The music industry is a competitive and complex field and as a musician, you’ve no doubt encountered that first hand. Any small business owner should have an attorney to represent them and make no mistake as a musician you are a business person with the product you produce is a valuable commodity. Creative industries such as music encounter many of the same issues that other businesses encounter, and you want to assure everything is being handled correctly. This is why hiring an experienced music attorney can be very beneficial to your career. Here are six legal concerns you should keep in mind when working in the music industry.
Six Legal Matters when Working as a Musician
- Trademarks: your lawyer can assist with trademarking your band’s name, logos, and various other representations. This is important for protecting your work and what you create. For example, if your band becomes a big success you want to have legal grounds to deal with bootleg merchandise.
- Intellectual Property Rights: the music you create needs to be under your control for use in outside venues such as commercials, music, and television. In addition, you also want to be able to control other aspects of how your music is used, a music attorney can help you do exactly that.
- Your Online Presence: part of modern marketing is having a website and several social media accounts. While your lawyer may not be a social media they can help with the legal side of it such as ensuring proper filing of paperwork and business contracts for social media managers, website designers, and other third-party service providers you may need.
- Music Contracts: this is a very important part of your music career. Before you sign any contract with a record label or producer you should have your lawyer carefully review it and negotiate terms on your behalf. There have been stories over the decades from entertainers who signed contracts without exactly understanding the terms of what they were agreeing to. By having a lawyer review any potential contracts you ensure that you know what you’re signing and also that you’re getting what you feel you’re owed.
- Slander and Your Public Image: when become even remotely famous there are matters of your image to consider. Even local celebrities can find themselves having to deal with slander, libel, and baseless accusations. You want to have legal assistance on hand to deal with these matters as they can be complex and widely unpredictable.
- Legal Disputes: sadly, legal matters are part of doing business and this includes the music industry. Legal matters can arise due to copyright claims, business concerns, contract matters, and general disagreements. No matter what the issue is you want to know it’s in expert hands.
Final Thoughts
The business world is complex no matter what industry you’re in and even very rewarding creative endeavors have a business side you have to keep track of and that includes the law. Succeeding in the music industry is very hard work and the last thing you want is that hard work to be derailed due to not having legal representation. A music attorney can help keep your career working towards your future goals.