This book was not informative at all. There was no insight into the legal aspects of the music business. I was extremely disappointed in the content. This book was all about entertainment law in California. It did not give an overview of business law or business law practices. The title is quite misleading! Please do not waste your money on this book. I will give you mine if you'd like to have it. I will probably donate it to the library. I am sure that you will feel the same way that I do once you purchase this book...disappointed! Find another book to purchase that will live up it its name. This one did not!!

When my Entertainment Law professor told his partners that he was going to start practicing Entertainment Law they weren't quite sure exactly what it was he was doing. They called it "Voo Doo Law", and honestly, it's not entirely untrue.

As in any business, agreements are necessary to hold parties accountable, define rights and responsibilities, and to give all parties terms they can reasonably rely on so that business can move forward. The Music Business is no different, but it has its own peculiar quirks, traditions, and problems.

This book takes all kinds of agreements between the many parties required to make a profitable, creative musical endeavor. The Author goes through band incorporation agreements, management contracts, recording and publishing agreements and explains them in ways that will benefit everyone from the aspiring 'band manager' to the experienced attorney looking to get a grasp on a new field of law.

Mr. Schulenberg examines every area of music contracts and gives plenty of demonstrations of contract language benefiting the Artist or the parties with whom the Artist is dealing.

This book also does an excellent job of addressing copyright and trademark law applicable to the music industry and giving thoughtful examination of how the digital download phenomenon is affecting the business in general.

This is (for the most part), clearly written in a straightforward manner, but you'll waste a lot of time if you don't already have a foundation.

Prerequisites:

1. "Everything You Need To Know About The Music Business" (Donald Passman)
2. "Music Law: How to Run Your Band's Business" (Richard Stim)

Many people get al excited when they first try to get into the music business only to get shot down by the many intricate twists and turns involving all the legal aspects of running a record label. Mountains of forms and paperwork with no understanding slowly stack up on the producer's desk with no end in site. The situation is a cry for help and that help comes in the form of information, information obtained by reading this very interesting book that details all that is involved with law aspects of this kind.

Many people get al excited when they first try to get into the music business only to get shot down by the many intricate twists and turns involving all the legal aspects of running a record label. Mountains of forms and paperwork with no understanding slowly stack up on the producer's desk with no end in site. The situation is a cry for help and that help comes in the form of information, information obtained by reading this very interesting book that details all that is involved with law aspects of this kind.

This book is hella boring, but its definitely a necessity for anyone involved in music. It clears up a lot of questions, and a lot of things you might have never even thought about. Reading this book is a must if you want a grasp on legal concepts. I also suggest "101 Music Business Contracts" from Platinum Millenium.

this book isnt all its cracked up to be but has plenty of really good onformation and examples hide inside it. from how to negotiate a contract to many other laws and such this book covers mainly all of it. for a better less boring book that has plenty of examples in it i suggest the book by ty cohen "101 Music Business Contracts" you cant go wrong with that one!

This book was so boring but it is necessary and I'm glad it exists. You do need a lawyer to absorb it or at least when you're negotiating your own contract. Reading it made me feel smarter and more boring. I could have done without the cheesy quotes. The other thing that gets me is that I have been offered contracts that look nothing like what's in this book by the same people that are on the "Billboard" chair committees etc. so it makes me wonder if what is published here is truly "industry standard".

"So does the author work for the RIAA?" Was my first thought when poking throught this book. Nice content overall, but I simply cannot recommend this book based on one thing alone : The author uses the term "stealing" when discussing copyright infringement. Get it straight! There is a clear legal difference between 'stealing' and 'infringement'. To state things in this manner is not only misleading, but an out-and-out intentional falsehood. Just because the author feels a certain way does not make it law.
In this day and age, there is absolutely NO EXCUSE for using incorrect terms like this in a book specifically about the legal aspects of music. Thumbs way down:(