A session delivery policy is the written set of rules that tells a client what they will receive, in what format, how many rounds of changes are included, how long they have to respond, and when the final files are released. The best ones tie release of the final files to payment and say so in plain language before work starts. This guide shows you what to put in yours, with examples from real studio terms, and how to enforce it without awkward conversations.
TL;DR
- A delivery policy is a business protection document first and a technical spec second. Cover formats, revision rounds, an acceptance window and payment, in that order of importance.
- Include a set number of revision rounds (2 to 3 is common) and require feedback as one consolidated list, so one list equals one round.
- Release final, full-quality files only after payment clears. Send watermarked or streaming-only previews until then.
- Set an acceptance window, such as 48 hours, so silence has a defined meaning and projects do not drift.
- Put the policy where clients see it: in the quote, at onboarding, and on the page where they review files.
Table of Contents
- What a session delivery policy actually covers
- Start with what you need from the client
- Define the deliverables and the file format
- Set revision rounds and what counts as one
- Add an acceptance window
- Tie final delivery to payment
- What to include after delivery: storage and retrieval
- A full session delivery policy template
- How to make the policy stick
- Our perspective: policy only works if the tool enforces it
- Putting the policy into practice with Audome
- FAQ
- Sources
What a session delivery policy actually covers
People use the phrase for a few different things. Some mean how a training session is run. Some mean shipping terms for a music shop. In a recording, mixing, mastering or podcast business, it means something specific: the rules for how finished work moves from your hands to the client’s.
A complete policy answers six questions:
- What do I receive? File types, sample rate, bit depth, stems or no stems, reference mixes.
- What do you need from me first? Raw files, session notes, reference tracks, lyrics, scripts.
- How do I give feedback? One list, one place, one round at a time.
- How many changes are included? And what happens after that.
- How long do I have to respond? And what happens if I do not.
- When do I get the final files? Almost always: after payment.
If a client can find all six answers before you start, most of the arguments that eat into a studio’s profit never happen.
Start with what you need from the client
Delivery problems usually begin at intake, not at the end. A mix cannot start until every file is there, and chasing missing tracks is unbillable time.
Podcast production is a good model. Resonate Recordings explains in its process page that turnaround times depend on the client supplying everything required, including intro and outro files, the episode recording and editing or mixing instructions. Studios that work this way hand clients a delivery checklist at onboarding and state that an incomplete submission, such as a missing host or guest track, pauses the project. The burden of organization moves to the client, where it belongs.
A simple intake clause:
Work begins when all required files and instructions have been received. If files are missing, the project is paused and your turnaround date moves by the number of days the files are late.
Pair it with a checklist for the project type. For a mix: all tracks consolidated from the same start point, a rough mix for reference, tempo and any editing notes. For a podcast episode: every speaker’s track, music beds, ad reads, and any cut or edit notes.
Define the deliverables and the file format
Be exact about what the client gets. “Final files” means different things to a songwriter, a podcaster and a video editor.
Music and post-production formats
Our own stem delivery guide recommends 24-bit WAV or AIFF at the session’s native sample rate (44.1 kHz or 48 kHz), with stems consolidated from bar 1 at identical lengths, and a stereo reference mix delivered alongside them so the isolated parts have context. For video and post-production work, 24-bit/48 kHz WAV is the common expectation, and resampling is best avoided because it can introduce artifacts. MP3s are for casual listening copies only.
If you are delivering to a label, library or distributor, their sheet outranks yours. DADAAUDIO’s sync delivery checklist says as much: each library’s or client’s own delivery sheet comes first, and where it differs from the checklist, follow theirs. Label deals can be even stricter. Provident’s delivery requirements page lists the elements Sony Music requires before releasing a producer’s backend payment and considering tracks delivered, starting with a fully executed producer agreement.
Your policy should therefore say: “We deliver to our standard spec unless you send a delivery sheet before work begins.”
Podcast loudness and delivery targets
Loudness belongs in a delivery policy because it decides whether the file sounds right once it leaves your hands. Apple’s audio requirements for Apple Podcasts are a practical reference point for podcast distribution. For broadcast television, the ATSC A/85 recommended practice covers techniques for maintaining consistent loudness, and its approach of presenting content at one consistent target is why broadcast clients are strict about it.
The lesson for your policy: name the target before you mix. Write down “Podcast, -16 LUFS, -1 dBTP” or “Broadcast, per the network’s spec” in the project notes. Check each platform’s current page before you commit, because targets get revised.
