In short
- In summer 2026 Caparezza, one of Italy’s best-known rap artists, returned to the stage after four years with more than twenty festival dates, many of them sold out.
- DANDI handled the contracts for the tour: musicians, technicians, transport, equipment hire and artistic collaborators.
- Touring in Italy has its own rules: festival structures with several layers of contracts, INPS registration for performers and crew, and public performance licences for every show.
- Foreign artists, managers and promoters coming to Italy need these points addressed before the first date, not after.
On 26 June we were at the Ippodromo delle Capannelle in Rome for Caparezza’s show at Rock in Roma. Not only as part of the audience: DANDI handled the contracts for the Orbit Orbit Live Tour 2026, and that night we watched a tour we had first seen take shape on paper.
The Artist and the Tour
Caparezza, the stage name of Michele Salvemini, is one of the most distinctive voices in Italian music, known for wordplay, social satire and theatrical live shows. His latest project, Orbit Orbit, is an album released together with a comic book; it was certified platinum and won the 2026 Targa Tenco for best album of the year, one of Italy’s most respected music awards.
The tour, produced by Itaca Time and Magellano Concerti, ran from a warm-up date in Sordevolo on 20 June, through Rock in Roma on 26 June, to a closing night at the Reggia di Caserta on 5 September: more than twenty dates across Italy’s main summer festivals, from Florence, Bologna and Milan to Palermo, Catania and Lecce.
What Goes into a Festival Tour in Italy
Contracts for every date
Each show has its own agreement with the venue or the festival promoter: fee or revenue split, technical requirements, cancellation and force majeure, insurance. Most dates of this tour were inside festivals, which adds a layer: the festival promoter has its own agreements with the municipality, security services and technical suppliers, and those obligations flow down into the contract with the artist’s production.
Musicians, crew and collaborators
A tour of this size relies on dozens of people: musicians, sound and lighting engineers, production management, transport, equipment hire, costume design. For this tour we drafted a contract for each of them, with a different structure depending on the role: self-employed or employed, confidentiality, use of image and recordings for those on stage.
INPS registration for performers and crew
In Italy, people working in live entertainment, both artists and technicians, fall under a specific social security regime managed by INPS (the former ENPALS scheme). Registrations and contributions have to be handled before the performance, and the correct treatment depends on how each relationship is structured. For foreign performers, withholding tax and social security questions also need to be coordinated with accountants in advance.
Music rights at every show
For each concert, the promoter needs a licence for the public performance of the songs on the setlist and must file the list of works performed, so that royalties reach the right authors and publishers. New arrangements or reworkings of existing songs may also require the consent of the rights holders.
Filming and broadcast
When shows are filmed for television, streaming or social media, everyone on stage needs to have agreed to the use of their image and performance, and the contracts should say who owns the footage.
It is the work that makes the night possible.
FAQ
What contracts does a music tour in Italy need?
Agreements with the venues or festival promoters for each date, contracts with musicians, technicians and artistic collaborators, transport and equipment hire, insurance, and releases for filming and broadcast.
Who pays for music rights at a concert in Italy?
Usually the event promoter, who obtains the public performance licence and files the list of works performed; the royalties are then distributed to authors and publishers.
Do foreign musicians touring Italy need to be registered with INPS?
Performers and crew working in Italy generally fall under the INPS social security regime for live entertainment. How it applies to foreign artists depends on their residence and on how the engagement is structured, so it should be checked before the tour starts.
Can DANDI help foreign artists and promoters touring Italy?
Yes. We handle tour, festival and live event contracts in English, for artists, managers, promoters and their lawyers.
| Topic | Link |
|---|---|
| Legal support for musicians, labels and managers | Get Started: Musician |
| Italian counsel for foreign law firms | Get Started: Law Firms |
| Music law | Practice page |
| All our practice areas | Areas of Practice |
Bringing a tour or a festival to Italy? Get started with DANDI.
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