Categories: Clients, Music Industry, Tags: clients, Edgar Allan Poets, incubus, interview, noir rock, renmanmb, steve rennie
My client, Edgar Allan Poets, was featured today on Steve Rennie’s (manager of Incubus) show LiveStream. Click here to listen to the interview.
Categories: Clients, Music, Tags: Chris Mariotti, deli, deli magazine, Edgar Allan Poets, los angeles, most popular Los Angeles bands, top LA bands, top Los Angeles bands
My client, Edgar Allan Poets, currently ranks very highly in the Alt Rock genre of Deli Magazine’s Top LA Bands. EAP ranks #4 for web buzz, just below Queens of the Stone Age and The Mars Volta. The band also ranks #47 in overall popularity for all LA bands listed.
Edgar Allan Poets are really on the rise, generating a significant buzz after only being in LA a short time. Keep watching for more from these up-and-comers and say you were a fan before they were superstars!
Get EAP’s new single, Crow Girl, out now!
Categories: Legal Disputes, Music Industry, Record Labels, Royalties, Tags: audit, Gershwin, music lawyer, music publishing, record royalties, royalties, Warner, Warner Music
In breaking news today, George Gershwin’s heirs are suing Warner Music for $15 million. According to the article, the Gershwin estate conducted an audit of Warner in 2007 and found fault with Warner’s licensing and registration practices in regards to the Gershwin catalog. The full article gives an example from the suit complaint as to how various commissions were taken off the top by foreign agents.
These types of issues come up often. A good attorney will know to build certain precautions into the contract language to limit many of these commissions and make sure you have adequate audit rights. Audits are expensive, but they can often be worth it by revealing accounting discrepancies and getting artists the money they are due.
If you are considering signing a contract involving payments and royalties, make sure you have a music or entertainment attorney review it carefully and keep tabs on the companies! Contact me if you need assistance with a matter like this.
Categories: Clients, Tags: Chris Mariotti, client, Crow Girl, Edgar Allan Poets, new music, single
Client Edgar Allan Poets has just released a new single entitled “Crow Girl.” You can preview the song at EAP’s website and buy the song on iTunes.
“Crow Girl” has a beautiful, haunting melody. The music features soft and hard rock elements, with lush orchestration emphasizing the song’s swelling emotions. Chris’ lead vocals also lend a really unique sound to this already fantastic song.
Categories: Clients, Social Media, Tags: Branding Bull, clients, commercials, Scott Van Orden, shammy, Uncle Shammy
New commercial from my client, Uncle Shammy!
Music composed and scored by my client Scott Van Orden.
Categories: Copyright, Royalties, Tags: copyright, copyright royalty board, copyright royalty board rates, CRB Categories: Clients, Tags: Branding Bull, clients, commercials, Scott Van Orden, shammy, Uncle Shammy Please check out the commercials for my client Uncle Shammy, a new shammy cleaning cloth perfect for cleaning your smartphone, iPad, digital devices, and even eyeglasses. I’ve already been using Uncle Shammy to get my digital camera’s screen crystal clear, and it works great! You can buy an Uncle Shammy at your local convenience store and it will soon be available online. The commercials were also scored by my client, Scott Van Orden. Check the videos to see what Uncle Shammy is up to now! Categories: Business, Music, Music Industry, Music Publishing, Record Labels, Royalties The Copyright Royalty Board has chosen to keep the statutory mechanical royalty rate at 9.1 cents. The mechanical royalty rate is the royalty paid for reproduction/manufacture/distribution of a composition on records and sometimes other media. The origin of the “mechanical” is that it is a royalty paid to mechanically reproduce the composition on a record. It’s not done mechanically anymore, but the principle is the same. The record labels always want the mechanical royalty rate to be lower, so they can pay less to the publishers. On the other hand, the publishers understandably want the rate to be higher so that they can make more money. Thus, this new decision by the CRB is a victory for publishers. In addition to keeping the statutory mechanical rate at 9.1 cents, ringtones will remain at 24 cents. The CRB also came out with new revenue sharing rates for publishers regarding some newly-created royalty categories, mostly having to do with the cloud, lockers, and interactive services. You can read more detail in Billboard. © 2012 Erin M. Jacobson, Esq. All Rights Reserved. If you like this article and want to share it, please provide a link to www.erinmjacobsonesq.com or a direct link to the post for others to read it. Categories: Articles, Legal Issues, Music Industry, Record Labels (Full article in the Articles tab.) Many record labels are using 360 Deals to maintain revenue during the continuing uncertainty of the music industry. Instead of making money mostly from record royalties and the exploitation of master recordings, 360 Deals allow the labels to either own or to share in the profits from all areas of artists’ careers, including: music publishing, live touring, merchandising, sponsorships, endorsements, websites, fan clubs and their associated ads, literary rights and acting. Record labels have an incentive to solicit opportunities for artists in these areas because they share in the profits. However, labels’ actions to create opportunities for artists may rise to the level of procuring employment in violation of the California Talent Agencies Act. The California Talent Agencies Act (the “Act”) requires any person (including any company) who procures employment for an artist to become a licensed talent agent or agency by the California Labor Commissioner. See Cal. Lab. Code § 1700 et seq. (2008). Any person who is not licensed as a talent agent or agency is prohibited from procuring employment for the artist. However, neither the Act nor any other analyses I have found actually define procurement. Based upon my research, I created a definition of “procurement,” which is featured in the full article linked below. In the music industry, as opposed to the television and film industries, music agents secure live performance engagements while managers handle all other aspects of the artists’ careers. Manager’s activities to secure employment opportunities for artists run in violation of the Act because most managers are not licensed talent agents. Now with the popularity of 360 Deals, record labels are often pursuing some of the same opportunities that a manager would, such as securing sponsorships and endorsements, positions on tours, co-branding opportunities, and various other opportunities as outlined in the article. These actions are also in violation of the Act since the labels are not licensed as talent agents or agencies. The scope of violations can run across various aspects of an artist’s career, including live touring, merchandising, sponsorships and endorsements, fan clubs, video games, and so on. The consequences of a lawsuit against a record label for violating the Act could void the entire 360 Deal, or sever the offending areas of the contract and cause the record label to relinquish all commissions earned from the illegal activity. Backlash from artists and accompanying litigation in this area is just getting started, but there is definitely more to come. Click below to read the full article: “360 Deals and the California Talent Agencies Act: Are Record Labels Procuring Employment? ” by: Erin M. Jacobson Published in Entertainment and Sports Lawyer, A Publication of the ABA Forum on the Entertainment and Sports Industries, Vol. 29, No. 3, Fall 2011 Categories: Articles, Law, Legal Issues, Music Industry, Record Labels, Tags: 360 Deals, California Talent Agencies Act I am pleased to announce I have a new article published in the current issue of Entertainment and Sports Lawyer magazine. If you would like to read the article, please click the link below. There is also a link under the Articles section of this site. Thanks for reading and I welcome your comments. “360 Deals and the California Talent Agencies Act: Are Record Labels Procuring Employment? ” by: Erin M. Jacobson Published in Entertainment and Sports Lawyer, A Publication of the ABA Forum on the Entertainment and Sports Industries, Vol. 29, No. 3, Fall 2011Will the CRB have to set new rates?
For anyone interested in reading an article full of law terms on why the U.S. Appeals Court Rules Copyright Royalty Board Was Unconstitutional, click here.
New from my clients – Uncle Shammy!
Mechanical Royalty Rate Stays at 9.1 Cents
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A Short Overview of My Article “360 Deals and the California Talent Agencies Act: Are Record Labels Procuring Employment?”
New article published!