Customer Reviews

Music Law: Run Your Band's Business

5 star:		(39)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
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I have read most of the books which attempt to explain music business law and practice to musicians, and this one is by far the MOST PRACTICAL and the MOST USEFUL. It is very clearly written by a lawyer who also teaches law and who formerly played in several "signed" bands. The book contains good explanations of music publishing and the record business, and you will want to read them even if you are intending to hire a lawyer. If you can't afford a lawyer yet, it provides actual documents (copyright registration forms, label-shopping agreements, etc.) on CD-ROM that you can tailor to your band's needs and use to get started. If you only plan to buy one book about "this business of music", THIS IS THE ONE TO GET.

Approaching the music industry unarmed is similar to throwing a lame duck into a pool of festering sharks. It has the potential to be complete bloodshed all around. Whether a band trying to take the step from a basement experiment to the real world or a student considering the realm of entertainment as a career or a seasoned vet looking for that down-to-Earth interpretation of legalese, Music Law... can explain it all. From the standpoint of an educational tool, Music Law... acts as a great springboard into the complexities of the entertainment industry from more than a just a pure business and legal perspective. It approaches a series of complex industry issues with an ease of explanation which details nearly every issue that one would face in maintaining a music career. The finest quality of the Music Law... is the simplicity of the writing. Each chapter is broken down by subheads and cuts right to the meat-and-potatoes of issues everyone in the industry from a band, to a manager, to a label and beyond, has to face. The language is clear and concise, avoiding the convoluted language and overall wordiness business writing and legalese, while still explaining in detail the concepts at hand. Each real world example includes a simple, plain-English version of a contract or agreement to work in conjunction with the topic at hand, which is then dissected even further to define the points contract covers. By no means, however, should the scaled down versions of contracts and agreements in Music Law... be looked at as any more than a basic learning tool. There truly is no substitute for obtaining proper legal and business council or at least gaining a firmer understand of the subtitles of business writing and legal jargon. No simple turn of phrase carries the same weight as a properly worded and arranged contract and therefor the ideas presented in Music Law... should be treated as a guide to furthering your basic understanding of such wording rather than a substitute of such. The depth of the subjects Music Law... attempts to define and the breath of concepts it covers is stunning. From forming a band as a business entity, to touring and riders, to songwriting credits and royalty collection, to ownership issues and copyright and beyond, Music Law... takes more than a glancing look at it all in simple terms. Whether you are new to the entertainment business or an old hat looking at more simplistic detail Music Law... has the potential to be an invaluable resource to obtain a basic understanding of the business and legal aspects of the industry.

A friend forwarded me a copy of Mr. Stim's book, and I am very happy that they did. My band is in the beginning stages of securing an independent record deal. I found that after reading the book, I was able to go into a meeting with the record company and know what questions to ask. I had some clue as to what they were talking about! I like that he included the forms and instructions on how to fill them out. It is a good basic reference book to help you figure out what to do and how to do it in a straight forward manner! Thanks Nolo! You've done it again!

Over the years there have been many books written and used by attorneys as mere vanity projects or publicity tools. This is not one of them. In fact, there is nothing self-serving about this book at all. It concisely answers the majority of questions that a new or marginally experienced music artist would typically ask an attorney. It's formatted in a logical, easy to follow sequence and categorized by topic. It makes a nice quick reference guide.

In a similar vein to Mose Avalon's "Confessions Of A Record Producer," copyright attorney Richard Stim's "Music Law" -- published by the ever-egalitarian, uber-do-it-yourself Nolo Press -- helps musicians keep a level head and navigate the treacherous shoals of the music industry. The book is packed with clear-headed analyses of various potential pitfalls, pre-printed sample contracts, examples of marketing and website strategies, and even sample agreements to write up between the bandmembers themselves (in sort of a creative prenuptual contract; it's not only record execs and shady management that can derail your musicmaking...) The book is amply informative, well structured and even-handed; also included is a CD-ROM from which you can print out sample contracts and other forms... Plus, no less than Mose Avalon himself lauds the book as a helpful tool... high praise indeed!

This offers a great foundation to Music Law. It is clear & easy to read w/ room in the margins for notes. Richard Stim even mentions a few legal loopholes you can benefit from.

You can also recieve free book updates on the Nolo website, which is a cool perk.

As a singer-songwriter managing a first band, I turned to Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts, and the lawyer I spoke with recommended this to me. The read is easy and I really appreciated the form samples, and intend to use them. This book helped ease my apprehensions about how to manage the band.

I came in not knowing much of anything about the music industry...and after reading this book from cover to cover (its a long book), I can say I learned a lot. The book is very easy to read, with real and made-up examples, and simple language. The author does a great job breaking down the rules of the industry. It does not tell you how to run your operation or how to market a hit record...it just lays out all the rules for you to either follow, break, or bend.

The best chapters were about song ownership, copyrights, publishing, royalties, and taxes. Actually, the taxes chapter was really enlightening. You can tell a lawyer wrote this book from that chapter.

There comes a time in a musician or band's career when they get serious about what they're doing and need to start focusing on legal aspects of their endeavors. This book is and indispensable reference for that situation.

The book is written in easy to understand layman's terms. It covers a fairly broad range of subjects, and provides pointers to other resources for more in depth cover of the covered subjects.

One more notable point about the book is the pre-fabricated contracts and legal forms that it comes with. They seem to be solid, could be useful in a number of situations, and are explained thoroughly.

This book is a must for all involved in the business of Music. It gives an indept look at all the contracts you are likely to come across and explaines what to do and what not to do. As an up and coming manager I found this book fasinating. this book will always be on my desk and will be read over and over again. It is a great reference book and is a little(quite Big actually)Gem.