all money upfront... always
i work in different circumstances so it's a little different with me but if you are not getting your money upfront, how are you budgeting the record?
for instance, most signed bands have a budget provided by the label (in most cases). the label then finds a studio (or lets the band pick where they would like to record) then pays accordingly. once you get to the contract, if you haven't negotiated payment first, then it's your fault.
you can't really blame irresponsible, unemployed musicians for not having money to pay for your services. it's the contractor's responsibility to make a bid on the project that is competitive enough to acquire the payment upfront.
i am an independent contractor and i work under an LLC (provided by a separate company as the umbrella). it is my duty to prepare all expenditures. like billed materials and labor, etc for the client to pay accordingly.
if you have been doing this long enough, you already know the scope of work, what equipment you will use, etc etc.
here is the solution to your problem... if they don't pay you for the work you have done, trash it. throw it away. cut your losses.
"fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me."
