Legals & Deals: The Basics of The Music Industry
CourseMusic BusinessContemporaryIntermediate
Part ofMusic Business

Legals & Deals: The Basics of The Music Industry

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Duration1h 6m
Modules46
LevelIntermediate
LanguageEnglish

Lesson Plan (1h 6m)

About this course

Jules O'Riordan - better known as Judge Jules - is a practising solicitor by day and a global DJ by night, so he has signed these contracts as an artist and now negotiates them as a lawyer. Produced with Tileyard Education, this course breaks down the legal side of the music business in plain English.

You'll work through management agreements, record deals, music publishing and distribution: what to look for, the key terms that catch artists out, and how the money actually flows - accounting, royalties, commission, expenses, collection societies and letters of direction. It also covers newer ground like 360 deals, key-man provisions and copyright in the NFT and crypto world.

Whether you make your own music or want to work behind the scenes, you'll come away able to read a contract and ask the right questions before you sign.

Who it's for

  • Independent artists trying to make sense of contracts
  • Producers and DJs starting to sign their first deals
  • Aspiring managers and label staff learning the ropes

What you'll learn

  • Spot fair and unfair terms in management contracts
  • Read a record or publishing deal with confidence
  • Track your royalties, commissions and expenses accurately

What you'll need

  • A notebook for terms and questions to ask
  • Any draft contracts or deals you want to understand
  • A few minutes most days to absorb the material

Meet the Guru

Judge Jules

Judge Jules

Jules O'Riordan has over 30 years of experience across the entire spectrum of the music industry. This includes nearly a decade as an A&R for the Universal umbrella of labels, 15 years as a presenter on BBC Radio 1, over 150 record releases and remixes in his own capacity as a recording artist, plus a 30-year career as one of Britain's best-known, globally-travelled DJs (Judge Jules), with over 5000 gigs under his belt, plus extensive experience as an event promoter and artist manager at the highest level.

Suffice to say, Jules knows the music industry inside-out, and his clients regard him as a trusted advisor for whom no legal or business affairs challenge or problem is too large or small.

Jules has been a lawyer for 10 years. His practice takes in the entire breadth of the music-focused entertainment industry. His legal and deal expertise includes management, recording, publishing, distribution and label services, music-based apps, games and tech projects, production deals, producers, featured artists, endorsements, merchandising, neighbouring rights, TV/film scores, live performance, events and venue agreements, plus copyright and rights infringement and many other disputes.

Jules's clients include artists, management companies, record labels, songwriters, event promoters, producers, music tech businesses, production companies, live agents, music publishers and DJs. He has spoken on many panels and seminars including ADE, Brighton Music Conference and AIM events, and has been a guest speaker on legal issues across a number of on and off-line media outlets, including BBC Radio 5 Live, BBC Introducing, Financial Times, The Sun, The Times and Mixmag.

Jules speaks fluent Spanish.

Who better to demystify the contracts and deals every musician eventually faces? In his course, Jules turns three decades of hard-won industry knowledge into plain-English guidance, so you can understand the business side of music and protect your work long before you sign on the dotted line.

Published with

Tileyard Education

Tileyard Education sits inside Tileyard, the world's largest professional music community at London's Kings Cross. Alongside 200+ resident music businesses and 160 private recording studios, it delivers postgraduate, short-course and bespoke programmes in music production, songwriting and music business — taught by working industry practitioners.
Tileyard Education

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