Why Us?

In over 25 years involved with projects across the Music Industry I have reached the conclusion that the vast majority of disputes arising between Record Companies, Music Publishers, Artists and on occasion Managers is a fundamental lack of ‘communication’. Sometimes even a lack of understanding in how the contracts that are offered and later signed by artists/songwriters have been understood or more accurately misunderstood.

As much as Record Companies take a beating from a lot of artists disputing their situation it has to be understood that in the traditional nature of a Record Company it is they that are taking the initial risk in investing in new talent. It is the label that will be paying upfront for signing, recording, manufacturing, distributing, marketing, styling, dressing as well as all the costs of promoting a brand new ‘product’, national and trade press, advertising as well as transport etc. The costs can run into hundreds of thousands of pounds with no guarantee of a successful result at the end of Single One. But if they are a committed company they will go through that whole process again on Single Two and maybe even for Album One.

Every single penny, pound, Yen, euro, dollar of that initial investment MUST be recouped by the label before the percentages agreed in your original contract can ‘kick in’ and the Artist and Label will start seeing a profit from the initial product and that is where the seeds of a dispute most often stem from.

1.      Where has all my/our money gone?

2.      Why can’t I have more money to buy things?

3.      Where is all my money going?

4.      Why is he/she making money out of this and I’m not?

Any Manager, Accountant, Law Firm or A+R person should explain all this and more before you put pen to paper and signed a legally binding contract and the one's that do still have careers today with new artists, existing artists, songwriters, producer. But if the truth be told you (the ‘artist’) had spent so much time getting to that first contract that you would have walked over hot coals and your mother to sign it and get in the ‘club’. It is only with that wonderful thing called 'hindsight' that these questions can be explored.

And THAT is why Excellent legal representation is key to you longevity as a commercial artist. Why pay commissions to Managers, Agents, Publicists etc when One good firm charging a flat hourly fee can advise and support you throughout those early stages of success and recognition and when your career has reached a stage when you truly need a Manager, Agent, Publicist etc they will come courting you.

My bottom line is that there has very rarely been a situation of any individual coming into the business of 'Entertainment' whose sole intention was to 'rip off' a new, fledgling artist/act/composer, but miscommunication can be the killer to all relationships of trust.

"These are my personal thoughts as I would express them if asked by any potential clients and not necessarily those held by the firm, Partners or Associates of Simons Rodkin Solicitors LLP"

©David A.Nash