Deposit Policy

Long ago in a land faraway....

We used to send our rehearsal materials out and just invoice our customers for everything.  Nothing was due until after the show closed.  Our thinking was that theatres usually only make money when a show is in performance, so we didn't make them pay anything until they had money coming in from ticket sales.  We thought that was pretty neat that we could do it that way.

Unfortunately, some theatres  chose to take advantage of us.  Some took months to pay (our record was 13 months!), some never bothered returning our sheet music and CDs.  When we run out of our stock of rehearsal materials, we have to buy more.  It costs money to have scripts, sheet music, CDs, study guides, etc., printed.  It costs more if we have to have the printer RUSH them (they figure if it's so important that they have to drop everything and get our materials out, we should pay extra for not planning ahead).  

Our most expensive materials to produce/reproduce are the CDs and sheet music.  We only produce so many of them so that we may recycle them from theatre to theatre.  We must replace them if they become damaged -- which happens under normal usage-- or if they're lost, or a theatre doesn't return them soon enough after a production and another theatre needs them for their next production.  This is why we now make all theatres pay a deposit on the musical Production Packet.  They only get their deposit back IF they return the CD and sheet music (and pay their fees and return their Final Report....) within two weeks of their final performance.  

DEPOSIT REFUND POLICY

In the Performance License (contract) every producer signs before they receive our materials, they agree that in order to receive their deposit back they must fulfill ALL of the following within two weeks of their final performance:

1. Return the CD and Sheet Music.
2. Fill out and return the Final Report attesting to the number of performances presented.
3. Pay all outstanding fees and royalties.

If they return the CD and not the sheet music.... they forfeit their deposit
If they return everything but the Final Report.... they forfeit their deposit.
If they return everything but still owe us money.... they forfeit their deposit.

WE DON'T....

We don't allow producers to deduct the amount of the deposit from their final royalty payment for the reason that, on occasion, they don't return everything within the required timeframe.  We then have to turn around and bill them again for the amount of the deposit.  This defeats the whole purpose of the deposit.  We gladly (and promptly) send a refund check for the amount of the refund when a theatre fulfills their contract agreement.