There is fine print language at the end of almost every contract that may appear to be less important than the rest of the contract (it’s not). Many people call this boilerplate language because they assume it is full of standard, unimportant, put-me-to-sleep, lawyerly clauses.
How many times have you signed a contract without reading to the end? It’s important to keep in mind that the...Read More
Whether you are considering releasing your sound recording on a streaming service like Spotify or you’ve already ended up on a few of Spotify’s high-profile playlists, there are steps you should take now to ensure you are properly compensated for your work.
In an ideal world, every artist would have their music available and be paid handsomely by those who listen to it. But the reality is far...Read More
It’s nearing the end of the year, a time when people scramble to schedule their annual physicals, eye care check-ups and dentist appointments. While you are marking your calendar for these check-ups, don’t forget about another important appointment: Your end-of-year business health check-up.
This is a time for you to sit down with your lawyer and ensure that you have all of your financial,...Read More
General partnerships are one of the easiest business entities to form; so easy, in fact, that they can form on their own. If you can show a court that you and at least one other person are performing business tasks with the intent of earning a profit together, you can likely establish that you are in a general partnership. Such arrangements are simple, flexible, and cheap (at least to set...Read More
You’ve finally decided now is the time to pursue your dream of being your own boss. You have the idea for the next big thing. And you are confident that your new business will be successful, but you do not know how to put your plan into action. This post discusses some of the things that you can do to help improve your chances of success.
Step 1: Work with legal counsel
Lawyers do more...Read More
Imagine you and your friend have a great idea for the next billion-dollar blockbuster. You might have some of the key plot points and your friend may be an expert at character development and dialogue. You start thinking about putting your ideas on paper in the hopes of writing the next Hollywood blockbuster.
Ideally, you and your partner will write the movie that makes you successful...Read More
In almost any creative profession, timing is everything. When you have created a new work of art, are ready to release a new album or have a screenplay that you wish to sell to interested parties, you have to act fast. If someone else beats you to the marketplace, you may have spent a lot of time, money and energy on something that is yesterday’s next big thing.
Many artists, singers,...Read More
A recent article in The Atlantic addresses a scenario that is becoming more and more common for artists: Someone makes a remix of another’s art. As described in the article, an urban planner created — and signed — a mural using an artist’s online digital drawing of Michelle Obama as an Egyptian Queen. The original artist learned about it via word-of-mouth after the mural’s installation....Read More
Halloween is nearly upon us. Do you have your costume picked out? Bloomberg reports that more than $3 billion will be spent just on costumes for the spooky event this year. With so much money at stake, designers and manufacturers of unique home décor items, treats and costumes hold on tight to their creations, protecting them from copycats.
Banana suit wars
Banana costumes are a popular...Read More
We write about what we know. Even if we don’t intend to write about Uncle Ted and his obsession with role-playing games when we create a character who is obsessed with World of Warcraft, the connection is there. Just as most authors put something of themselves in every character, most authors pull their characters from their environments. A bit of quirky Aunt Betsy there, a bit of that...Read More
