What it all means...

[smash]

Hey Turtlerockers,

Just wondering if anyone can recommend a good book, or even better a good site, that explains all the ins and outs of the music contracts.

Things like the difference between whether you, or the label, own your masters, and what implications this would have, for instance, if your track gets picked up for film.

I know the basics, the difference between being a member of the band, and being a song writer for instance, but it would be great to learn more about some of the more advanced details.

In the US, for instance apparently there is a difference between royalties that get paid on regular, versus, digital radio.

Anyone got any tips?

[Kris]

Get a lawyer.... a good one.

Get it done right from the beginning.

[smash]

I totally agree, however this is more for my own knowledge.

I'd just like to have an idea of this sort of stuff for myself, so I can know the sort of things to ask for.

One of my friends was signed, the lawyer advised "it was a pretty standard contract, nothing bad, nothing great"
only to find out later that he made almost nothing when the track got picked up for a mov.

[Mark Bassett]

shane simpson's music business book is a good start i guess

[Ausrock]

shane simpson's music business book is a good start i guess

WORD!!!

In my dealings with him, I always found Shane to be a top bloke.

[heathen]

Get a great Lawyer for sure, I've found the best usually work out cheaper than lesser known people too, the good ones are so much faster you will most likely save cash.

[astrovic]

Can't help you with a book, Smash, but on the other stuff...

It's prob not so much good lawyer v bad lawyer, but entertainment lawyer v non-entertainment lawyer. Hiring a non-entertainment lawyer for music stuff is a little like getting a mastering engineer to do FOH for you - yeah, the concepts and principles are the same, but the desks they use are pretty different...(or something like that. Never been good at analogies!)

Where an entertainment lawyer can be invaluable is they not only know the relevant law (any lawyer should be able to cover that), but they also understand the commercial issues, know what terms are negotiable and which are not (nothing more pointless than a lawyer amending terms of a contract for you when the record company will not budge under any circumstances - an entertainment lawyer will know that and point it out to you. Vice versa, an entertainment lawyer will know something is negotiable when an non-entertainment lawyer might not), know what the prevailing rates are etc etc. Also, an experienced, well-connected entertainment lawyer will know people that know people - negotiations etc go so much smoother when everybody negotiating the deal are mates got pissed at a gig together the night before.

Heathen's point about good lawyers being cheaper is very true - the charge by the hour thing sadly rewards inefficiency. I like to think it even out because efficient lawyers charge what they are worth, the clients like them for it and come back again.