The Musician's Guide Through the Legal Jungle : Answers to Frequently Asked Questions About Music Law (Guide Through the Legal Jungle Audiobook Series) [Audio Cassette]

Joy R. Butler (Author), James Chatelain (Narrator), Lynne Reynolds (Narrator)

Book Description

Series: Guide Through the Legal Jungle Audiobook Series | Publication Date: February 2000

Isn't a successful music career worth 3 hours of your time?

Then spend those hours with The Musician's Guide Through the Legal Jungle.

If you're bewildered by the maze of legal concepts in the competitive music business, you’ve found the solution to your troubles. With this audiobook, you’ll get a practical overview of music law without having to trudge through pages of dense legalese. Listen in on a conversation between a musician and a legal expert as they address the legal issues of greatest interest to performing artists and songwriters — and to anyone else pursuing a professional career in the music industry.

You’ll get vital information about:

* Negotiating record deals and songwriter agreements
* Generating income from your songs
* Calculating your record royalties step-by-step
* Protecting your music through copyright law
* Hiring agents, managers and attorneys
* Working with a music publisher versus handling your own publishing
* Establishing rights in your band name through trademark protection
* Organizing your band as a business and developing a written agreement among band members

The audiobook package includes a 62-page booklet featuring a glossary of music industry terms, contract negotiation guides and a listing of resources.

Editorial Reviews

Review

A great reference tool for up and coming musicians, songwriters, and composers. -- Mark Northam, Publisher, Film Music Magazine

The book's author, Joy Butler, has done an excellent job of supplying up-to-date industry information and terminology . . . -- Dr. Janet Nepkie, professor of Music Business at the State University of New York at Oneonta, Music BIZ Magazine

From the Author

From the Author, Joy R. Butler, Esq. (Contact the author by e-mail at [e-mail] )

Numerous musicians have had their careers come to a screeching halt due to a one-sided contract, a band name dispute, or some other business-related legal problem. Battle-scarred musicians point to industry knowledge as the best defense against missteps that may lead to the abrupt end of a promising career. Unfortunately, the laws surrounding the music industry can be complex, and not everyone has the time or stamina to make it through a 400-page book for the answers they need.

The Musician’s Guide Through the Legal Jungle offers a short-cut to those pursuing a career in the music industry. The audiobook cuts through the complexity of music law by presenting it in the context of an informal conversation in which an attorney explains to a musician how to best protect her interests and advance her career. Narration by professional voice-over artists keeps the audiobook’s question and answer format light. While no book or audio program can replace an attorney, the 3 hours you spend with the audiobook package will give you the understanding of the industry you need to make more informed business decisions and manage the business and legal issues that will undoubtedly crop up during the course of your music career.

Product Details

• Audio Cassette
• Publisher: Sashay Communications Llc; Cas/Bklt edition (February 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0967294002
• ISBN-13: 978-0967294001
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 4.6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,111,615 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Except of review from The Muse's News -December 2000 Issue, December 12, 2000

By 

The Muse's Muse - www.musesmuse.com - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Musician's Guide Through the Legal Jungle : Answers to Frequently Asked Questions About Music Law (Guide Through the Legal Jungle Audiobook Series) (Audio Cassette)

Joy has really put something special together here. Not only is the information explained in easily understood terms using specific (if manufactured) examples, but the readers on the tapes speak well, slowly enough to be clearly understood, and made me feel comfortable listening to them. (I swear that James' voice reminds me of the narrator from that really popular Civil War documentary...) Confused about Copyrights? Don't understand why a Poor Man's Copyright won't hold up in a court of law? Want to know the difference between a mechanical license and a performing rights license? Interested in the legal differences between major record labels and independent labels? Want to know how best to go about retaining a music lawyer, should you need one? There are a whole host of other answers to frequently asked questions on the subject of music law - each one answered succinctly (and without talking down to the audience that would be listening to it, which I feel is very important), then cross-referenced in the small booklet that's included. It's a portable guide that will give you the basics without requiring you to read a huge tome on the subject. This is one of the best references I've seen on this very confusing topic in YEARS. For ...... - less than most printed publications on the subject, I'd say this is a *very* worthy investment.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good for beginners and seasoned pros alike..., December 6, 2000

By 

Ken Inouye (Washington DC area) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Musician's Guide Through the Legal Jungle : Answers to Frequently Asked Questions About Music Law (Guide Through the Legal Jungle Audiobook Series) (Audio Cassette)

The Musician's Guide Through the Legal Jungle is head and shoulders above most of the other books on the industry. It cuts right to the chase without getting bogged down in legalese. Not only is the interview format easy for the layman to understand, but the audiobook gives him action items that he can use immediately. I also commend Joy Butler on the accompanying booklet. While other books contain page after page after page of dense text that can be at times hard to follow, the booklet summarizes the most important parts of music law in just 62 pages. It also has one of the easiest to understand breakdowns of how to calculate your record royalties I've ever seen.