Music Law: How to Run Your Band's Business [With CDROM] [Paperback]

I have read most of the books which attempt to explain music business law and practice to musicians, and this one is by far the MOST PRACTICAL and the MOST USEFUL. It is very clearly written by a lawyer who also teaches law and who formerly played in several "signed" bands. The book contains good explanations of music publishing and the record business, and you will want to read them even if you are intending to hire a lawyer. If you can't afford a lawyer yet, it provides actual documents (copyright registration forms, label-shopping agreements, etc.) on CD-ROM that you can tailor to your band's needs and use to get started. If you only plan to buy one book about "this business of music", THIS IS THE ONE TO GET.

Approaching the music industry unarmed is similar to throwing a lame duck into a pool of festering sharks. It has the potential to be complete bloodshed all around. Whether a band trying to take the step from a basement experiment to the real world or a student considering the realm of entertainment as a career or a seasoned vet looking for that down-to-Earth interpretation of legalese, Music Law... can explain it all. From the standpoint of an educational tool, Music Law... acts as a great springboard into the complexities of the entertainment industry from more than a just a pure business and legal perspective. It approaches a series of complex industry issues with an ease of explanation which details nearly every issue that one would face in maintaining a music career. The finest quality of the Music Law... is the simplicity of the writing. Each chapter is broken down by subheads and cuts right to the meat-and-potatoes of issues everyone in the industry from a band, to a manager, to a label and beyond, has to face. The language is clear and concise, avoiding the convoluted language and overall wordiness business writing and legalese, while still explaining in detail the concepts at hand. Each real world example includes a simple, plain-English version of a contract or agreement to work in conjunction with the topic at hand, which is then dissected even further to define the points contract covers. By no means, however, should the scaled down versions of contracts and agreements in Music Law... be looked at as any more than a basic learning tool. There truly is no substitute for obtaining proper legal and business council or at least gaining a firmer understand of the subtitles of business writing and legal jargon. No simple turn of phrase carries the same weight as a properly worded and arranged contract and therefor the ideas presented in Music Law... should be treated as a guide to furthering your basic understanding of such wording rather than a substitute of such. The depth of the subjects Music Law... attempts to define and the breath of concepts it covers is stunning. From forming a band as a business entity, to touring and riders, to songwriting credits and royalty collection, to ownership issues and copyright and beyond, Music Law... takes more than a glancing look at it all in simple terms. Whether you are new to the entertainment business or an old hat looking at more simplistic detail Music Law... has the potential to be an invaluable resource to obtain a basic understanding of the business and legal aspects of the industry.

A friend forwarded me a copy of Mr. Stim's book, and I am very happy that they did. My band is in the beginning stages of securing an independent record deal. I found that after reading the book, I was able to go into a meeting with the record company and know what questions to ask. I had some clue as to what they were talking about! I like that he included the forms and instructions on how to fill them out. It is a good basic reference book to help you figure out what to do and how to do it in a straight forward manner! Thanks Nolo! You've done it again!

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