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When I think of Frank Sinatra's "My Way," I see a connection to the main ideas behind intellectual property law. "My Way" embodies personal expression and an individual's journey through life, which parallels the concept of the ideas-expressions dichotomy in copyright law. It echoes the principle that music, literature, or art can be copyrighted while allowing others to explore the same ideas without infringing upon that particular expression. Sinatra's anthem also celebrates uniqueness, which is reflected in the definitions of all of the varying types of intellectual property.

The Purpose of This Blog

The articles on this blog are all written, reviewed, and edited by me, Mr Peter Adediran, the Digital Media and Intellectual Property Solicitor at PAIL Solicitors. They are intended to empower the new generation of business executives, professionals, business owners and creatives who want to keep up with intellectual property, digital media and entertainment law in the digital age. Most importantly, empower the community of creatives who want to create works "their way". In today's rapidly evolving digital landscape, staying informed and increasing knowledge in specialised legal services is crucial for e-commerce and digital technology businesses. At PAIL® Solicitors, we understand the unique challenges start-ups, business owners, professionals, business executives, creatives, writers and talent face in protecting their intellectual property and navigating legal complexities. By reading this blog and engaging us as your legal representatives you can safeguard yours and your company's reputations, make informed financial decisions, and confidently expand into new markets by focusing on continuous learning and expertise in these areas.

This blog contains articles on the following themes:

  • Advice on Protecting Digital Content

Encouragement to Stay Informed and Protected

For creatives and businesses alike, staying informed about legal issues surrounding intellectual property is critical. Knowledge is a powerful tool for safeguarding one’s work from infringement or misuse. We encourage individuals to engage with our resources, participate in discussions, and keep abreast of developments in IP law. 

Narrow Your Focus

Discover Insights :

Music Management

 

Music Management Lawyers London

Music Management Lawyers London explain music management agreements.
 
Background
 
Traditionally, artists’ managers had a more intimate relationship with artists, taking care of the business side of things, whilst the artists concentrated on making music. The manager would usually take a back seat, preferring to be behind the scenes dealing with the day-to-day running of artists’ business affairs.
 
Famous historic artist manager relationships include the Beatle’s Brian Epstein; and the Sex Pistol’s Malcolm Maclaren. The contemporary artist manager relationships that stand out to me include: Justin Bieber ‘s Scooter Braun ; Tinie Tempah’s Dumi Oburota; Katy Perry’s DMG; Gaga’s Troy Carter; and Rihanna’s Jay Brown.
 
Music management lawyers London ten tips for management contracts
 
So a great management agreement can be the key to an artist’s success. Here are ten tips from music management lawyers London to consider when signing an artist’s management agreement from a neutral perspective.

  1. Make sure the parties to the contract are clear. Say for example you are signing a band and not a solo artist, then the legal provisions in the contract would need to reflect that.

  2. A band should consider signing a Band Member Agreement.

  3. The appointment clause will reflect the scope of the appointment. What activities will the manager be overseeing? Traditional managerial roles have changed. Will it be an exclusive managerial appointment, and if so, over what territories?

  4. You need to deal with the term of the appointment. How many albums will that manager oversee?

  5. You might want to create performance incentives. Say 18 months after the start of the Term the band have a small publishing deal but still no recording contract, what happens then?

  6. You might want to deal with territories by itself or combine it with commission payments.

  7. Expenses are another major issue. The manager may be solely responsible for some expenses and may recoup other expenses from artists’ earnings.

  8. Where the agreement is with a band, then the agreement should deal with what happens when say in 3 years after the term, one of the band leaves, and starts a solo career. What happens with the earnings of the leaving band member’s solo career?

  9. Going back to commissions. It is usual practice to split the management commission between publishing revenues, recorded and released during and after the term. Record royalties from previous album sales need to be calculated. Will the manager share in the recording budget from the record company; advances for video production or paying a remixer; commission on gross tour or performance booking receipts?

  10. The agreement should consider what happens if for instance a band member writes a book. Will the manager be due any commission? The artists should get specialist independent legal advice as to the meaning of the terms and conditions in the agreement.

There are a whole myriad of other scenarios and issues that a music management agreement should cover. It is an important agreement that is not to be taken lightly. Lots of music careers have been lost because of lousy managers, and most music law suits are about the artists manager contracts. However with a little help from a music lawyer you could be off to a good start.
 
To obtain a quotation, please contact us at (020) 7305-7491 or at peter@pailsolicitors.co.uk. We would be delighted to assist you. Mr Peter Adediran is the owner and principal solicitor at PAIL® Solicitors.  Subscribe to our newsletter to get blog post updates and other information about the firm straight to your inbox.

Meet The Team: Peter Adediran; Maya El Husseini; Gabrielle Felix; Poppy Harston

 
Entertainment LawPAIL® Support TeamPail Solicitorsagreement, contracts, Dumi Oburota, international, Jay Brown, Justin Bieber, Katy Perry, Lady Gaga, lawyers, Malcolm Maclaren, management, music, PAIL, PAIL Solicitors, Peter Adediran Music Lawyer London, production, Rihanna, Scooter Braun, solicitors, the Sex Pistols, Tinie Tempah, Troy Carter