Influencer Contracts: Top 10 Legal Considerations
Social Media Influencers Social media influencers are killing it these days. The highest paid influencers can earn up to one million dollars for a single post! If people aspire to earn a living as an influencer (or perhaps just make some cash on the side), it may be exciting to receive an offer from a […]
Recent Judicial Decision: A Tale of Two Music Royalty Streams (ESA v SOCAN)
Decision re Music Royalties A potential new source of music revenue for artists has recently been eliminated. In Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada v Entertainment Software Association et al. 2022 SCC 30 (“ESA v SOCAN”), the Supreme Court clarified that making a work available online does not result in a separate […]
When Writing Kills: Red Flags in Publishing Agreements – Part 1
The Publishing Agreement Offer Another late night of writing. Your alarm goes off, you stumble out of bed to grab a cup of coffee, then sit down at your computer. Another day of editing your manuscript… Hold on! You have a new email, and it’s from a publishing company. It looks like an offer! All […]
How to Start a Music Festival in Canada
Music festivals are one type of business that investors may want to consider. Unlike investing in artists or record labels, a music festival can be more attractive: its financial success may be more predictable, and less dependent on public reaction to new music or emerging artists. However, the decision to invest in music festivals is […]
Music Booking Agency Agreement Considerations
It takes a village to raise a … musician? Well, perhaps not, but finding and sustaining success in the music industry takes a lot of work from a lot of people. Some musicians have a manager, label, publisher, investor, publicist, social media coordinator, side artist(s), producer, co-writer(s), engineer, accountant, business manager and lawyer. Oh, and […]
Guild Members and Producer Signatories: Writers Guild of Canada
Signatory Producer and Writer Status The Writers Guild of Canada (the “WGC”) represents English-language writers working in film, television, broadcast, and digital media production in Canada. The WGC’s primary collective bargaining agreement is the Writers Guild of Canada Independent Production Agreement (the “IPA”). The IPA places minimum requirements on producers who engage WGC writers. In […]
Song Parodies and Copyright Law: Criticism is … Critical (and other truisms)
Song Parodies – Introduction Have you ever thought to yourself, “Hey, I’ve got a fantastic idea for a parody song”? If so, your next thought might have been, “do I actually though?” Creating new lyrics to an already-famous song might be funny; certainly, laying different, incongruent lyrics over a familiar song can have that effect. […]
Writer Defamation: What You Need to Know
Writer Defamation – Introduction Johnny Depp, the actor famous for portraying Captain Jack Sparrow in Disney’s beloved Pirates of the Caribbean film series, is in the news a lot lately. At the time this blog is being written, Depp is involved in a highly publicized trial against his ex-wife, Amber Heard. Depp is suing Heard […]
Canadian Copyright Law: Does Digitally Restoring Public Domain Films Revive Copyright?
Canadian Copyright Law – Introduction Canadian Copyright Law: Does Digitally Restoring Public Domain Films Revive Copyright? Copyright can be a muddy area of law, despite the Copyright Act (Canada). One reason is the difficulty the law has in keeping up with emerging technologies. The digital restoration of old films is one example. This is an […]
ABCDEF GEE, What’s The Deal with Music Interpolations?
Music Interpolations – Introduction The biggest song in the world, at the moment this is being written, is Gayle’s, abcdefu – a very catchy song about an ex-boyfriend. The song inspired talented Canadian artist Tyler Shaw, to offer his own take on the pop hit: the romantic, Love You Still (abcdefu romantic version). The Original […]
