Musicians!  When it's time to record, what do you need to know? Producer and engineer agreements, synch and master use licenses, sampling and more...

Dave Ratner will cover everything related to #contracts and deals related to your recordings at Week 4 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 yes, it is 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/

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.

Musicians—we want YOU to win in the music industry!

We're excited to be part of Colorado Attorneys for the Arts (CAFTA) and Colorado Music Industry Alliance (CMIA)'s "Own Your Sound: Master the Business of Music". Our very own Dave Ratner joins Max Hass of Holon Law in discussing 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 will be held weekly on Monday nights from 6:00 – 7:30pm from March 3 through April 7, 2025. You can sign up in advance for any or all of these sessions:

📅 WEEK 1 / March 3: Music Copyright and Contract Fundamentals. Understand the rights you have in your music, the contracts that control those rights, and the money that flows from those rights.

📅 WEEK 2 / March 10: Publishing, Split Sheets, Publishing Deals, PROs, and Mechanicals. Writer’s share? Publisher’s share? ASCAP? BMI? MLC? We’ll cover all of it!

📅 WEEK 3 / March 17: Masters, Session Musician Agreements, Record Deals, and SoundExchange. Master your master rights! This session will cover everything related to your sound recordings.

📅 WEEK 4 / March 24: Producer and Engineer Agreements, Synch and Master Use Licenses, and Sampling. When it’s time to record, what do you need to know? This session covers everything related to the contracts and deals for recording.

📅 WEEK 5 / March 31: Management, Booking Agent, and Live Performance Agreements. Contracts, contracts, CONTRACTS! You need to know these deals and we’ll explain them all.

📅 WEEK 6 / April 7: Running Your Band Like a Business: LLCs/Corporations, Band Agreements, and Trademarks. This session is all about the business behind the music. We bring it all together in this final class.

Sign-up link: https://cbca.org/own-your-sound-master-the-business-of-music/

Questions? Send us a message!

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!

Songwriters! This is Part 2 on how you can earn mechanical royalties from your music! Dave shares about registering your songs through the MLC to get paid when your songs are streamed.

P.S. Missed Part 1? Tune into our previous reel on how you can earn mechanical royalties from covers of your songs!

Shout out to all Denver creatives and business owners! We love working with you and helping you launch and grow your creative businesses. 🚀✨

Follow us and get helpful tips and information—without the confusing legalese!

Songwriters! You probably know this—getting paid mechanical royalties when someone covers your song is one of the possible income streams from your music. Dave shares two ways you can collect income when others create a cover of your song.

P.S. We’ll talk about how you can earn from streams of your songs in the next video. Follow us on YouTube so you don’t miss it!

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.

For any creative business, the answer is most frequently...

YES.  Swipe to find out how #trademarks could apply to you.

If you are a musician... Your artist/band name is a trademark and should be protected.

If you are an influencer... who uses a pseudonym, that name is a trademark and should be protected.

If you are a visual artist, photographer, videographer, author or publisher... and you operate under a business or trade name, that name is a trademark and should be protected.

If you are a creative business owner... every business has a trademark and that trademark should be protected.

If you are selling products or services under a brand name, your brand name is a trademark and should be protected.

Bonus tip: Did you know? If someone else is using your trademark, you’re required to defend it.

P.S. Make sure to give us a follow 👀 because we're sharing the ultimate checklist on trademarks for creatives soon! 😎✨

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!