Australian artists are being given a hand to navigate the legal complexities of the music industry thanks to a valuable free resource released this week by AMIN.
The new Music Industry Legal Pack features a collection of fact sheets and checklists aimed at equipping local artists and industry with some of the basic legal knowledge they need to deal with an increasingly complex industry.
MusicNSW Executive Officer Eliza Sarlos – whose organisation developed the resource on behalf of AMIN – says the project recognises the critical need for artists to understand any contracts or agreements put before them.
“These information sheets are by no means a substitute for professional legal advice,” Ms Sarlos explains. “But what they do is highlight the kinds of issues that artists and industry need to be looking at when entering into any contract or agreement.
“They unpack some of the information that can make contracts, and tax, so hard to understand, and highlight those areas that can come back to haunt artists if they’re not careful.”
The free information sheets and checklists cover a broad range of issues including:
- Distribution and recording contracts
- Band agreements
- Management contracts
- Publishing and song ‘synchronisation’
- Dealing with booking agents and venue contracts
- Re-mixer and producer agreements
AMIN has also developed and released a detailed tax checklist for musicians, covering everything from advice on how to set up a business, to GST and what artists can claim when preparing their tax returns.
The Pack was developed in consultation with industry and with assistance from entertainment law firm Simpsons and financial services company Moneypenny.
The legal pack is available now to download free at here and through the websites of AMIN’s member organisations soon.
