Publishing, Split Sheets, Publishing Deals, PROs, and Mechanicals. Writer’s share? Publisher’s share? ASCAP? BMI? MLC? 

Dave Ratner will cover all of it at Week 2 of  "Own Your Sound: Master the Business of Music" brought to you by Colorado Attorneys for the Arts (CAFTA) and Colorado Music Industry Alliance (CMIA)!

"Own Your Sound" is a six-week series about the law and business of music to secure your rights, collect your revenue, and have a successful career. And did we mention it's for FREE?! The virtual sessions are held weekly on Monday nights from 6:00 – 7:30pm until April 7.

You can still sign up! 👉 https://cbca.org/own-your-sound-master-the-business-of-music/

Questions? Send us a message.

When does "inspiration" become "infringement"?

Dave Ratner explores this common question in the creative industry.

Follow us on social @creativelawnetwork for more insights on your creative business.

Which one is your favorite?

Here's a bit of trivia you might love: Do you know that there are two copyrights in every song? 

1. The first one is the composition--the words and music, also known as publishing rights.

2. The second one is the recording, also called the master.

As music lawyers, we help our clients with contracts, copyrights, and business law. We take care of everything on the business side so they can focus on and enjoy creating music.

So if you're a musician or creative who needs some support with the legal stuff, that's our forte.  

Send us a message so we can help!

They say timing is everything… but does it apply to copyright registrations, too?

Should you register every iteration of your work? Or the final version only? What if you want to update it?

Dave Ratner shares how you can make the decision more confidently.

Got more questions? Send us a message!

Our client's true story:

Then an emerging visual artist from the Midwest, our client was asked to provide the artwork for an established musician’s upcoming album.

Creative Law Network was called on to negotiate with the musician’s management and record label for contract negotiation and copyright protection.

• While our client was sure to be paid for his work, we helped him retain his copyright ownership.

• He also retained the rights to release limited edition prints of the artwork while restricting the label’s rights to only for circumscribed uses. 

• This resulted in increased leverage and profits for our client.

And here's the win-win: The album went on to win two Grammy® awards and catapulted our client into the public eye.

Got an opportunity you want to lock in for success? Creative Law Network is your team!

Self-publishing, copyrights, film and TV?? Check out our authors guide.

As experienced creative lawyers, we can answer your questions about the ins and outs of creating and publishing successfully. We help our clients with contracts, manuscript review, clearances, copyrights, trademarks, licensing, and everything else necessary to publish and distribute their works. 

Nobody can tell a story like you can—so let us take care of everything else!

Will you guess it right?

The U.S. Copyright Office recently released a report: The Geography of Copyright Registrations. Swipe and find out the key findings

Never, ever, getting back together?

Music history is filled with messy band breakup stories, but it doesn't have to be that way. Our client's story is living proof.

He was a dedicated member of a respected band with no less than a Grammy® award-winning leader! Aiming for an amicable parting, he asked for our legal support in discussing the terms with the band, represented by a premier Nashville law firm.

The outcome—our client parted ways with the band:

• holding onto his copyrights

• getting paid what he was due, and

• continuing to receive revenue from his prior work.

Breakups can be tricky. But by recognizing and valuing the relationships involved and treating the process with care, they can all end on a good note.

3 P's to keep in mind before you do a collab:

1. Plan it out - Who are you going to do it with? How will you divide ownership? 

2. Put it in writing -  Document ownership rights and who is allowed to perform, record, license, or sell the song.

3. Protect your work - Register the copyrights in your songs and sound recordings.

Did you know? Copyright law says that if someone contributes to your song or recording, they are a co-owner unless you say otherwise in writing. 

But what if you want to keep full ownership while hiring someone to do part of the work? One way to retain full ownership in the copyright of the creative work is through A Work for Hire Agreement.

Don't just play it by ear! If you need any help to do your collabs right, reach out to us at Creative Law Network!

Could you guess?

Here are some hints:

The first one is the words and music, also known as publishing rights.

The second one is also called the master.

Copyrights are valuable and important to anyone in the music business, but they can be confusing. That's where a music lawyer can come in—to help you protect your work and business so you can be free to create the music you love!

As music lawyers, we help our clients with contracts, copyrights, and business law. This includes drafting, negotiating, and reviewing all sorts of contracts like recording agreements, management agreements, producer agreements, licensing, and all that jazz.

It means maximizing our clients’ rights and revenue. And it means answering questions about the ins and outs of the music business (in plain English!) so you can confidently make your mark in the industry.

Sounds good? Let's talk about it!