Artists, Be Very Careful About Music Lawyers 🎶
Let’s say you’re a bedroom music producer, for example, and you made a single, you shopped it to a number of electronic record labels and out of nowhere a nice sexy label (like axtone or mau5trap) offers to sign your track! You’re so excited but you’re also scared because you’ve never done this before.
The next thing you know, your friends or family say, “you better have a lawyer review that agreement.” Sounds good right? Not always. Here’s why. Most music lawyers (like most attorneys in general) are absolute money hungry leeches who will bullshit you into spending hundreds or even thousands of dollars reviewing agreements, incorporating your company etc.
The question you need to ask yourself is: what is the opportunity? Are millions of dollars on the line? Are hundreds of thousands or even tens of thousands of dollars being offered? If the answer is: no.
Then you probably don’t need a lawyer. Instead just google recording contracts, really learn how they work (we might do a post about those at some point to help you out as well.) Learn about options and other fine print and you’ll be fine. Just look out for traps, do your homework and you’ll save a ton of money until you’re doing it so big that legal costs are nothing to you.
We’re not saying don’t use a lawyer, we’re just saying that often times a lawyer will act like your friend and simply be after your hard earned money. Be very careful. That expensive suit he or she is wearing, isn’t paying for itself, you are.
I hope that helps you. Feel free to submit your unsigned electronic tracks to demos@nofacerecords.com 🎶
-Denis Hiller, Label Manager, NoFace Records
