Legal Aspects of the Music Industry

Build your music career with an understanding of the legal issues that are of special concern to musicians and songwriters.

The business and creative sides of the music business are inextricably linked – no matter how proficient you are creatively, you need to think and operate like a business in order to remain successful. Music-related careers are affected by legal matters on a regular basis: from artist contracts, recording and music publishing agreements to copyright law, name protection and business organization. Legal Aspects of the Music Business examines all the legal issues artists, musicians, engineers, and producers encounter when building their careers, and presents a focused look at the important legal changes that have evolved as a result of the shift in the music business landscape. The course takes a real-world approach to explaining the legal issues that individuals working in the music business face today, including learning what your different players and team members do and when you'll need them, how to set up and finance your own business, co-publishing and administration agreements, and digital rights management. By the end of this course, you will:

• understand the legal issues that are of special concern to musicians and songwriters, with particular emphasis on copyright law, recording and music publishing agreements.
• analyze a number of common contracts and agreements including producer, label and distribution agreements and club contracts.
• understand the contractual relationships between artists and other parties, including managers, agents, producers, club owners, and investors, and when you'll need to involve them in your own plans.
• learn the legal and contractual changes that have evolved as a result of the shift in the music business landscape.

For more course information visit Berklee Music