Are music business contracts intentionally complicated?

[Numero Uno]

In the music recording industry do record labels, music publishers, and entertainment lawyers all collude together to make standard or 360 deals intentionally complicated than they should?

 

[Black Panther]

Legalese is the lifeblood of lawyers. I mean any type of lawyer you can think of. Now to answer your question in the context of the music business, well, there is no record company that wants to lose money. The same applies to any music publisher for that matter.

Even if it means screwing recording artists in the process so be it. And that pretty much summarizes the reason why record contracts are deliberately set up in most cases in favor of the investor (i.e. the record company or music publisher).

The idea is to initially trick noobs who are still green in the showbiz industry even to the extent of legal malpractice as I have mentioned above. Hence, it is up to the recording artist to do due diligence and look after their own interests from the first day they are given the offer to have someone go through all the details in the fine print.

Failure to do that an artist will soon find themselves whining and throwing tantrums whilst posting cryptic sosho media posts about X record label and X music distributor. However, record companies are also smart enough to know which artists to try and which artists their dirty business tactics won't fly. So what do they do with the latter?

They sure offer them fair contracts. The end result will be a win-win situation for both parties. By the way, these artists have usually established brands with a proven track record.

 

[Scorpio]

Your question is self-explanatory already.

How else will entertainment lawyers earn money if every single musician on earth can sign a good record deal on their own without needing any legal advice whatsoever?

Entertainment lawyers have got to eat too, and it's either they are helping a record label to rob and finesse an artist/band or vice versa -- they are trying to get an artist a good deal all through the noble currency of legalese.

 

[Lenard]

I don't know if I will be going on a tangent here, but check what time it is -- it's 2020 where anyone with an internet connection can do research and learn all the basics in regards to the business of music.

Therefore, any musician who argues that record contracts are complicated and hard to understand either has a short attention span to read anything or he/she is a little special -- I mean someone who is just smart enough to log onto sosho media and do nothing else productive except clout chasing and trolling whilst hiding behind a keyboard.

 

[Scorpio]

I don't know if I will be going on a tangent here, but check what time it is -- it's 2020 where anyone with an internet connection can do research and learn all the basics in regards to the business of music.

Therefore, any musician who argues that record contracts are complicated and hard to understand either has a short attention span to read anything or he/she is a little special -- I mean someone who is just smart enough to log onto sosho media and do nothing else productive except clout chasing and trolling whilst hiding behind a keyboard.

Word life, nowadays there shouldn't be retarded stories of musicians getting legal advice from an entertainment lawyer who also happens to represent their record label.

And other stupid things like an artist being managed by the very same people who signed them, including not knowing if they can buy back their masters, or being totally clueless about the duration of their contract, and all the possible numerous ways of terminating a contract just in case if a record label fails to rise to the occasion.

 

[Black Panther]

Word life, nowadays there shouldn't be retarded stories of musicians getting legal advice from an entertainment lawyer who also happens to represent their record label.

And other stupid things like an artist being managed by the very same people who signed them, including not knowing if they can buy back their masters or being totally clueless about the duration of their contract and all the possible numerous ways of terminating a contract just in case if a record label fails to rise to the occasion.

I get you, but common sense isn't common. Or should I say, what may be common sense to you may not be common sense to the next person?

 

[Tanju]

Yes, some aspects of the music business, including contracts, in particular, are intentionally crafted in a more complex form than is necessary, likely with the intention of obfuscating important details and potentially conveying an advantage to one party.