How to work with a lawyer

IN CASE IT'S NOT CLEAR YET, THE UNSIGNED MUSICIAN IS HAS TO BE MORE THAN JUST AN ARTIST. YOU NEED TO PLAY THE ROLE OF MANAGER, BOOKING AGENT, RECORD-LABEL PRODUCER, ARTWORK DESIGNER, DISTRIBUTOR AND ACCOUNTANT. ONE THING YOU PROBABLY SHOULDN'T TRY TO MASTER, HOWEVER, IS THE LEGAL SIDE OF THE INDUSTRY. HERE'S A QUICK RUN DOWN ON HOW TO WORK WITH LAWYERS.

BUT DO I REALLY NEED A LAWYER?

Artists with a good lawyer are invariably more appealing to record labels: if everything's neatly drawn up, the ‘next big thing' doesn't look so risky. And your lawyer can help negotiate marketing budgets, recording costs, publishing deals and so on.

If you need to hire one, they'll read your contracts and work for you at an hourly fee, but it's a pretty expensive approach and doesn't really safeguard your interests.

So, do you need a lawyer? Maybe not right now, but when your career gets going, it's probably a good idea. Seemingly lucrative contracts have a tendency to turn nasty... If you can get a personal recommendation for a music industry specialist, that's a great start. If not, find someone with a savage reputation.

TIPS FOR WORKING WITH LAWYERS

Up front fees:

If a lawyer (or manager or agent) asks for a fee up-front, they're probably bad news. Check their website - a decent lawyer will be smart enough to have a site that looks thoroughly professional and shows their credentials and experience.

MySpace mates:

Simple rule of thumb: lawyers do not send friend requests on MySpace. Ever. It's a great promotional tool, not a business platform.

Add it up:

Standard management fees vary between 10% and 20%, on top of which you'll probably have to reimburse a record label, pay your booking agent and then retain a lawyer. Make sure something is hitting your bank account at the end of all of that.

Breaking into broadcasting

howtoworkwithalawyer

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