Songwriters Law Seminar

CoLoft - Santa Monica
920 Santa Monica Boulevard
Santa Monica, CA 90401

Seating is limited.

Songwriters Law Seminar is a comprehensive exploration into the business of music, songwriters, and music publishing.

Part One: Copyright & Collaboration – Protecting Your Work and Earning Money
In this part, we will learn about the role copyright law plays in a songwriter’s career and discuss ways of earning money from songwriting (and how to obtain a copyright). We will also explore songwriter collaboration – common oversights made during the process and the importance of a songwriter agreement.

• What is a copyright and how do I get one?
• How do I make a living from my songs?
• What should I know about collaboration before I embark on one?

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Part Two: Publishing Contracts (& Other Licensing Deal Terms)
In part two of the seminar, we’ll introduce the role of the music publisher. This part explores the different types of publishing agreements and the particular deal points to be negotiated. We will also discuss the major deal terms of any licensing contract, focusing on licenses for film, television, commercial, and video games. At the conclusion of this seminar, we’ll discuss the importance of treating your career like a business and walk you through the steps for creating your own business as songwriter/self-publisher; and we’ll present the additional factors a business person should consider in creating a full-fledged publishing company.

• The role of a music publisher.
• Material contract terms of a co-publishing and administration agreement.
• Other music licenses and the important deal points to negotiate.
• Starting your own music company – business formation 101.

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Part Three: Singer-Songwriters and Recording Agreements – Implications on Publishing
Part Three of the Songwriters Law Seminar focuses on songwriters that are also recording artists. This part explores the interplay between songwriting, publishing deals, and recording contracts – examining the differences in copyright protection between musical compositions (songs) and sound recordings (masters), highlighting the impact of the controlled composition clause of a recording agreement on a songwriter’s publishing, and looking to the role of the “360 deal”  on the future of music publishing (if any).

• Musical Composition & Sound Recording – Knowing the Different Rights and Organizations.
• Which Came First?: Publishing Deal or Recording Contract.
• The Impact of the Controlled Composition Clause on Publishing.
• “360 Deals” and their Impact on Music Publishing (if any).