Music Industry Experts Discuss Legal issues
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“Making an informed decision is what you’ll learn about today,” said Corey Field, a copyright and entertainment and music industry attorney at Ballard, Spahr, Andrews & Ingersoll LLP.
Field served as the moderator at the Boot Camp for Music Industry Entrepreneurs, sponsored by The Fox School of Business’ Innovation and Entrepreneurship Institute (IEI), the School’s Department of Legal Studies, and the law firm Ballard Spahr Andrews & Ingersoll, LLP. The event on April 18, was co-sponsored by Temple University’s Boyer College of Music and Dance and its School of Communications and Theater.
More than 220 people—musicians, recording artists, music industry enthusiasts and lawyers—attended this half-day event to get a better understanding of the business-aspect of the music industry.
Some of the topics discussed included copyright laws, performing rights, music distribution, branding, recording, legislation and licensing.
“There’s not much of an opportunity to see what the insiders are really like,” Field said of the rarity of this event. “I hope that they’ll get a sense of how the music business is run.”
Field’s involvement with the IEI began last year when he was a judge for the Business Plan Competition.
A key factor all of the panelists zoned in on was the changing face of music, due to technology. The panelists advised the audience that they had to adjust to changes such as downloadable music on the Web and understand that it takes time for the music industry to catch up with technology changes.
According to Chris Pavlides, executive director of the Fox School of Business’ Innovation and Entrepreneurship Institute the goal of the boot camp was to inspire and educate people.
“If you play jazz, and you don’t get a job in that, you don’t have to do something completely different,” he said. “There are other options if you want to be an entrepreneur involved with music than just playing an instrument.”
Sam Hodge, chairman of the Legal Studies department, and professor of legal studies at The Fox School, explained that getting legal advice is critical for any entrepreneur.
“We have embarked upon the creation of a series of law programs for the businessentrepreneur. TheBoot Camp for Music Industry Entrepreneurs is merely one such program,” Hodge said. “By bringing togethersome of the legal experts in the music field, it is hoped the audience gained an appreciation of some of the complex copyright issues involved in music publishing and recording.”
One of the keys to branding, said Glenda Garcia, vice president and managing director of ad agency Red Tettemer, is to understand what your music is about, and what you are going to stand for.”
“How are you going to take what you stand for, and make it work through art?” she said.
Maureen Smyth, a 2000 graduate of Temple, was one of the musicians in the audience. She enjoyed learning about different technologies offered for musicians.
“As the industry is changing, it’s important to learn that if your music is played digitally, you’re still entitled to royalties,” she said.
Ryan Soloby, a graduate student and teaching assistant in broadcast, television, and mass media, (BTMM) required that his students attended the boot camp.
“You need to see what business leaders are saying about how technology is affecting the industry’s structure,” Soloby said.
