Music Performance Agreements – Legally, What You Need to Know
Performing music live is a prime objective of many artists. The performance may be a one-off show at a local bar, part of a tour, or a corporate gig. The variabilities of artists’ performances and the related business considerations are vast. Whether you are the artist, represent the venue, or are the event operator (in […]
Gathering and Waiving Rights – Ask An Entertainment Lawyer
Gathering and Waiving Rights – Introduction Today we will look at gathering and waiving rights; from the inception of an idea, through its evolution into a film, producers of film and television must gather all the intellectual property rights in their productions. A producer acquires these rights by entering into contracts with the various people […]
Music Publishing Agreements – Being a Musician is a Business
Music Publishing Agreements – Introduction One of the ways to get your music catalogue and future compositions onto screens (TV series, movies, advertisements and games) is through a direct relationship to the relevant music supervisor or film/TV producer. Another way is by working with a music publishing company whose services include seeking music placement opportunities […]
“Work Made for Hire” Explained
“Work Made for Hire” Explained: Introduction The phrase “work made for hire” is commonly found in entertainment industry contracts—particularly with regard to independent contractors. Many would be surprised to learn that the phrase “work made for hire”, often unwittingly “borrowed” from American contracts, has no legal significance in Canadian law. Is there a Canadian […]
Option Agreement – Ask a Lawyer Series
Option Agreement – Introduction A scriptwriter contacted us, asking what legal issues to be aware of when selling her completed scripts to film producers. Typically, a scriptwriter (let’s call her the “creator”) would enter into an option agreement with a producer interested in producing the film—unless, perhaps, the producer has the funds to produce it […]
“Shown In Canada”: CAVCO Reinterpretation
“Shown In Canada”: CAVCO Reinterpretation – Introduction Shown In Canada: CAVCO Reinterpretation – The Canadian Film or Video Production Tax Credit (“CPTC”) is available for productions that are shown exclusively through eligible online video services. Prior to March 6, 2017 such productions were considered ineligible. Background Before March 6, 2017 programming shown exclusively on online […]
Bell Fund: Short-Form Digital Series (Fiction and Non-Fiction) Program
Bell Fund – Introduction Next in our ongoing series highlighting funding opportunities for digital creators we’re going to take a look at the Bell Fund. What is the Bell Fund? The “The Bell Fund”, is a CRTC certified independent production fund that provides funding for cross-platform digital media and TV content. The Bell […]
How To Pitch to a Broadcaster
How to Pitch to a Broadcaster: Introduction How to Pitch to a Broadcaster? We know this can be nerve-wracking, especially if you don’t know which steps to take. New things can be scary but learning about the subject is the first step in the direction of becoming comfortable with any new venture. Read on to […]
Online Concert Licensing and Royalties – Part 2
The Rights of Online Concerts: This is the second blog about online concert licensing and royalties. In the first blog, I provided a chart that summarized some licensing considerations for online concerts based in Canada. This blog introduces three rights that presenters require with respect to the compositions being performed at commercial online concerts. […]
Canada Day: The Perfect Day to Support Canadian Content (6th Edition)
The History: Since 2015, I’ve been sharing suggestions of how to support Canadian content on Canada Day – including our nation’s films, music, television programs, books, and more. While there’s reason to consume and share #CanadianContent all year round, Canada Day is the perfect day to celebrate it, be proud of it, and support the […]
