Don’t Skip the Lawyer

Imagine this: You have a project that you have no doubt will blow up. You bring in several songwriters, multiple producers, session musicians, and a superstar artist to be featured on the track. You release the song and it instantly goes viral, thus gaining the attention of a major label who offers you your first record deal! Before signing, the label asks if you own the master 100% and for copies of all relevant contracts. You were so caught up in creating the music, you didn’t even think about contracts. Even more, hiring legal never crossed your mind because you assumed you couldn’t afford it. Without relevant paperwork and 100% ownership in the master, the major label refuses to sign you. Also, the superstar’s label is now suing you for featuring their artist without their permission. Even more, the songwriters, producers, session musicians, and the superstar artist are all looking to you for royalties and demanding their share of copyright ownership. Now your amazing project has turned into a money pit leeching any royalties you might have been entitled to due to lawsuits and unfair royalty splits.

Now imagine that you were proactive and you did hire a lawyer. Your lawyer helped you draft song ownership and administration agreements for the songwriters, producer agreements for the producers, work for hire agreements for the session musicians, and they cleared having the featured artist on the track and drafted a featured artist agreement for you. Now you have a clear record of ownership, all parties involved in creating the song have been properly compensated and are aware of their royalty splits, and you have the proper clearances. This time when the major label approaches you, you present all the information they need and they sign you immediately (of course, this is only after you have your lawyer review the contract to make sure it’s a good deal!). With the major label’s help, your song goes platinum and that’s the start to your very successful, long-lasting career in the music industry.

As you can see from the above example, there are benefits to getting legal assistance upfront. Not only can it help you avoid lawsuits, but working with an attorney can also help you streamline royalty collection. In addition to the long-term benefits of saving time and money, more immediately, hiring an attorney gives you the space to focus on your music rather than stressing about potential legal ramifications.

If you’ve ever felt nervous about hiring a lawyer, you’re not alone. Many musicians aren’t comfortable talking to a lawyer due to the uncertainty of unpredictable and expensive hourly rates, but hiring a lawyer doesn’t have to break the bank! There are services, such as Music Law Pro, that provide membership-based and upfront fixed-fee services to help clients when they need it for a budget that they can plan in advance. As a member of Music Law Pro, you get unlimited access to an experienced music lawyer to discuss your potential legal needs and associated fees for no extra cost.

So, next time you collaborate with other musicians or have questions about the music industry, don’t hesitate to get the help you need!  Hire a team of experienced lawyers that can help you navigate the intricacies of the rapidly changing music industry, maximize your profits, and protect your rights, all at clear and upfront fixed-fees. For more information about how Music Law Pro can help you further your career, contact hello@musiclawpro.com or visit musiclawpro.com. 

By Alexandra Mayo, Esq.

DISCLAIMER: Any information contained herein is for informational purposes only and should not be taken for any individual case or situation. Please do not consider this information to be a substitute for obtaining legal advice from a qualified attorney.