Issue 11 / May 2011

BREW MASTERS
GUIDE
---V60---
Guest Column
Francis McEntegart, McEntegart Legal
Francis McEntegart, McEntegart Legal
Music contracts and dealings in the
music industry are full of potential
pitfalls and this is particularly true for
those new to the business. Below we
discuss three issues that musicians
should consider as they can have a
serious affect on your career and your
bank account! We have concentrated
on the perspective of the artist
although record labels, publishers
and promoters don’t escape the
problems.
Band agreements (like partnership agreements in business) deal
with things like how income is shared and who owns the band name.
Signing one at the beginning can save problems later on, such as when
a member leaves. Steve Adler, the original Guns N’ Roses drummer,
signed a termination contract for a lump sum agreeing to terminate his
interest in the band. Adler later sued for more money claiming he wasn’t
mentally fit to sign the contract. Slash admitted that Adler had been out
of it on heroin. The band settled out of court, paying Adler a further $2.5
million. These kinds of arguments can be avoided if a band agreement is
in place.
Song royalties (also known as publishing income) are a massive part
of potential earnings – just imagine how much money was generated
from Amy Winehouse’s cover version of The Zuton’s Valerie! A band should
decide early on how they will split the income from songwriting - will the
individual songwriter take the rights 100% or share them out with the
non-writing members of the band? If all the members write, will they split
the income equally or calculate it on a song-by-song basis? A songwriter
who only receives 20% of the income from a song he wrote alone may
get upset with the rest of the band ten years down the line. Sting wrote
Every Breath You Take and receives 100% of the songwriter rights. U2
share their income and still perform, record and get on well. Again, these
things can be clarified in a band agreement.
Artists signing record deals should take special notice of the release
commitment clause. This clause states the set period within which the
label must release the recordings once they have the masters. If it is a
long period, or if no time limit is set, then the artist could be tied into a
very long contract with no material being available to the public. Gina
G (remember her?) sued her label for their failure to agree tracks to be
recorded within a reasonable time. Miss G claimed that she had suffered
‘substantial damage to her career and future earnings’. History shall tell
us whether this is true. In any event this would not have been a problem if
she had a clear clause on release commitments in her contract. There are
hundreds more cases like these. To save yourself from becoming another
example, make sure you seek some legal advice!
1. Wet filter paper
with large amount
of boiling water.
Dispose of water
once cup and V60
are warm
2. Pour your choice
ground coffee into the
filter paper. Level out
by gently tapping.
3. De- gas coffee using as
little water as possible.
Start at he centre and
work outwards.
Once coffee is
covered leave for
30-45 seconds.
4. Once degassed, fill the V60
pouringas slow as possible in
a anti-clockwise direction.
When the 'bloom' is 1 inch
from the top the filter paper
stop pouring. This stage
should roughly take
2 mins.
SIT BACK AND ENJOY!
McEntegart Legal: 0151 255 0400 - francis@mclegal.co.uk
www.mclegal.co.uk