Music/Audio Industry

SUMMARY:

Music Industry, in general, is where a group of individuals gathers to create one specific goal. Skills are highly important in such a field but so is the nature of vision, knowledge, and personalities of each individual presented in the field of audio (Huber, Runstein, 2010, pg. 17). Various colleges provide education to the public who wish to become well educated in such a field, as this process continues, graduating students become well-known music producers, engineers, DJ’s and arrangers. It is always helpful to have good networking skills that can advertise one's work which is done during the education process or during leisure (pg. 23). The business aspect of the music industry determines many variables for upcoming musicians and labels, such task also provides an insight into the bands and artists success (pg. 20). Through the years that have come, women have finally surfaced to a medium of expression in the form of art; such as, music. This has even become larger since Women Audio Mission was established (pg. 21).

Within the audio industry, there is an important sector that deals with the artists internally which is known as music law. The lawyers in this particular sector assure to keep their clients safe and guide them to have successful careers (Huber, Runstein, 2010, pg. 21).

The basic of music laws explained by LaMance (n.d.) is everything a musician needs to know while entering an industry such as this. Copyright is a very common law related to various artistic businesses. It allows the products made by the artists to be protected from theft or used illegally in any sort or manner (para. 4). Business laws in the music industry are quite a delicate aspect as it takes the attorneys to ensure that the contracts are well-negotiated, reviewed and signed before starting any new work or career (para. 13).

A well-defined video and in much greater detail about music lawyers and what they do is explained by Rennie (2016)

Rennie, S. (2016, Feb 19th). Lawyers [Video File]. Retrieved from https://www.lynda.com/Music-Business-tutorials/Lawyers/450274/475096-4.html

The video discusses various aspects of the lawyers and what tasks are completed by them on a daily basis. Some task includes different deals like merchandises, songwriting deals, band agreement and so forth. Further, in the video, it mentions about the connections lawyers have amongst various clients that keep them informed about the music industry on the inside. It even discusses on the payment for lawyers, it can be an hourly payment or a certain percentage of the gross earnings. Having a good lawyer can level the playing field for any musician who is starting out.

REFLECTION:

I agree that having a great lawyer will prove beneficial to any musician who is starting out. It is very necessary to understand how the law works in every field and especially in music. Lawyers can be very expensive as mentioned by Rennie, which can really be dishearting to musicians who are starting up, this could be a challenge for me if I wish to become a performing artist or a producer someday.

In the article by LaMance copyright is a right that “protects the work for 70 years after a musicians death” while this is true, it doesn’t really hold any value in today's time. Everyone sounds the same, everyone is free to play and produce whatever they wish. To call someone else’s “work” yours, is illegal but to use the same chord progression in the music you create isn’t. Surely one wouldn’t know if the work they have produced has already been made by someone else. And if this is the case, lawyers can be an asset to help you resolve it easily and efficiently. It is absolutely reassuring to know that a good lawyer can also clear any conflict if two bands have identic names (Hoof, n.d., para. 1).

REFERENCES:

Hoof, V. (n.d.). 8 Reasons Why Every Artist Needs A Good Lawyer. Retrieved from http://www.thebigmusicproject.co.uk/8-reasons-every-artist-needs-good-lawyer/ 

Huber, D. M., & Runstein, R. E. (2010). Roles in Audio Industry. In Modern Recording Techniques. Oxford, U.K.: Focal Press.

LaMance, K. (n.d.). The Basics of Music Law. Retrieved from https://www.legalmatch.com/music-law-basics.html

Rennie, S. (2016, Feb 19th). Lawyers [Video File]. Retrieved from https://www.lynda.com/Music-Business-tutorials/Lawyers/450274/475096-4.html