2/17/2012

Why Legal Help Is Important In Music Licensing

By Anne Cole


Even before the Internet made it effortless to spread unpermitted copies of works, intellectual property infringements have been widespread. Thoughts, products, and even secrets have been shared or sold illegally. The arrival of the Internet made it even easier to pilfer someone else's creation by distributing it without the owner's consent. Of course, distribution is not all that bad. In fact, with right licensing agreement, it can even help the author. But with all the legalities included, it is only smart to ask somebody knowledgeable in that specific subject or hire counsels.

A good example would be a self-written song that you recorded independently or through a recording label. Copyright breaches are so widespread that even the most famous artists of today have charged others or have been charged of pilfering songs.

Of course, you want it to spread as far as possible so many people would learn about it and you also like them to acknowledge you as the composer. You don't want other people to claim your track as theirs. A licensing contract with others would let them play your music legally. You and the other parties would indicate the terms and conditions of the agreement beforehand.

Record companies and musicians don't leave it to chance when there's a copyright violation. With millions of dollars at risk, they know they need the finest counsels specializing in licensing matters to help them. They could either lose money or harm their name. Worse still, they could lose both.

A lot of independent musicians don't know much about the song licensing industry. The whole process is rather very technical to them. And for many listeners, they don't give much thought on it. Solicitors can help simplify the matter to their clients, advising them on what is considered permitted and what is not.

If a musician wishes to cover a popular music originally recorded decades ago, he or she would have to get a permit to record it. With a solicitor acting as a guide, the artist would ask for specific licenses to use, like the right to play the tune on a TV show or use a stanza of the lyrics to incorporate in a new music. The entire process includes various legal concerns so it would be sensible to employ solicitors for this kind of game.




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