Everything You Need to Know About Using Album Artwork

Artists seem to have a lot of confusion as to what artwork can and cannot be used on album covers and also who owns album artwork. In this article, I will cover the most common sources of album artwork and how that artwork is owned. For the sake of convenience,…

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What Does “In Perpetuity” Mean?

There are certain contract terms that come up regularly in music and entertainment contracts and people often ask me what these common terms mean. One of the most common is the phrase “in perpetuity.” According to Black’s Law Dictionary, the definition of “in perpetuity” is “… that a thing is forever…

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How to Prove Someone Stole Your Band Name (Or Find Out if YOUR Band Name Is Causing a Legal Conflict)

Many musicians know that they need some protection for their band name, but are confused as to what type. In fact, musicians often ask me, “Do I need to copyright my band name?” Copyright, however, is a protection for creative works: compositions, recordings, films, artwork, merchandise designs, etc. Trademarks and…

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How Do You Prove That Someone Stole Your Song?

A lot of musicians email me claiming they have great cases for copyright infringement. Copyright infringement does happen, but there are more people who think they have a case than those who actually do. (Please note that I am not a litigator and the below explanation is only a general overview of the…

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Musicians: If You Haven’t Registered With These 4 Services, You’re Missing Out on Your Money

There are several potential musician income streams that you’ll unfortunately never see if you don’t set yourself up to collect them. More established musicians have the same responsibility, but often have representatives taking care of these procedures for them, whereas independent musicians have to oversee royalty collection themselves. This means…

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Do You Need a Music Publisher?

Some musicians have music publishing deals, some musicians have their own publishing companies, and some have both. For many independent musicians, owning their own publishing companies often means nothing more than just having name for publishing matters rather than a fully functioning entity. Musicians often ask me the difference between handling…

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How to Get Legal Help if You Can’t Afford a Music Attorney

Hopefully you’ve read my most recent article where I explained how to choose the right attorney for you. Even though you now know what qualities to look for in an attorney, you may still wonder whether hiring one is possible if you are on a tight budget. As I discussed last time, don’t…

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How Much Do Artists Really Earn Online?

Ever wonder how much artists really earn from those millions of streams on Spotify?  Ever wonder how much you as an independent artist need to sell or stream in order to make a living off of your music?  Wonder no more: This lovely graphic and data is from Information is Beautiful.…

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Find the Perfect Attorney for You: I Tell You How on Sonicbids.com

Before choosing an attorney, you first want to determine whether you actually need a lawyer. The basic rule of thumb is that if you’re presented with a contract, or alternatively, if you feel your contractual or intellectual property rights have been violated, you need a lawyer. Once you’ve determined which services you…

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