Archive for the ‘Music Rights’ Category

Does Original Music Exist Anymore?

Wednesday, November 21st, 2012

By Brian Taylor Goldstein, Esq. Dear Law and Disorder: I have a small venue. All 3 licensing companies are claiming I need to pay them for my karaoke and music that occurs weekly, but the bands that I have sign contracts making sure they only play their original music, nothing copyrighted. These companies have been […]

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Listen To Your Mother and Get It In Writing!

Wednesday, September 5th, 2012

By Brian Taylor Goldstein Can you answer this question for us?  My soon to be son-in-law is a musician. He has written and recorded many songs, and is producing his first CD.  One of the songs on the CD, he had a female friend sing with him.  If he plans to put this song on […]

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Is That A Music License I Hear?

Wednesday, June 27th, 2012

By Brian Taylor Goldstein Do we legally have to have a music license if we have bands performing in our Country Club at weddings, social events, etc.? Yes. Anytime music is publically performed, either live or by playing a recording through a sound system, a “performance license” is required. A “performance license” is a fee […]

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If We Paid For It, Don’t We Own It?

Wednesday, May 9th, 2012

By Brian Taylor Goldstein Dear FTM Arts Law: I am writing on behalf of our non-profit theater group. Several years ago, one of our volunteers designed a new logo for our theater. We paid her $500. At the time, she was friends with our Artistic Director, but they had a falling out. She recently sent […]

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Generic Forms: A Prescription For Trouble

Tuesday, May 1st, 2012

By Brian Taylor Goldstein HELLO – How can an organization that presents music programs, and puts some of them on the Internet, find a good general release form for artists/speakers to sign? The tricky part about forms is not finding them, but choosing which one is right. There are lots of sources for good general […]

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Do We Need ASCAP/BMI Licenses?

Wednesday, April 18th, 2012

By Brian Taylor Goldstein Hello Law and Disorder, We have met numerous times at conferences, (I love going to your sessions!) and you have been very helpful with questions about our presenting contracts. We also rent our facility and I now have a question about that side.  We recently received a letter from BMI stating […]

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Posting Musical Performances on YouTube

Wednesday, April 4th, 2012

By Robyn Guilliams Dear Law and Disorder, What are the copyright issues in posting a performance of a piece of music on YouTube for global streaming?  And, since people can easily download YouTube content, what are the implications for the person who’s posted it, or the downloaders for that matter? Before answering your question, I […]

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