keysig · About

About keysig

keysig is the music agreements platform for independent artists, producers and songwriters. Built by musicians, for musicians, keysig turns the agreements people charge thousands of dollars to draft into plain-language tools that can be drafted, sent, signed and stored in minutes, with e-signature built in and every signed PDF free. keysig was founded in 2026 by John Cleary and David Slitzky. keysig is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice.

Why keysig exists

Sync licenses, payouts and advances get held back by missing paperwork all the time. A deal stalls because nobody can show who owns what, and independent artists lose leverage because the legal help that would have sorted it out was never within reach.

Most artists were never taught how any of this works. We don't think anyone should need a law degree to protect their own song.

There is a social side to it too. Bringing up splits in the middle of a session can read as not trusting the people in the room, so the conversation waits until the song is earning, which is when the stakes are highest. We built keysig so you can get it in writing without killing the vibe.

Across the industry, the result is a pile of unpapered tracks and unclear ownership. keysig exists to make the paperwork the easy part.

How it works

Pick an agreement, answer a short set of plain-language questions, and send it for e-signature. Draft to sent takes about 3 minutes. Your Legal Key, the profile you fill in once, pre-fills your own details on every agreement.

The other party signs from a link in their email, without creating an account, and both sides get the signed PDF. If a collaborator wants a change, the sender takes the request back, updates the agreement in keysig and sends it again.

Signed agreements are stored by track, with version history, so the paperwork is there when a distributor, a sync agency or a publisher asks for it.

The agreements

keysig drafts thirteen agreements, covering the paperwork independent musicians use most: Simple Invoice, Management Agreement, Mutual NDA, Producer Agreement, Songwriter Agreement, Split Sheet, Sync License, Video Appearance Release, Work for Hire Agreement, Session Musician Agreement, Featured Artist Agreement, Sample Clearance Agreement, Live Performance Agreement.

Each one is written in plain language with balanced terms for both sides, and every template is written and reviewed by music attorneys. They are written for US law, and you choose the state whose law governs each agreement. When a deal is more complex than our agreements cover, we say so and point you to a music attorney.

Not sure which one you need? Start with which music agreement you need, and when.

Free to learn

Our 23 guides and glossary explain what each agreement does, when to use it and what every term means. They are free to everyone, and anyone can draft a real agreement at keysig.co/try.

The founders

John Cleary

Co-Founder

John Cleary is a classically trained musician and producer who spent 15 years building A&R, sync, content and music strategy for labels and brands including Epidemic Sound, Atlantic Records and Audiomack. In the early 2010s, as digital content took off, he saw that branded content needed instrumental hip hop, and went on to support American Express, Highsnobiety, Adidas, Xbox and Louis Vuitton with custom music. At Epidemic Sound he led the development of a roster that went on to soundtrack more than a trillion YouTube views a year. He also developed and music-directed Audiomack's Trap Symphony, working with Trippie Redd, Chief Keef, Burna Boy, Roddy Ricch and others; since its launch in 2015 it has drawn hundreds of millions of views across user-generated content platforms.

John Cleary on LinkedIn

David Slitzky

Co-Founder

David Slitzky is a GRAMMY-nominated audio engineer and music executive who has spent over a decade in the studio with artists including The Roots, Usher and Travis Scott. In eight years at Epidemic Sound, most recently as VP Music & Artist Strategy, he helped grow the music department from 8 to 70 people, developed its A&R strategy, and led global music acquisition and artist development, expanding the catalog 38%. The music he acquired has generated over 6.1 billion Spotify streams. He led the teams shaping the company's approach to AI music, copyright directives and artist remuneration. He now leads Partnerships & Operations at LoudKult, an independent label and publisher in Stockholm, where he structures the agreements for a roster that releases 120 records a month.

David Slitzky on LinkedIn

The company

Keysig Inc. was founded in 2026 and is based in New York. keysig is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice.

Write to us at hello@keysig.co. Journalists can find our press kit on the press page.