Erin M. Jacobson - Music Publishing Deals & How to Become An Entertainment Attorney

Erin M. Jacobson Music Attorney Podcast Interview

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Erin M. Jacobson is an internationally recognized attorney, experienced deal negotiator, and a seasoned advisor of intellectual property rights who protects musicians, songwriters, music publishers, and a wide variety of other music professionals.

Ms. Jacobson’s clients include Grammy and Emmy Award winners, legacy artists and catalogues, heirs and estates, and independent artists and companies. Ms. Jacobson regularly handles all types of agreements within the music industry, with an emphasis on music publishing, licensing, and catalogue acquisitions. In addition, she is one of the leading attorneys on copyright recapture and termination issues.

Ms. Jacobson also places special emphasis on her work with legacy clients and their catalogues, as her knowledge of both classic music and current industry practices places her in a unique position to protect and revitalize older catalogues.

Ms. Jacobson has been named as one of the “Top Music Lawyers” by Billboard, as well as a Super Lawyers Rising Star and one of the Top Women Attorneys in Southern California. In addition, Ms. Jacobson is a frequent author and speaker, and has been featured in publications including Billboard and Forbes, and on networks including ABC and the BBC. She also serves on the Board of Directors for the Association of Independent Music Publishers (AIMP).

Ms. Jacobson is the author of the book, Don’t Get Screwed! How to Protect Yourself as an Independent Musician. She also founded and owns Indie Artist Resource, the independent musician’s resource for legal and business protection. Indie Artist Resource offers templates for agreements most needed by independent musicians, as well as a variety of educational materials to empower independent musicians to make informed decisions about their careers.

More information on Ms. Jacobson and her law practice in Beverly Hills, CA can be found at www.themusicindustrylawyer.com.

Indie Artist Resource can be found at www.indieartistresource.com.

Highlights from this Episode
**times based on audio version
[3:25] Why this new book?
[5:20] Common Bad Advice in the Music Industry
[8:30] Registering singles with US Copyright office
[11:25] Mistakes independent musicians make
[12:54] Registering music and collecting royalties
[15:20] Decision to go into Entertainment Law
[19:50] The process to become an Entertainment Attorney
[25:15] How an Entertainment Attorney finds clients
[28:52] Artist’s getting into bad deal
[34:22] Explaining publishing deals or Pub Deals
[36:40] Standard publishing deal structure
[40:50] Artists getting ownership of a song they didn’t write
[49:40] Value a publishing company adds for the artist
[53:37] Songs that count towards your publishing deal
[55:00] Getting a co-publishing deal
[59:45] Benefit of being on a label
[1:02:03] Rapid Fire - Getting to know Erin Jacobson