There are a number of areas of your performance career that you invest in. You pay a nice penny for your instruments and your sound gear. There are costs associated with recording. Even though you sell it, you bear the upfront costs of getting merch made. Then there are expenses such as travel, food, and lodging. When you go to events such as conferences there is a registration fee to attend. If you have a manager or publicist, he or she comes at a cost as well.
So, when you routinely pay out these fees, why would you stop when it came to potentially incurring the costs associated with hiring an attorney? “Why?! Those folks charge a lot, that’s why!” I can hear you saying that at your phone or computer screen right now as you’re reading this.
It’s right about here that I want you to notice that I’m the one writing this, not an attorney.
I have (Now Hear This has) used one or more attorneys for various tasks. Back on Episode 173 of “Now Hear This Entertainment” I interviewed an entertainment attorney. This past February I met and now have established a nice contact with another. And there’s even a lawyer who attends our Florida Podcasters Association meetings every month because he has a weekly show of his own. So, I’ve had enough dealings to know the value that these professionals bring.
In fact, on the recently released Episode 225 of NHTE, Britta and Brooke Dodgen mentioned that the first action they took when they changed from being called The Redheads to Rhythm Rampage, was contacting their attorney.
Heck, for that matter, there’s another moment during that interview when the girls say that they have had a song stolen from them before! Doesn’t having an attorney help with copyrighting in advance or at least being able to call once this know-you-what hits the fan sound like a good security blanket?
I had even seen a Facebook post somewhat recently where a singer/songwriter/recording artist that I know was asking for recommendations for an entertainment attorney. My educated guess is that this was in regards to a sponsorship that I saw this same individual announce soon thereafter.
Yes, you are paying for their time and expertise, but to me you are also paying for peace of mind.
Would you rather wing it and cross your fingers that you’ve done everything right and/or hope that no one catches anything you might’ve erred on, or would you rather pay and get the assurance that everything is being done properly and is airtight?
I’ve been known to say once or twice before that if you aren’t willing to spend five bucks to get 40-plus tips to help your performance career (or, gulp, don’t even have five dollars for it), then maybe you aren’t actually serious about what you’re doing and wanting to move it forward. On a similar note, if you’re perfectly willing to incur the expenses listed in the opening paragraph, yet don’t view paying an attorney as investing in your career, perhaps it’s really just a hobby for you.
Talk about your experiences with hiring an attorney in your entertainment career in our Facebook group and/or ask questions about such.