Archive for the ‘Music Industry’ Category

There are millions of dollars to be made in the music industry.  However making the big bucks requires that you compete successfully against the competition.  In order to succeed, you must prove your superiority by not only being the best at what you do but also by conducting your dealings with entertainment business professionals in a business-like way.

The music business is an exceedingly challenging business for newcomers to get into.  If you plan on building a career in the music industry, then you can’t afford to not get every contract in writing if the understanding involves money or any rights that you would like to protect.  Your role in the music business is not important.  Whether you are a musician, a songwriter, a producer, an agent, a DJ, a record label owner, a technician, an engineer, if your contract is in writing there will be no confusion about the terms of the deal.  The contract will spell out the functions of all the parties involved and who gets what.

Whether you are a newbie, or an experienced veteran, music business professionals will only take you seriously if you represent yourself in a business-like manner. Having a contract in writing proves to them that you know how to handle yourself, and that you refuse to be taken advantage of.

Of course, you can hire a lawyer and have agreements written for you but this can get very pricey and you can in most cases accomplish the same goal by downloading a standard agreement from a website offering such contracts.  You could then take the time to customize the agreement to your own situation for much less than a lawyer would charge you to make changes.  This is a possible choice if can’t afford to consult an attorney.

Experienced entertainment attorneys can cost $400 per hour or more plus additional hiring fees if you can even get an appointment.  Why spend all that time and money when you can download more than one hundred different types of standard agreements for a low price and get back to focusing on your career quickly.  These downloadable contracts will address the needs of almost everyone in the music business.

www.vmusicbook.com sells an e-book, which provides solutions for most issues that unsigned musicians experience.

VmusicBook was created for those who wish to set up and successfully run an independent music business, especially for the URBAN markets such as Hip-Hop, R&B, Drum & Bass and all other Dance genres including UK Grime.

VmusicBook is one of the first music resources of its kind. It is said to be the most comprehensive and detailed directories sold online giving you direct access to 100s of important contacts.

VmusicBook is an invaluable business tool for unsigned talent looking to turn their talents or skills into a legal business. No matter what you do if it is creative and entertaining then this is without doubt for you.

The VmusicBook was made for unsigned artists and musicians, label owners, music producers, songwriters, engineers and mangers. Get your music or songs into television, films and commercials.

Music is not just an art, it is becoming one of the most profitable aspect of entertainment business. You have to be very alert about the surrounding entertainment ventures so that you can provide people with the kind of music they would really enjoy. Therefore, if you are joining up with the music business or even if you are an established music businessperson, you need to have good plans for its expansion. The artists and people involved in it should be skilled and therefore you need to make contracts with such people from the music industry. The following article will tell you something about the different aspects of Music Business Plans & Contracts.

• Among the Music Business Plans & Contracts, let us first consider the types of plans you might want to apply, such as you may be interested in a soloist, a band, a production house or any other type of business you will need a good planning the first thing that you should consider is the place where your about to perform. Study the different places, which are convenient to you and are likely to provide you some business. The towns, cities or parts of these where the music industry is tangled largely is a much better option. After, you find a place buy or rent a suitable hall or auditorium where you can perform.

• Then the second important thing about Music Business Plans & Contracts is planning the budget. Music business can give you many profits; however, it also requires some initial investment. Also, note that you can suffer loss as well. Therefore, planning budget has to be done carefully. Spending money on contracts with good artists, the place for performance as well as marketing is very important. If you do not spend or care much for them, you may suffer a loss. On the other hand spending too much money also is not wise. You will have to decide how and much to spend according to the conditions.

• Then after this, the next thing while for considering Music Business Plans & Contracts includes finding the right business contracts. As you are in the music business, you have to be aware of all the people in this industry. You need be aware who is a very good performer, about the popularity of different artists, etc. keeping such information can be useful for getting the right people for you music business.

• Music Business Plans & Contracts include several contracts. Among them, the artists are the most important. Sometimes the popular artists demand far too much than what they really deserve. Their fame can bring you some more business however do not forget that audience also loves a good performance. Therefore, instead you can contract cheaper but good artists, rather than popular ones.

• However, the artists are not the only ones those will be involved in your music business. The other contracts like record label, personal manager, producer, publishing company, advertising company, etc, also are very important. Their skills as well matter.

• After finalizing venue, artists and other associated people, and the performance you are about to present, you should plan how you are about to market it. Marketing is the thing, which plays the most crucial role in success of business, and therefore you should think seriously about it. Along with marketing, you also need to think about the time of your show and the ticket rates for it.

These are only some of the aspects of Music Business Plans & Contracts. You should definitely consider these if you want to make your business a successful one.

Coutesy of www.vmusicbook.com ©VmusicBook, Inc. 2008

Authorized by the U.S. Constitution, the government is granted sole power to provide authors and inventors exclusive rights to their respective lyrics, music, and discoveries. Specifically, music copyright laws are generated to protect an authors’ music composition for an undisclosed amount of years. It is the responsibility of the copyright holder to renew such copyright as it only holds for a specific period of time.

An authors’ music composition or “intellectual property” should be registered with the copyright office; which authorizes legal claim to the composition. The music copyright laws ensure public notification of copyright. This would suggest that any use of “intellectual property” without the owner’s permission is subject to legal repercussions. As a copyright holder, however, you have the option to sell or transfer the composition, yet the original copyright still remains. The law prohibits any distribution of the lyrics or music either for free, for non- profit, or for profit. Furthermore, the law prohibits another party to play a recording of music in public- even if you are the owner of the CD. Finally, it is against the law to make a derivative arrangement or work for use in any public forum. Bottom line, the law states that the music or lyrics cannot be reproduced, be performed publicly, or rearranged by any other party without written consent of the copyright holder. In such cases, the borrower will pay royalties.

It is fairly simple to copyright your compositions. Actually, music copyright laws allow you to copyright single songs or an entire CD of collected works. The process and cost are the same. All you need to do is submit a completed FormSR to the Library of Congress. This form is available at the U.S Copyright Office. Each song on your CD is protected when you send the FormSR, two (2) copies of the CD (or CD single) along with $45 to the Library of Congress. On the FormSR, it is imperative that you claim copyright to both sound recording as well as the underlying composition.

Registering the FormSR with the U.S. copyright office automatically grants you exclusive rights. According to the music copyright laws, copyright registration grants the owner the right to make copies and duplicate the CD. You will also have the right to distribute your works and prepare alternate versions or new arrangements of your works. Copyright registration gives you the right to perform the songs as well as display the product publicly. Most importantly, not only can you prove the composition is yours if it is stolen, you can sue for damages.

As previously mentioned, copyrights eventually expire; therefore it is the copyright holders’ responsibility to renew the copyright. There are documented instances where copyright holders have passed away and their families failed to renew the copyright. The copyright laws mandate, however, that the music is protected for 70 years following the death of an author- granted that the music was created after 1978. In the case of public domain music, the music copyright laws state that the “intellectual property” can fall in the hands of public domain if the copyright is not reinstated. A composition that was copyrighted prior to 1923 is currently a part of public domain. Regardless, proof must be obtained from a legitimate source that a composition is public domain. After proof of public domain is obtained, one can arrange, reproduce, perform, record, or publish the music composition.