If you belong to a band and love the art of your job, but sing the blues when it comes to the business, you need Music Law. Composed by musician and lawyer Richard Stim, the book explains how to: find the right manager; buy, insure and maintain equipment; get gigs and get paid; tour on a budget; use samples; do covers legally; protect your copyright; trademark your band’s name; choose a recording studio; sell your music; manage your website; understand record contracts; deal with taxes. The best guide available for bands today, Music Law provides all the legal information and practical advice musicians need to keep from getting burned. All legal forms and agreements included, as tearouts and on CDROM.
Some musicians recoil at the thought that their band is a business. They believe that their music is their art, and don't want to sully it with commerce. That's all well and good--but wouldn't you give up your day job if you had the chance?
Music Law can help you see your band as a business and turn it into a successful one. Musician and attorney Richard Stim has filled this useful book with helpful advice on solving disputes between band members, dealing with lawyers, managers, and record companies, and even the increasingly important matter of sample clearance. The advice is extremely thorough; for example, the chapter on band names includes information on researching your band's name to ensure it isn't already in use, what happens if two bands have the same name, and even how to register your band's name and logo. Because he advises getting all agreements in writing, Stim has provided dozens of sample agreement forms, both as blank hard copies in the book and as templates on the enclosed disk. Throughout the book, Stim provides important legal advice, all translated from stilted legalese into simple English. Both big and little names get into these difficulties sometimes; the book is peppered with cautionary tales of real musicians and their legal squabbles.
Music Law can help you avoid such pitfalls and get your band's business running smoothly--so you might be able to quit that day job, after all.
--C.B. Delaney
