Entertainment Attorneys Protect The Interests And Rights Of Professional Musicians
Vital members of the entertainment industry, entertainment lawyers specialize in all media. While a lot of what they do consists of drafting and negotiating recording, licensing, publishing and other types of contracts, they are sometimes involved in arbitration and litigation issues. Some attorneys have experience in other fields such as intellectual property, bankruptcy, finance or even constitutional law with regard to First Amendment protection of free speech, which can be very useful.
Anyone who produces intellectual property – essentially intangible products such as a song, essay, book, design concept, etc. – will benefit from the services of an entertainment lawyer. Before the Internet, trademark, copyright and intellectual property law was a lot less complicated. With the advent of the Internet and its vast reach, skilled entertainment attorneys are in great demand.
How a professional musician gets paid for their work has become very intricate. To illustrate one example, envision a song written by an artist/performer. Now, after that song is recorded, two copyrights are created. The first is for the song itself, while the second is for the actual recording of the song. For musicians who are signed to a record label, that label generally owns the sound recording copyright, while the musician owns the right to the song. Without a lawyer, it’s fairly easy for a musician (who may not be knowledgeable about the legal end of the business) to be exploited by a record company. An attorney helps sort out the details, ensuring the artist earns a fair share of profits from sales of that record, live performances, sheet music sales and the third-party licensing of a song to be used in a TV show, commercial or movie, etc.
And that’s just one component of their work. Lawyers help musicians negotiate record contracts, distribution deals and all manner of licenses. If there is a breach of contract or an unauthorized use of a musician’s intellectual property, litigation (or at least the threat of it) may be in order.
Depending on the musician and the value of their product, millions of dollars can be earned. Album sales, downloads, merchandising, song licensing, performances – all of these are potential moneymakers. Poorly written contracts can lead to a major loss of revenue for musicians, so it’s in their interest to be represented by a professional, knowledgeable lawyer.
As with any lawyer, experience and reputability are important traits. Musicians should look for an attorney who not only specializes in entertainment law, but who has direct experience writing and negotiating recording and performance contracts, and ensuring music licensing deals are the most beneficial for the client, and who knows how to wield the power of the law in case of copyright infringement.
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If you’re a professional musician looking to sign a recording contract or copyright a song, author Stephen Daniels recommends you check out entertainment law attorneys Baker & Rannells in New York, for their professional legal expertise.
Tags: Musicians, Music, lawyer