Co-Written and Researched by Tyler Anthony
Website: https://www.duplooylaw.com/
If you’re researching the music industry, you’ve probably stumbled upon works for hire agreements, which can help you retain ownership over artistic works when you hire contractors.
In a work for hire agreement, the hiring artist becomes the legal author and the contractor has no legal right to any of the work; the contractor’s name won’t even make it to the copyright registration form.
Canadian musicians don’t have the luxury of using works for hire agreements, which are creatures of the American copyright regime.
In this article, we discuss the equivalent intellectual…
Website: https://www.duplooylaw.com/
Co-Written and Researched by Tyler Anthony
As the music business has evolved to the digital age, so have record labels.
Record labels used to make most of their money from the mass distribution of a particular artist’s sound recording. Now with physical sales of music decreasing exponentially each year, record companies have changed their business models to stay relevant.
One of their responses was the creation of the 360 or multiple rights deal. This article describes what 360 deals are, how they work, and things artists should consider before signing one.
360 Record Deals
Like the name implies…
Co-Written and Researched by Tyler Anthony
Most record labels make their money by selling sound recordings of song performances, which can be a tough way to earn a profit.
This article discusses some of the most common agreements record labels use to generate income from prospective artists, distributors, and film producers.
Licensing and Distribution Agreements
Licensing and distribution agreements are popular in the independent scene where labels have limited resources. With these deals, the independent label who owns the rights to a master recording licenses it out to a major record label or distribution company with better distribution capabilities.
Website: https://www.duplooylaw.com/
Co-Written and Researched by Tyler Anthony
As a musical artist, hiring the right manager can be a huge career move.
Music managers handle the operations side of the music business: things like scheduling shows, booking hotels & transportation for tours, and handling commercial roles like marketing &contract negotiations.
The artist and manager relationship can become very intimate, so it’s important to hire a music manager using a well planned contract — even if your manager is a close friend or relative.
Management agreements are contracts that govern the relationship between musical artists and their managers. An artist’s personal…
Co-Written and Researched by Tyler Anthony
Website: https://duplooylaw.com/
As an artist, it’s not easy to get your musical projects funded.
To turn dreams into reality, many of today’s artists use government grants or crowdfunding platforms like ArtistShare and Kickstarter.
Then there are some artists who, with the right combination of luck and talent, find investors to finance their musical works.
Whether the investor is a professional, a friend, or a family member, both parties should affirm their business relationship and responsibilities by signing a music investment agreement. …
Co-Written and Researched by Tyler Anthony
Website: https://www.duplooylaw.com
With the sheer number of players and moving parts, the music industry has developed into a complicated system. Despite our leap into the digital age, record labels and publishing companies still wield most of the power in the music world.
This article explains the important roles that publishers and labels play for today’s professional musicians.
Music Publishers
Music publishers usually control written music and lyrics on behalf of songwriters. They issue licenses to parties like streaming platforms, filmmakers, or recording studios, collect the money, then pay out the songwriters. …
Website: https://www.duplooylaw.com/
Co-Written and Researched by Tyler Anthony
Before the days of the internet, one of the only ways to make money as a musician was by selling CDs and vinyl records to music stores. This was basically impossible without getting signed by a record company who also managed recording, distribution, and marketing.
Now that you can record, master, and release your own album from home, a new wave of modern musicians is starting to wondering if they need a record label at all.
A Genre-based Decision
At the end of the day, the decision to work with a record label is a…
Website: https://www.duplooylaw.com/
If you remember the lip-sync era of the ’80s and ’90s, you already know musical productions aren’t always as they seem on the surface.
Today it’s common practice for musical artists and vocalists in pop, EDM, and hip-hop to simply buy background tracks online or hire a ghost producer.
Music Ownership
Any time a song gets played, there are two types of owners who are entitled to a royalty payment: composers or producers and vocalists or lyricists.
We discuss the ins and outs of music ownership in a separate article.
Who Pays the Producer?
Back in the day, record companies hired producers to make…
You’ve probably heard stories about bands like The Beatles signing lousy contracts that left them with pennies on every dollar earned.
As an artist or a band manager in Canada, knowing the mechanics of music ownership and royalty entitlements can help you achieve better outcomes — especially if you’re planning to license your music or assign it to a third party.
Copyright ownership is the most fundamental way to tell the world that you’ve made a piece of music and nobody else can use it, sell it, distribute it, or reproduce it without paying you.
Almost every song you hear…
Website: https://www.duplooylaw.com/
This article guides you through the basics of music copyright law in Canada.
Copyright is the exclusive right to copy or reproduce a piece of work, meaning nobody else can recreate, distribute, or reproduce it without the original author’s consent. In Canada, whoever creates or performs a musical work has the right to perform, publish, or record it.
Musical Works and Sound Recordings
In the music business, the most significant copyrights cover musical works and sound recordings.
Musical works include songs or compositions that may or may not contain lyrics.
Sound recordings are the specific recordings of musical…
