It’s every artist’s dream to finally receive an offer from a record label that will start their professional career. You are finally recognized for your talent and it is time to stop being an unsigned artist. But it is important to ensure that you are signing the right contract.
Some recording contracts will have both industry and legal concepts that you might not understand. Luckily, hiring an entertainment lawyer will help you protect your rights, scrutinize the company and make sure the contractual relationship is in line with your dreams.
It’s crucial to understand every single thing on your contract before signing it, and that is why you need the expertise of an entertainment lawyer.
Here are reasons that will convince you to hire an entertainment lawyer before signing a recording contract.
Entertainment lawyers will see the hidden terms
Record labels frequently offer contracts that have terms that new artists need to understand clearly before agreeing to contract terms that affects their career long-term.
An entertainment lawyer will be able to read the fine print and explain to you any hidden terms that could drastically change the deal that you think you are agreeing to upon reading the contract yourself.
A lawyer who has worked in the music industry knows what are you’re rights and they will explain to you what you are entitled to.
They will help you get a better deal
Another great benefit of hiring a professional to help you read your recording contract is their ability to negotiate until you receive a better deal from the label.
A bonus of hiring a lawyer with music industry expertise is that they will be up to date with what the industry is offering their new artists. If you happen to have more than one label interested in you, they have the skills to play one label against the other to help you get the best deal.
Lawyers know everything that you don’t
Signing a recording contract doesn’t guarantee that you will make money or have an album released. An entertainment lawyer will ensure that you receive a commitment release from the record label to confirm that the work you produce will be distributed to the public.
They will also negotiate your royalty rate and check for any hidden deductions and fees that the recording label might try to sneak in the contract.
A music lawyer will help you before signing other agreements
The service offered by a professional music lawyer is not limited to only recording contracts. An artist will need to sign other contracts such as an agreement with a music manager that you will get paid for the work that you do.
If you are in a band, you will also need to sign an agreement between you and the other band members. You will also need a lawyer to protect you when you receive a request to have your song used in a commercial, a movie, or other kinds of production.
If you happen to find out that your song is being used for something without permission or it has been stolen from you, a lawyer will help you with copyright infringement.
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