A number of studio members have reported that the terms of a new ‘Purchase Order’ presented by the new SONY/BMG company attempts to proscribe any terms & conditions within studio originated contracts.

The APRS have consulted their own lawyers and the legal departments of a number of member studio companies and it seems that the ritual of exchanging contracts or contractual terms has been around for some time. Normal commercial practice would suggest, however, that the supplier of services sets the terms upon which the service is provided. This would suggest that a studio’s contract should have primacy, however, another established ritual recognises the last contract signed as being enforceable.

This development coincides with the imminent publication of the latest revision of the APRS’ standard Terms and Conditions. These guidelines bring up to date the existing T&Cs including new clauses that clarify responsibilities for studio security, cancellations and client responsibilities. The new T&Cs offer a comprehensive guide to the issues that so often arise in the current commercial environment .

Studio members are invited to download a preview version of the new APRS guidelines and to adopt those of its suggested contractual terms as is appropriate for their own purposes. The new T&Cs will be available to members only at the APRS website next week prior to an official launch in a few weeks time.