FAQs

Can you help me figure out what services I need?

Yes! If you are not sure what services, membership, or bundle you need, we are here to help. Feel free to give us a call, email us, or schedule an initial inquiry meeting. During an initial inquiry meeting, an experienced team member will be able to explain our services for you and gather relevant information to help us determine if we can help. If we are able to help, then we will contact you to schedule a free initial consultation to discuss scope of our potential representation, fees, and the steps required to retain our services.

Why should I hire a Los Angeles music lawyer?

If music is your profession and not just a hobby, then you need an experienced music lawyer on your team to help you navigate unfortunately complex laws and other parties who may be looking out for themselves instead of you. Our Los Angeles music attorneys have an ear on the pulse of the industry to help best protect your rights and maximize revenue for your music career.

I can find contracts online available to download for free, so why should I hire you to draft a contract for me?

Contracts you can find online may not be sufficiently comprehensive to protect your rights and may not be tailored to address your specific situation. If you use a contract you just downloaded online, you are often left on your own without professional guidance and insight that may be needed for your contract to actually accomplish your desired goals. Our experienced music attorneys can help you understand your options, explain important legal and practical implications, and draft a contract to address your specific situation while also fitting within general music industry customs.

What if I need a contract that is not listed on the website?

No problem! Although we only list certain important music contracts on the website, we love to draft any music industry contract.

Who are some of your representative clients?

Out of respect for the confidentiality of our clients, our policy is to not disclose the identity of our clients unless the client first says okay or we have discussed with the client in advance about disclosing their name in an effort to help their career. In general, typical clients include songwriters, artists, bands, producers, independent labels and publishers, music-related websites/apps, and managers.

Can I meet with an attorney in person?

No. All meetings are conducted via either phone call or video. We also communicate via text and email. Meeting in person is great, but phone/video meetings enable us to keep our costs down for you and offer similar services to music professionals that may not be able to meet in person in Los Angeles.

Why should I pay a recurring membership when I rarely need legal advice?

Many music professionals often have questions or need legal help with issues that may have major implications for their careers, but are too afraid to ask or even keep in touch with their lawyer because of unpredictable and expensive hourly rates. With our membership options, we are able to ensure that we are available to help clients when they need it for a budget that they can plan in advance with benefits that make sense for them. Also, even if you do not need specific legal services for a period of time, you still have a music attorney on your team ready to assist when the need arises, thus saving you time and stress in the future!

For more information about the benefits of working with Music Law Pro, check out our Insights page: Don’t Skip the Lawyer.

Note that you do not need a recurring membership with Music Law Pro to take advantage of our SoundExchange Letter of Direction service.

Do I need to be a member in order to access Music Law Pro’s services?

No! Although there are many benefits to membership, such as saving money, you do not need to be a Music Law Pro member in order to access our services. For more information about one-time services at fixed-rates and bundle pricing, see “Save More and Bundle!” and “A La Carte Options” on our Price Menu.

What does my recurring membership get me?

All membership tiers provide the following benefits:

(1) Unlimited up to 10-minute general counsel discussion meetings/emails;

(2) Unlimited assistance filling in templates from prior-ordered contracts;

(3) Access to fixed-fee pricing entertainment industry general counsel services at Music Law Pro’s member rates;

(4) A template song and master split sheet, and if needed, unlimited advice and/or assistance in connection with such split sheet;

(5) Availability of a music attorney to discuss potential entertainment industry general counsel services and associated fees, as well as such template split sheet, via email, text, and/or scheduled phone/video meetings;

(6) New release tracking and email notifications to ensure timely registration of your copyrights (benefits of timely registration with the United States Copyright Office include eligibility for statutory damages of up to $150,000 per infringement and attorney’s fees, which can incentivize infringers to quickly settle with you outside of court); and

(7) Storage and access to your relevant legal records in connection with your activities in the entertainment industry that we obtain while performing services for you.

What are the additional benefits of a Platinum membership?

In addition to all of the benefits of Gold membership, Platinum members also receive the following additional benefits:

(1) Unlimited contract review (after purchasing your first contract review service);

(2) Up to one-hour of additional general counsel discussion meetings/emails and any related research/prep time each month;

(3) Registration of one copyright application each month (after purchasing your first copyright registration service); and

(4) U.S. royalty registration for one track each month (after purchasing your first royalty registration service).

What are the additional benefits of a Diamond membership?

In addition to all of the benefits of Gold and Platinum membership, Diamond members also receive the following additional benefits:

(1) Unlimited summary emails following contract review;

(2) Up to two-hours of general counsel discussion meetings/emails and any related research/prep time each month (does not include the one-hour from Platinum; two-hours total);

(3) Registration of up to ten copyright applications each month (after purchasing your first copyright registration service) (does not include the one application from Platinum; ten applications total); and

(4) U.S. royalty registration for up to ten tracks each month (after purchasing your first royalty registration service) (does not include the one registration from Platinum; ten registrations total).

