A little about me
With
Judge JulesJudge Jules (Jules O'Riordan) traces his path from North London warehouse parties to pirate radio, BBC Radio 1 and running labels - the experience behind this music-business course.
What's in the course
46 lessons (1h 6m) · 1 free
01. Accounting
Free lesson1:16
02. Termination
1:29
03. Collection societies and letter of direction
0:26
04. Commission structure
2:32
05. Cross platform-multimedia aspects
0:39
06. Expenses
1:10
07. Key man provisions
1:01
08. A manager's obligations
2:33
09. Post term commission
1:30
10. Should a manager be involved in all aspects of an artist's income?
1:40
11. Term
1:46
12. Should a manager manage more than one artist?
1:24
01. Accounting payments and auditing
2:18
02. Ancillary shares
1:58
03. Artist approvals
1:51
04. Artist promotional obligations
1:50
05. Assignment or licence - what's the difference?
3:17
06. Interplay with publishing
0:51
07. Options
1:39
08. Release commitment
1:26
09. Rights in the artist's name and brand
1:26
10. Royalty types
1:20
11. Territory of agreement
1:54
12. Warranties and indemnities
1:37
01. What are the most important areas of a contract for a new artist?
2:11
02. Is it normal that a music lawyer would meet me and listen to my case before charging me?
1:15
03. If a label, publisher or manager approaches me to sign a contract but I dont have the funds to pay for a lawyer, who should pay the legal fees?
1:20
04. Are 360 degree deals good value for an artist?
1:14
05. Am I still protected when it comes to copyright in the NFT or the crypto world?
0:26
06. Should I be wary of a publishing deal?
1:02
07. What protection exists for artists releasing their own music that don't have access to a lawyer?
1:03
Lesson transcript
Introduction
So to tell you a bit about myself, when I was in my late teens, probably about 16 years old, I started promoting parties in my local neighbourhood of North London. They eventually morphed into illegal warehouse parties, which is a bit of a contrast to what I do now.
Career Development
Slowly, I built my career:
- I got onto pirate radio when Kiss FM in London was a pirate station.
- That became legal, and I started making many records.
- Between then and now, I have probably released 300 plus tracks and remixes, if not more.
- Eventually, I got onto BBC Radio 1, and I began touring as a global DJ.
In terms of performances, I have:
- Performed about 5,000 DJ gigs.
- Set up two labels for Universal Music:
- Manifesto
- Serious Records
Both of these dance music labels did well, dare I say it. Additionally, I was a promoter in Ibiza for about 20 years for my own branded club nights, which also did pretty well.
Transition to Law
About 10 years ago, I decided I needed to do something a bit more sensible. I wanted to retain DJing, but also stop doing all the other stuff so that I could become a lawyer.
I qualified as a lawyer and have been working in the field since without going through the tedious qualification process. I specialize as a music lawyer. I dare to say that I am probably the only active artist and music lawyer in the world.
Unique Perspective
This dual perspective gives me a valuable insight into the problems and challenges facing the artistic and creative community, very much from the inside looking out.
Most of what I've talked about and what I will be discussing in this course relates to things I have experienced very personally, both as an artist and as a lawyer.
Having faced some negative experiences gives me a unique perspective, and it makes me take the representation of my clients all the more personally.
Importance of Business Understanding
I believe that understanding business affairs is crucial. I've suffered in the past due to wrong deals, experiencing financial, psychological, and career negative connotations from making poor decisions.
- You could say I am a bit of a soapbox disciple about business affairs issues.
- I take them very seriously because I know the pain involved.
Moreover, I've made plenty of the right decisions, too.
I believe it is essential for successful artists to embrace their roles as business people, not just creatives. Yes, you can delegate business tasks to others, but fundamentally, you must understand what the business is all about.
That's what this course is trying to achieve.
46 lessons
1h 6m of structured video lessons
Advanced video features
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Mobile, tablet & desktop
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100% satisfaction guarantee
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Meet your guru
Meet your guru
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.
