Contracts will hold up here if they are written properly.
However, bar owners tend to have a little more monetary resources than the average KJ and could potentially hold things up in court for a very long time with legal wranglings.
Having said that, If you are familiar with the court system here and know the ins and outs (and perhaps some key people to point you in the right direction), you could easily get a judgment.
Enforcing it is a whole "nuther" set of court proceedings.
Do-able but it could take awhile.
I haven't used a contract yet, but I do have a venue owner in a nearby town that I expect to come back to me after he realizes that he can't pack the place like I did with just a random draw out of a bucket.
If he does come back to me, I will require a contract written in stone. If he doesn't sign I won't do the gig.
Once bitten twice shy.
Everyone I've spoken to in the entertainment industry in this area fully agrees with me, and they also told me that they would never work for him without one.
He's "THAT" kind of guy.
In my own town, it's simply not necessary. The town I live in still works on a handshake and a promise.
It's almost like stepping back in time, when your word and your honor were worth everything.
I love it.