Are the additional benefits of Platinum or Diamond membership really that beneficial?

Yes! Our Platinum and Diamond memberships can pay for themselves even after the first month. And that doesn’t even include the value of the additional benefits mentioned above.

As a Platinum or Diamond member, why do I have to pay for one contract review, copyright registration, and royalty registration before accessing unlimited services?

Our goal is to provide our clients with a wide range of benefits to suit their legal needs at a cost they can plan in advance. However, there is always a risk that some individuals may try to manipulate the system to take advantage of the unlimited services in a way that could impact our ability to provide such services. In order to minimize the risk of potential bad actors and ensure we are able to continue providing affordable legal services, we require that our members purchase their first service for contract review, copyright registration, and royalty registration before they are able to access the unlimited services.

What is included in the general counsel discussion meetings?

During general counsel discussion meetings, our experienced music attorneys are able to provide general legal advice and counsel in connection with your music and entertainment activities. Such services may include, but are not limited to, discussing previously signed contracts, licensing and royalty questions, how best to protect your rights and maximize your revenue, and any other music industry legal questions. Please note that general counsel discussion meetings include potential time to prepare for the meeting, as well as buffer time for back-and-forth during the meeting to ensure your questions are satisfactorily answered.

What is included in the unlimited 10-minute general counsel discussion meetings/emails?

During a 10-minute general counsel discussion meeting/email, our attorneys are able to provide substantive legal advice for your quick questions that relate to the entertainment industry. Note however, that although some questions may seem quick to answer (and some actually are!), others may require a bit more time. The duration of a meeting or time spent for the email(s) depends on the anticipated time required for an attorney to prepare and discuss, at the attorney’s discretion. This is to ensure there is sufficient time to discuss your questions, in addition to time to prepare for the meeting and buffer time for back-and-forth during the meeting or a follow-up email to ensure your questions are satisfactorily answered. If discussion is going longer than agreed upon, you will have the option for a follow-up meeting for an additional cost, at the attorney’s discretion.

What is a split sheet?

Generally, a split sheet is a basic agreement between writers of a musical composition that memorializes each writer’s share in the composition. Music Law Pro’s split sheet memorializes shares in both the musical composition and the master sound recording embodying the musical composition.

What are the benefits of using Music Law Pro’s split sheet?

Unlike standard split sheets that may only track basic information about the musical composition, Music Law Pro’s split sheet tracks more information about the musical composition, information about the master sound recording embodying the musical composition, and other metadata needed to properly register for royalties. Additionally, Music Law Pro’s split sheet organizes information neatly to make drafting any further contracts with your collaborators easy and efficient.

Does access to the split sheet cost extra?

No! The split sheet is included with your membership.

Why might you not elect to represent me after I contact you?

There are many possible reasons that might prevent us from being able to help, such as a conflict of interest. We deeply value being ethical attorneys, which includes being loyal to our clients, so sometimes we are not able to help because of conflicts.

I don’t live in California. Can I still hire you?

Yes. We work with clients from all around the United States and the world. However, it is important to note that our attorneys are currently licensed to practice law only in California, United States. For example, oftentimes clients will need help with a contract that is under California law even though they are elsewhere. We are also able to help with federal copyright and trademark issues because these are for the entire U.S., so clients could be in any state or in another country and need help with music-related copyrights or trademarks in the U.S. Also, if needed for any Music Law Pro members, we can help coordinate with an attorney licensed in the applicable jurisdiction.

Who will be working with me?

If we elect to work with you, we will assign you to a dedicated music attorney. In some circumstances, other staff members, such as law clerks or paralegals may also help with your services, but they will be supervised by your attorney. You may not be working directly with our founder, Jesse E. Morris, Esq. because he is responsible for supervising all our attorneys and staff to ensure the best possible services for all our clients.

Do you provide “shopping services” to get my music to record labels, publishers, or managers?

No. Although we have many music industry contacts, our role is to look out for our clients’ legal rights and work with others on their team who focus on generating opportunities. That being said you are able to discuss your goals with an attorney who can then help connect dots to facilitate relevant connections to our network of music industry professionals, such as marketers, publicists, managers, sync libraries, labels, publishers, and other experts that can help our clients’ careers.

Are there any refunds?

There are no refunds for the membership fee. For fixed-fee services, there are no refunds, unless we withdraw before the completion of the services or otherwise fail to perform such services.

How long are turnaround times?

Everything is urgent! However, some tasks need to get done sooner than others. Part of our skill as music attorneys is to understand levels of urgency and accommodate accordingly. We strive to always be transparent with timelines and work collaboratively to meet all deadlines.