A deliverables table
| Project type | Typical deliverable | Reference copy | Notes to put in the policy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Song mix | 24-bit WAV at session sample rate | MP3 or streaming link | Alternate versions (instrumental, TV, a cappella) priced or listed up front |
| Stems | 24-bit WAV or AIFF, consolidated, same length | Stereo reference mix | Headroom and no master-bus processing stated |
| Master | 24-bit WAV, plus distributor format if required | Streaming link | Whether sequencing, ISRC and metadata are included |
| Podcast episode | Final WAV or MP3 to platform spec | Streaming link | Loudness target, chapter or ID3 requests |
| Post-production | 24-bit/48 kHz WAV, stems as specified | Picture-locked reference | Which cut the work is based on |
Set revision rounds and what counts as one
Revisions are where profit disappears. The fix is not complicated: include a defined number and charge for the rest.
It is standard practice in professional services to include a fixed number of revision rounds in the base quote, commonly two or three, with further changes billed at an hourly rate. Black Forest Recording’s terms of service show how studios write this down, and they also illustrate a second rule worth copying: feedback should arrive as one consolidated list to count as a single round.
Without that rule, a client sends six emails over four days, each with two notes, and technically that is six rounds, or none. With it, you have a clean unit of work.
A clause you can adapt:
Your quote includes two rounds of revisions. A round is one consolidated list of notes sent through the project page. Additional rounds are billed at [your rate]. Notes sent outside the project page, or in pieces, are collected into the next round.
Two details deserve thought:
- What is a revision? Fixing a vocal level is a revision. Changing the arrangement, swapping the song’s key or re-recording a part is new work. Say so.
- What is the grace period after delivery? Requests that arrive days or weeks after final delivery are often handled at the engineer’s discretion or for an extra fee, with windows ranging from 7 to 28 days in practice. Pick a number and state it.
We go deeper on the numbers in how many revisions mixing engineers should include and on the money side in when to charge for revisions. For workflow, see mix revision management for audio pros.
Add an acceptance window
The acceptance window is the clause most new studios leave out, and the one experienced ones swear by. It defines how long a client has to review a delivery, and what no response means.
Example:
After each delivery you have 48 hours to send your consolidated notes or approve. If we hear nothing, the version is considered approved and we move to final delivery.
Why it works: it turns feedback from an open-ended favor into a step with a deadline. Clients who know silence equals approval respond. Clients who need more time ask for it, which is a conversation you want to have early.
Choose a window that fits the work. Forty-eight hours suits a podcast episode on a weekly schedule. A full album may justify a week. Whatever you choose, write it down and repeat it in the delivery message.
Tie final delivery to payment
This is the clause that protects your business. Studio terms commonly treat the release of final files as conditional on payment. In Black Forest Recording’s terms, payment is linked to delivery in just this way, and the effect is that the client does not receive full-rights files before the studio is paid.
There are two parts to a good payment clause.
Deposit up front. Many studios collect part of the fee at booking. Omaha Recording Arts requires a non-refundable deposit of 25% of the total session fee at booking to secure the reserved studio time. Your percentage and refund terms may differ, but the structure is a good template for session work.
Final files on payment. Until the balance clears, the client hears previews: streaming playback, a watermarked file, or a lower-quality copy. After payment, you release the full-quality WAVs and stems.
A clause to adapt:
Final files are released when the balance is paid in full. Until then, previews are provided for review only and no rights in the work transfer to the client.
If you work with labels or distributors, release conditions may be set by the contract rather than by you, as the Provident example above shows. Have a lawyer check any clause that touches rights transfer or refunds, because contract law varies by state.
On the practical side, studios that send final files first and invoice afterward end up chasing money, which is the same unpaid labor that revision limits are meant to stop. Our post on stopping unpaid rounds with revision billing walks through the invoicing logic.
What to include after delivery: storage and retrieval
A delivery policy should end by saying how long you keep the work. Clients lose files, then ask you for them two years later.
State how long project files stay on your systems, whether archived sessions can be restored, and whether retrieval carries a fee. We cover this in charging for retrieval with a clear retention policy. A line as simple as “Sessions are archived for 12 months; restoring an archived session is billed at a flat fee” prevents unpleasant surprises, but choose the period that fits your storage and your business.
A full session delivery policy template
Copy this, then change every bracket to match how you actually work.
- Intake. Work starts when all files and instructions are received. Missing files pause the project and move the delivery date.
- Deliverables. [Format, sample rate and bit depth, stems yes/no, reference mix, loudness target]. If you have a delivery sheet from a label, library or platform, send it before work starts.
- Revisions. [Number] rounds are included. One round is one consolidated list of notes sent through [project page]. Further rounds are billed at [rate].
