Legal Counsel for Brooklyn and NYC Musicians and Composers
New York City has long been a global leader in musical talent. Classical musicians and composers, people writing scores for theatrical pieces, a thriving underground music scene, bands, independent performers, DJs, and collaborators all bring the City a rich, vibrant tapestry of musical offerings.
Having an attorney like Expand Law work with you on your musical endeavours can be a rewarding process that allows you to retain the rights and credits for your creations or, in cases involving structures such as music licensing libraries or sync libraries, allows you to monetize that creativity and skill.
Lindsey works with all manner of musicians and professionals in the music industry, including film and TV producers and composers, to protect their project or to maximize their benefit in situations such as commissions, composing and writing music for web programs and video games, and contributions to live theatrical productions.
Common Music Industry Agreements
The music and entertainment representation offered by Expand Law covers a wide range of agreements that music industry professionals might need.
We work with musicians on single song agreements, which are agreements allowing you to license your songs without forfeiting any rights to any other music in your catalogue, co-publishing agreements that you might use to share rights and obtained advances on the use of your music, and agreements that you could use with collaborators on your work.
FAQ:
Should I register my music before making it public?
Registering, or copyrighting, your music is an important step for many independent musicians. Copyright law provides legal protection for your original work, including, music, lyrics, and production. Without copyright law, you would not have the exclusive right to control the use of your work for any other purposes, and you would not have recourse if your work is used in a way that goes against your vision, values, or financial interests.
Copyrighting your work before making it public is highly recommended because once it is out in the open, you have very little ability to claw it back.
Expand Law can help copyright your work, which is a multi-step process including creating a tangible copy of your music (the recording or the lyrics), registering your music with the U.S. Copyright Office, and including the copyright notice in your song and providing the Copyright Office.
When you register your music, you not only obtain the rights to use it exclusively, but you are afforded recourse if your copyright is violated, including filing a lawsuit for copyright infringement, seeking damages for the infringement, and possibly obtaining attorney’s fees from the offending party if your case is successful.
Lindsey Rubinstein at Expand Law can help with all of these items to ensure your work and values are protected.
How do I obtain royalties for my music?
Royalties are one of the primary ways that working musicians can earn a meaningful payment for their work. When you work with an experienced NYC music attorney, licensing and royalties could get you paid for years, instead of watching others profit off your work.
What do I do if my music or ideas are taken by someone else?
It can be jarring to discover that your creative output has been used in a way that goes against your vision or is making someone else money.
When you discover that your music—the recording or the lyrics—have been stolen, it is important to contact an attorney. Expand Law can help you assess what the right next steps might be, including contacting the offending party, filing a lawsuit to enforce your rights and obtain damages, and figuring out how to minimize the damage if you were not already registered.
How can an attorney help musicians protect their creativity and profit from their work?
Musicians in NYC have a lot of pathways to make money through their work. Through live shows and tours, ticket sales and merchandising, royalties from record sales and streaming, licensing, brand partnerships, teaching and workshops, and collaboration, there are many opportunities to get your name out there, even in a competitive market like NYC.
Have a trusted attorney looking out for you as you expand your offerings helps you make more money and protect your product from being monetized without you. It can be difficult to think of your work as a means to make finances and that can get in the way of the creative process. When you are able to offload some of the commercial terms to someone you can trust to work on your behalf, you can focus on what really matters to you.
Licensing Agreements for NYC Musicians and Composers
Royalties are commonly provided by licensing agreements. Royalties are an extremely valuable component to allowing working artists to continue doing what they do.
Often musicians have worked decades to hone their skillset, their creative vision, and their craft. You deserve to have someone defending you against all of the competing interests that stand to make money off all this work.
Expand Law helps you draft contracts, navigate and enforce copyright issues, and obtain some piece of mind that your intellectual property, work, and vision is protected from inception to publishing.
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