5th Edition

The Musician's Business and Legal Guide

By Mark Halloran Copyright 2017

    The Musician’s Business and Legal Guide provides vital information to help demystify the music business and the complex body of law that shapes it. This book answers such questions as how to protect name and copyright; what is and is not legal about sampling; what are the legal issues surrounding digital downloads and streaming; what are the jobs of managers, talent agents and publishers; what are common contractual relationship between independent and major labels.

    The new edition includes chapters not covered in depth by other books: social media law, TV talent shows, YouTube, and international copyright. As in previous editions, the book features clause-by-clause contract analyses for 360 record deals, music publishing, management, and producer agreements.

    Part I: Getting Started - Music as a Business

    1. Entertainment Group Names: Selection and Protection (Stephen Bigger)

    2. Business Entities (Edward R. Hearn)

    3. How to Set Up a Money Deal for Your Music Project (Edward R. Hearn)

    4. Music Attorneys (Mark Halloran)

    Part II: Protecting Your Compositions

    5. Music Copyright: A Search for Certainty (Mark Halloran)

    6. Sampling (Greg "Skins" Victoroff)

    7. Collaborator/Songwriter Agreements (Mark Halloran and Edward R. Hearn)

    8. Digital Downloads and Streaming: Copyright and Distribution Issues (Edward R. Hearn)

    9. YouTube Music (Mark Halloran and Edward R. Hearn)

    10. International Copyright (E. Scott Johnson)

    Part III: Music Publishing

    11. Performing Rights Organizations in the United States: An Overview (Mark Halloran and Diane Rapaport)

    12. Music Publishing (Neville L. Johnson and Bernard M. Resnick)

    Part IV: Managers and Agents

    13. What a Manager Does (Alfred Schlesinger)

    14. Analysis of a Personal Management Agreement (Neville L. Johnson and Bernard M. Resnick)

    15. Talent Agents: New Thinking on an Old Business (Matthew Burrows and Kelly Weiss)

    16. Club Contracts (Edward R. Hearn)

    17. TV Talent Competitions: The Legacy of American Idol (Mark Halloran and Thomas A. White)

    Part V: Recording

    18. Independent Record Labels and Record Deals (Loren S. Wells)

    19. Recording and Distribution Contracts with Independent and Major Labels (Edward R. Hearn)

    20. Producer Agreements are Stupid (Daniel K. Stuart)

    21. How 360 Deals Became Necessary and How to Negotiate Them (Daniel K. Stuart)

    22. Social Media Law for Musicians (Stephanie Furgang Adwar)

    23. Royalty Statements: Audits and Lawsuits (Steven Ames Brown)

    Biography

    Mark Halloran