- Acceptance window. You have [48 hours] after each delivery to respond. Silence means approval.
- Payment. [Deposit percentage] is due at booking. The balance is due before final files are released.
- Release. Full-quality files are available after payment clears. Previews are for review only.
- After delivery. Change requests after final delivery within [number] days are [included/billed]. After that they are at our discretion.
- Storage. Projects are archived for [period]. Retrieval is [free/billed].
Keep it to one page. A policy nobody reads protects nobody.
How to make the policy stick
Writing it down is half the work. The rest is putting it in front of the client at the right moments.
- In the quote. Include the revision count and payment terms as line items, not as a link to a long legal page.
- At onboarding. Send the intake checklist and the policy summary together.
- At each delivery. Repeat the deadline and the number of rounds remaining. “Round 1 of 2 delivered. Notes due by Thursday 5 p.m.” takes ten seconds to write and settles most disputes.
- When you enforce it. Be friendly and consistent. “Per the agreement we signed, this is round three, so I’ll send a quote” lands better than a silent invoice. If you decide to waive a fee, say that you are making an exception.
Consistency matters more than strictness. Clients accept limits they were told about and saw applied to everyone.
For how freelancers physically get files to clients, see how freelance audio engineers deliver files to clients. If clients are the ones exporting material for you, send them best practices for exporting audio deliverables. And for the broader process, our client revision management guide covers the day-to-day.
Our perspective: policy only works if the tool enforces it
We built Audome because we saw the same pattern in studio after studio: the policy lived in a PDF, the files lived in a shared folder, the feedback lived in email and texts, and the payment lived in a separate invoice. Every rule depended on the engineer remembering to enforce it, at the exact moment when it is most uncomfortable to do so.
Our view is that a delivery policy should be built into the place where clients listen. If notes are placed on the waveform at a timestamp, “one consolidated list” stops being a rule you argue about and becomes the way the page works. If the number of included revisions is a setting, the extra round is billed automatically and it is the system, not you, that asks. If final downloads unlock after payment, nobody has to chase an invoice.
The other half is the client’s experience. Clients should not have to create an account or learn a tool to follow your rules. The more friction we add for them, the more likely they are to go back to email, and then your policy has no place to live. That is why clients can review and comment without a login.
One piece of advice we repeat often: write the policy you would be comfortable enforcing on your best-paying client, then enforce it on everyone. A rule you only apply to difficult clients will feel like an accusation. A rule that applies to all feels like how you run your business.
— Kreg
Putting the policy into practice with Audome
If you want these rules to run without you policing them, Audome is built for this workflow. You can upload unlimited audio up to 96kHz/24-bit, collect timestamped feedback on the waveform, track versions automatically, limit free revisions, bill for extra ones through Stripe Connect and keep final downloads locked until payment. Clients need no account, and project pages can be password protected.
Plans are listed on the pricing page: Studio is $12.50 per month or $150 per year, and Pro is $48 per month or $576 per year. A free trial comes first.
FAQ
What is a session delivery policy?
It is a written set of terms that explains what a client receives, in what format, how revisions and approvals work, and when final files are released. In audio businesses it usually links release of the final files to payment. It protects your time as much as your files.
How many revisions should I include in my policy?
Two or three rounds is the common range in professional services, with extra rounds billed at an hourly rate. Define a round as one consolidated list of notes so the count stays clear. Adjust the number to the project: a single podcast episode needs fewer than a full album mix.
Should I send final files before I am paid?
Generally no. Many studio terms treat payment as a condition of releasing final files, and sending previews in the meantime lets clients review without taking the finished work. If a label contract sets different release conditions, follow the contract. Have a lawyer in your state review any clause about rights transfer.
How long should the acceptance window be?
Forty-eight hours is a common choice for fast-moving work like podcasts, with longer windows for bigger projects. What matters is that the window is written down, repeated at each delivery, and that the policy says what silence means. Offer extensions on request rather than leaving the deadline open.
What file format should I deliver?
For music, 24-bit WAV or AIFF at the session’s native sample rate is the safe default, with a stereo reference mix alongside any stems. Video and post-production work usually calls for 24-bit/48 kHz WAV. Always check whether the client, label or platform has its own delivery sheet, because theirs comes first.
Sources
- Audio requirements, Apple Podcasts for Creators
- ATSC A/85, Techniques for Maintaining Audio Loudness
- Terms of Service, Black Forest Recording
- Terms and conditions, Omaha Recording Arts
- How Our Podcast Production Process Works, Resonate Recordings
- Sync-ready delivery checklist and file-naming standard, DADAAUDIO
- Recording Project Information & Requirements