Code of Practice

This joint Code of Practice between the Association Europénne des Agents Artistiques (AEAA) and the Internation Artist Managers' Association (IAMA) was the initiation of Virginia Braden and Peter Alferink, both former members and Presidents of these associations. It was approved in 2002 and is translated into French, German, Italian, Spanish, Japanese and Chinese and is freely distributed to the membership for their benefit.

The members of the Association recognise that the Articles laid down in this Code of Practice are an expression of their wish to maintain a high ethical standard in all their professional dealings.

Throughout this document, the use of the masculine shall be deemed also to cover the feminine. The term “agent” shall be deemed to cover all companies who are full members of the Association, whether acting as agents or managers.

Article 1

This code of Conduct forms an integral part of the conditions for membership of the Association. All members of the Association agree to abide by this Code.

Article 2

When entering into representation of an artist, the agent is under a duty to confirm their agreement in writing, either in a formal contract or in letter form. The agreement shall be fair and reasonable and shall specify the amount of any commission to be paid to the agent, the agent’s right to commission upon termination, the commissionable activities, any expenses to be reclaimed by the agent from the artist, the applicable territory, any exclusivity, the term and the procedure for termination.

Article 3

An agent shall not state that he acts on behalf of an artist without the artist’s prior approval, or if there is a general manager, without the general manager’s written approval.

Article 4

When an agent is in receipt of money on behalf of an artist, such money should always be properly accounted for and held and distributed in accordance with the governing laws of the country in which the agent is based, unless mutually agreed otherwise in writing.

Article 5

An agent who is acting as a general manager shall not replace a local manager without the prior approval of the artist.

Article 6

When promoting their services, agents will at all times maintain the highest ethical standards and will not harass or pressurise artists. An agent will not make disparaging remarks about another agent to an artist with a view to acquiring the artist’s representation.

Article 7

Where an agent is engaged by an artist to replace another agent, the incoming agent shall use his best endeavours to ensure that the artist honours all reasonable contractual obligations entered into with the outgoing agent. The incoming agent shall not knowingly encourage the artist to break existing agreements, which should only be altered by negotiation and if there is agreement between the parties.

Article 8

An agent should avoid potential conflicts of interest if he undertakes work (for example as promoter, programming consultant or for competitions) that would influence his activities as an agent or his loyalty towards his artists.

Article 9

Any split of commissions between agents should be agreed upon in writing in advance.

Article 10

When an agent has been asked for information about an artist whom he does not represent, he will give the name and details of the agent representing such an artist or advice on where to find the relevant information.

Article 11

It is the responsibility of the agent to ensure that he maintains a high level of professional competence and has a full understanding of all relevant legislation.

Article 12

Any complaint made against a member of the Association in relation to a breach of this Code shall be dealt with by the Board of the Association in accordance with Association’s current procedure at that time, a copy of which is available to members upon request.