Member Benefits

AudioUK Legal & Business Affairs  Scheme

Member Discounts

Membership: fees and joining

AudioUK Legal & Business Affairs Scheme

As a full AudioUK Member, you will be entitled to access to our legal services scheme, which includes access to 26 standard contracts free of charge; a range of member discounts; and you will be kept up-to-date with new business opportunities.

You will also be supporting our work to grow new markets and achieve further success in the policy arena, building on our previous sucesses such as opening up the BBC to more competition from external producers, convincing the government to provide funding for us set up the Audio Content Fund and also winning funding to establish our Audiotrain programme.

You will also have the opportunity to take part in our policy-making processes and to work with us to expand our organisation – for example if you are based outside London you could set up a regional group.

We’ve outlined in more detail below some of our services – if you have any questions please do get in touch by mailing admin@audiouk.org.uk.

AudioUK member companies have access to a bespoke legal and business affairs services scheme.

This will help a production company avoid the following:

 * Spending hours updating contracts

* Spending £250-350 per hour for basic legal advice

* Spending time explaining standard contract terms with agents

* Having to seek legal advice from lawyers with no broadcast experience

AudioUK’s legal and business affairs support is provided by Mint & Co, a dynamic legal and business affairs company assisting clients in the TV, audio, digital, animation, immersive and branded content sectors. From contract preparation/negotiation to content/IP strategy, rights advice, content compliance and more, Mint provides a personal ‘in house’ style service for its clients. 

If you are an AudioUK member, you will be able to secure an initial free consultation on any legal and business affairs matter. If you need further support, then Mint will be able to assist at a special discounted rate which AudioUK has agreed with them. Please note that AudioUK has allocated a finite amount of annual budget for free consultations – we therefore request that members use this service responsibly and to note that AudioUK will monitor the service to ensure this benefit is spread across the membership.

Mint & Co will be able to help you with the following:

• Support on all project contracts of all genres, from development through toproduction, including freelancer agreements, talent and artist agreements, access agreements, recording location agreements, co-developments and co-productions when collaborating with others, music licencing and music clearances, sponsor agreements, brand-funded commissions, platform and broadcaster commissioning agreements

• BBC Terms of Trade and guild agreements

• Questions related to all AudioUK Templates Pack agreements

• IP strategy and rights exploitation – licensing/assignment/distributor agreements, optioning for TV, development slate investment/first look deals

• Ancillary rights exploitation – agreements re games/merch/music/clip licensing

• Light content compliance advice – copyright, fair dealing, contributor consents, privacy, defamation

• Third Party Materials clearance – e.g. optioning underlying rights, e.g. books/plays, clearing archive material

• Data Protection advice and policies and procedures

• Employment related advice (pre claim)

Standard Industry Contracts

As well as quality advice, AudioUK provides unique industry standard draft contracts for engaging artists, producers etc. These contracts recognise the unique requirements of the independent producer when dealing with talent. Currently there are 29 standard contracts available to Legal and Business Affairs Scheme members via the Members-Only area of this website.

• Contributor agreement (fee)
• Contributor agreement (no fee)                                                                                                                  
• Materials release (fee)
• Materials release (no fee)
• Location agreement (no fee)
• Location agreement (fee), eg studio hire for recording
• Musician (non MU buyout)
• Talent agreement (individual)
• Talent agreement (service company)
• Producer (individual)
• Producer (service company)
• Director (individual)
• Director (service company)
• Reporter (contractor individual)
• Researcher (contractor individual)
• Researcher (worker with holiday)
• Writer (individual)
• Writer (service company)
• Freelancer (1 week + individual)
• Freelancer (less than 1 week individual)
• Freelancer (1 week + service company)
• Freelancer (less than one week service company)
• AudioUK Partnership Template
• Musician
• Author
• Writer
• Actor
• Contributor Privacy Notice
• Freelancer Crew & Supplier Privacy Notice
• Non-Disclosure Agreement

If you wish to access our legal and business affairs service you need to contact admin@audiouk.org.uk and we can then refer you to Mint & Co once we have verified you as a member.

Member Discounts

AudioUK has negotiated a series of discounted available only to members. To take advantage of these, members can email admin@audiouk.org.uk for your discount code.

Member discounts include:

• Discounts on many AudioUK events, including the Audio Production Awards
• Primary Membership of The Radio Academy at just £15 per year, giving access to substantial discounts on events and awards 
• a 15% discount on a subscription to Broadcast magazine

   

Members also benefit from recommended suppliers, such as business services including Health and Safety advice from WeDoHR.

HR Documents

Membership: fees and joining

Full membership is open to production companies – including registered sole traders, partnerships and limited companies – making audio content on a professional basis.

Associate membership is open at the discretion of the Board to anyone who wishes to be kept informed of AudioUK’s activities, including freelancers, students, academics and others with an interest in audio production who may not qualify for full membership. Associates receive our general membership emails, but do not have voting rights or access to benefits such as the legal services scheme.

The current fees for full membership, which includes the Legal Scheme, are as follows (from 1st July 2018):

Associate membership is £126 per annum for each individual, and is open to those who would not otherwise be eligible to join – freelancers, individuals and people who are interested in keeping up with the work of AudioUK. You do not get access to any of the membership benefits, but will receive the monthly bulletin. 

The membership year runs from July 1st to June 30th the following year. New members joining through the year are charged pro rata.

To Join

To apply to join AudioUK, please email us directly: admin@audiouk.org.uk.