Contracts & Contract Templates for Musicians, accessed August 5, 2026: https://musiciansunion.org.uk/legal-money/contracts-and-agreements/standard-contracts
Frequently asked questions
- Are 360 deals standardized?
- No. Treat the name as shorthand only. The covered rights, income, services, costs, approvals, term, accounting, and exit depend on the written agreement.
- Can I negotiate out of a 360 clause in a label deal?
- Whether specific 360 provisions are negotiable depends on the label and the context of the deal. Some elements may be negotiable while others are not. A qualified music attorney can advise you on which clauses are typically negotiable and what alternatives exist.
- Does a 360 deal affect my publishing rights?
- It can, depending on the terms. Some 360 deals include a share of publishing income, which would overlap with any separate publishing arrangement. Always confirm whether the deal explicitly includes or excludes publishing royalties and how that interacts with any existing publishing agreements.
- How should artists compare percentages in a 360 deal?
- Do not rely on a universal percentage. For example, compare a merchandise or live-income share with who funds inventory, adds bookings, handles settlements, or supplies reporting. Review the rate, calculation base, deductions, recoupment, approvals, term, and service obligation separately for every category.
- Is this guide legal advice?
- No. This guide is educational and intended to help artists understand the structure of 360 deals before they speak with an attorney. Nothing here should be treated as legal advice. Always consult a qualified music attorney before signing any agreement that includes rights to your income streams.
- Can an existing manager, agent, or publisher agreement conflict with a 360 deal?
- Yes, it can overlap. Compare the proposed rights, income definitions, approvals, commissions, costs, term, and reporting rules with every existing agreement, then ask qualified music counsel to resolve conflicts before signing.