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5 Steps to Building a Music Career

Our NYC and Miami Entertainment Law Firm advises and represents clients in all legal matters related to music, sports, television/film, visual and literary works, modeling, online matters, and intellectual property.

Many individuals may consider themselves an artist, no matter whether strumming a guitar only once a month or dedicating several hours a day to improving himself or herself as a musician. However, if you are truly motivated toward the goal of becoming a career artist, there are certain steps you can take to push your career forward as a serious, dedicated musician.

Our Miami entertainment lawyers have developed the following five steps to help boost your music career:

  1. Start a company and open a business bank account for it.

This action will mark you as a professional, not a hobbyist. Also, opening a business account may protect your personal assets, has tax advantages and costs no more than $500.

  1. Use Songwriter-Split Agreements.

These agreements are critical under the Copyright Act, preserve the co-composer relationship when the money comes in; ward off outside pressure about who should be making what, and they cost only $350.

  1. Use Work-for-Hire Agreements.

These agreements clearly define how any income should be divided, are essential under the Copyright Act and the agreement only costs $350 to acquire.

  1. Copyright Your Music.

Copyrighting your music helps you declare clear ownership if a dispute were to ever arise or if you were to become involved in an infringement lawsuit. Registering a copyright only costs $35 in government fees or several hundred dollars if you hire a lawyer to handle your paperwork.

  1. Make and post a music video under a written Video-Producer Agreement.

This type of agreement makes certain you own the video under a written agreement and gives you a bargaining leverage with a record label. Posting videos may help you create a larger fan base for your music and act as a market-test for you. The cost of a video-producer agreement is $750 and over $2,000 for the video.

Miami Entertainment Lawyers

Chase Lawyers is a boutique entertainment law firm that advises and represents clients in legal matters related to music, sports,television/film, visual and literary works, modeling, online matters and intellectual property. If you are planning a music career, contact our entertainment lawyers in Miami today to ensure your path to stardom is a smooth one!


Barry Chase

Barry Chase, Esq., Senior Partner at ChaseLawyers®, is a distinguished figure in the realm of sports and entertainment law, offering Harvard-level representation that is both cost-sensitive and exceptional. An honors graduate of Yale College (Phi Beta Kappa) and Harvard Law School, Chase's illustrious career commenced at a prominent Washington, D.C. law firm, now known as Wilmer Hale. Here, he honed his expertise in Communications and First Amendment law, representing media titans such as CBS, the Times-Mirror Company, and Time, Inc. in pivotal Federal Communications Commission (FCC) matters.

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When you’re ready to take the next step in your career, our Miami entertainment lawyers are ready to help you. We are passionate about helping creatives with all of their legal needs, and you won’t find a team more dedicated to your success in all of Miami. Contact us today to schedule your free consultation!