In our area, we do a lot of our gigs with a verbal agreement and a handshake. Honest business men don't need any more than that. We only do a written contract if there is reason to believe that someone is going to try and screw us out of the agreed-on amount....
Sure and that’s perfectly understandable. You protect yourself for the payment for your services. Who protects the copyright holder of any non-original music you play? That person is not covered in either your handshake agreement or a written contract, but his property may be integral to the success of the gig, right?