Legal Question in Entertainment Law in California

Re: contract negotiation- artist selling song to TV show

The risk of you negotiating yourself is that, unless you are aware of the relevant law and industry practice, you may end up agreeing to something quite different than what you expected. So when an attorney got involved to go over the contract(s), they may have to tell you that you've negotiated agreements that are different than what you understood. We can assist you if and when you wish.

Re: contract negotiation- artist selling song to TV show

Negotiating for yourself is fine, if you know the relevant terms, the market, etc., and you're sure you can stand firm for what's right.

To be honest, the 50/50 deal with your producer is very troubling to me. You definitely need to get some good advice.

I do quite a lot of work in the film/tv music arena. Please feel free to give me a call.

Re: contract negotiation- artist selling song to TV show

If you are dealing with a known company in television the synch fees are usually pretty much set (no real hard core negotiations), but there are a number of terms that may make the "value" of the deal higher if you involve a lawyer at the beginning (i.e., option fees for new uses like on-demand, DVDs, etc.).

As for movies, you really need to have an attorney do that deal from start to finish or you will get screwed.