This is what has struck me over the last four courses at
Full Sail University, and for which I am very thankful to understand: the
entertainment business is a very litigious one, probably more than most
industries. While I rather knew this going in, I am now rethinking my business
strategy. I have no desire to be sued or to sue another party, but that seems
to be the norm. I only have time for making money, not spending it on
attorneys. My job is to help people create music, not defend it in court.
Where does that leave me? Right where I started. Doing it
all myself. And maybe that is the lesson that Dr. Craft is teaching in the
second half of EMPD. After listening to her self-promotional path to success, I
was motivated for a minute. But she is an attorney, and I am not. From what I
understand, one step on the “oops” button could end everything that you have
worked for, unless you have a massive legal budget.
As an accountant, I can tell a person or business where
every penny is. I can advise them on the most appropriate strategy for
depreciating their equipment on both a GAAP and IRS standard. Those things are
not arguable. They are fact (or, tongue-in-cheek, “law”). While that might be helpful in running a
business, it does little to protect an entertainment business owner or his
clients from lawsuits.
My take-away is this: You can self promote, publish, and
distribute your own work or that of your clients. However, if you do not know
how or have the resources to protect those works, you are in the wrong
business. Yes, you can go through CDBaby or TuneCore or any other number of
sites to distribute music. If you have a dispute with one of those companies, however,
you might find yourself at the short end of the stick.
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