Music Industry Tips: What to Look Out for and Making It in the Business

A very scary place. A big, bad forest looming over you like a menacing shadow. Well, that’s at least what a few people think of the music industry at first. When you initially start out at whatever you do – an artist, publisher, manager, or anything – you’re overcome by the prospect of making it in the business, with numerous falls and obstacles in your way.

Here are a few guidelines and tips – aimed more towards helping the artist and songwriter – concerning copyright and management contracts that should give you a bit of the know-how that’s crucial to get anywhere in the industry.

Copyright

1. Copyright is incredibly important as it’s the thing that earns you the greatest income. If you’re a songwriter, take heed of these facts:
2. There can be two copyrights to a song; one of the actual song itself, and one of the recording. The “traditional” copyright (the song) is marked by a ©, while the sound recording is the same symbol but with a “p” instead of a “c”.
3. The copyright for a musical (or literal or dramatic) work – in the United Kingdom – lasts for 70 years after the death of the original composer.
4. The sound recording copyright lasts for 50 years, from the end of the year in which they were first released.
5. You can register your own material at Copyrightservice, or Codelmark. These are useful sights set up specifically for people who want to keep their work from being plagiarised unlawfully.

In copyright law, there are three Moral Rights which serve as the basis of the whole thing. These are:

The Right of Paternity – the right that you alone are in ownership of the song / recording.

The Right of Integrity – the right to file suit against any use of your work in a derogatory or inaapropriate way. A good example of this is the case of Michael Jackson’s Beat It and Weird Al Yankovic’s Eat It, and Muse suing Nescafé for using their recording of Feeling Good.

The Right to prevent False Attribution – the right that if someone uses your work (such as a sample) in their own song but claims it to be their own, to file against them.

6. Perhaps most interesting of all, you can automatically copyright your own songs yourself. An easy, cost-effective way to achieve this is by sending either the recording or scores to yourself via recorded delivery. When it comes back around and reaches your address again, it will be sealed with the official date marked on it, thereby acting as a legitimate form of copyright. Just don’t open it!