The Most Common Types of Music Publishing Agreements Explained!

All music starts with a composition, which is one of the reasons why I love the area of music publishing. Despite the low streaming rates, there is still a lot of activity and money to be made on the publishing side of music. Whether you are a writer signing with…

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Are You Sure You Own Your Masters?

What are Masters? Throughout the music business, master recordings or “masters” are typically regarded as to as the original or official recording of a performance fixed in a tangible medium like tape, ProTools file, or even mp3, from which copies can be made. Masters are usually recorded in a recording…

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Key Clauses in Management Agreements Part 3: Sunset Commissions

By:  Erin M. Jacobson, Esq. Last time I discussed commissions in management agreements, but what may be a surprise is that management agreements often also have another kind of commission involved – one that remains after the term of the agreement is long over and the manager and artist are no…

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Key Clauses in Management Agreements Part 2: Commissions

In a recent article I explained the term of a management agreement, and in this article I’ll discuss management commissions; arguably the other most important clause of a management agreement. The commission is the amount of money the artist will pay the manager under the contract. This is usually done as…

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Key Clauses in Management Agreements Part 1: Term

The artist-manager relationship is one of the most important relationships in an artist’s career. The manager has to “get” the artist and the artist’s artistic vision, but also needs to have the knowledge on how to translate that vision into something that will generate mass appeal and profits. The manager…

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What’s the Difference Between a Music Library and a Music Publisher?

Music libraries have exploded in popularity since musicians and composers discovered synchronization (“sync”) placements as an opportunity to make money and gain exposure in the music business. However, songwriters are often confused about the differences between music libraries and music publishers, especially because many libraries are trying to cross over…

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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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