Questions about licensing agreement

[darrenconway]

Hi, all!

I'm very excited that in my few years with TAXI, I actually landed a forward that resulted in me being presented with an exclusive licensing agreement for a music catalog...

I guess I'm not sure what to ask now, is that in reading through 10 pages of stuff, I'm really not sure what it all means. Basically it looks like if I agree to this, I'm pretty hands-tied to do anything else with the music I'm licensing through this agency.

Any input or thoughts from any of you experienced folks? Do I need to consult an entertainment attorney for help in reading this? Or should I just pretty much sign this and send it back (a little wreckless, perhaps, but it's not every day you get presented with this type of thing...at least me).

Thank you for any advice you might have!
Darren Conway
fileunderd@yahoo.com
858.353.6605 mobile

[eeoo]

No one will ever advise you not to have an attorney look at it, that said if it's from a Taxi forward you can be fairly comfortable that it's a reputable library. You can always call or e-mail Taxi with any specific questions and they will do their best to point you in the right direction. And if you're going to the Rally there will be plenty of resources there to help you out.

Congrats on the deal offer!

eo

[darrenconway]

hey eo - thank you very much for that! the rally was awesome as usual, and a great help as well...

darren

[davewalton]

Non-exclusive arrangements are much more straight forward. Usually everything is split 50/50 for any placement fees, you get 100% of the writers share and they get 100% of the publishers share for royalty payments. Nice and simple. Exclusive arrangements are potentially a bit more involved because there can be several different types of exclusive arrangements. If you would feel comfortable with doing this, please send me a PM and I'll be glad to give you a laymans overview of whatever it is that you have.

Great that you've got a deal. Congratulations!

[suzdoyle]

I found these two books very helpful when first navigating the world of legal contracts when songs are placed:

The Permission Seekers Guide through the Legal Jungle,
by Joy Butler
http://www.legaljungleguide.com/permiss ... iption.htm

and

The Musician's Guide Through the Legal Jungle
by Joy Butler
http://www.legaljungleguide.com/musician.htm

Her books (and blog) are very clear and helpful - and, when hiring her for entertainment lawyer work, I have found her to be professional, good at 'splainin' things, and reliable.

,
Suz

P.S. And don't worry -- by your 3rd or 4th signed deal, you'll start seeing what the agreements and contracts have in common.