getting around copywrite laws...

ok so i've got a scenario for you.... what if you're an artist who's huge, and people are itching for you to drop your next full length, you're going to sell thousands just because of who you are. your full length album is gunna have tons of samples, references, quotes, any and every other goodie that may make this release some music lawyer's field day to sue you for every penny you're worth. BUT due to the albums blatant disregard of the law, in an attempt to allow creativity to run at an all time high, this album very well could be the greatest release in the last decade. and people just gotta have it! you selling this album is where the problem comes in. you won't be able to. you're stuck. what do you do? sell a t-shirt for $30, that comes with a FREE full length album. what are your thoughts? i think it's absolutely crazy enough to work and you're free like o.j... if anything, i suppose this artist would be considered a t-shirt vendor at the end of the day. but what does he care about labels? he's getting super paid and getting his hard work out to the masses.

well in order to not get sued more than likely ur gonna have to give it away for free and bank off the mercs and shows. but stay away from radio. a song being played on the radio without any clearance will def get u sued (thats wht got just blazed sued over breathe). u probly couldn't call it an album niether. like with prodigy's return of the mac I heard it had to be labeled as a mixtape in order to get away wit all those samples.

EducatedHands wrote:ok so i've got a scenario for you.... what if you're an artist who's huge, and people are itching for you to drop your next full length, you're going to sell thousands just because of who you are. your full length album is gunna have tons of samples, references, quotes, any and every other goodie that may make this release some music lawyer's field day to sue you for every penny you're worth. BUT due to the albums blatant disregard of the law, in an attempt to allow creativity to run at an all time high, this album very well could be the greatest release in the last decade. and people just gotta have it! you selling this album is where the problem comes in. you won't be able to. you're stuck. what do you do? sell a t-shirt for $30, that comes with a FREE full length album. what are your thoughts? i think it's absolutely crazy enough to work and you're free like o.j... if anything, i suppose this artist would be considered a t-shirt vendor at the end of the day. but what does he care about labels? he's getting super paid and getting his hard work out to the masses.

If dudes a huge artist, no doubt he can most likely pay for the samples to get released.

otherwise, any promotion or money made form the "new" album would be subject to copywright laws. regardless if you sell a t-shirt with a free cd, that cd is what you will get the name for, and not the shirt. People wont be like "damn yo! did you check that sick T-shirt???" they'd be like "DAYUM check those fly beats!" As soon as anybody focuses on the cd and not the shirt your in deep doo doo. The lawyers KNOW this is a ploy to get around the laws, and they'll sue you for it.

shirts cost money to make ...sell the CD case and throw in the artwork and cd for free

EducatedHands wrote:ok so i've got a scenario for you.... what if you're an artist who's huge, and people are itching for you to drop your next full length, you're going to sell thousands just because of who you are. your full length album is gunna have tons of samples, references, quotes, any and every other goodie that may make this release some music lawyer's field day to sue you for every penny you're worth. BUT due to the albums blatant disregard of the law, in an attempt to allow creativity to run at an all time high, this album very well could be the greatest release in the last decade. and people just gotta have it! you selling this album is where the problem comes in. you won't be able to. you're stuck. what do you do? sell a t-shirt for $30, that comes with a FREE full length album. what are your thoughts? i think it's absolutely crazy enough to work and you're free like o.j... if anything, i suppose this artist would be considered a t-shirt vendor at the end of the day. but what does he care about labels? he's getting super paid and getting his hard work out to the masses.

They won't be able to take you for everything 1st off they can only take get % on what you have left over so you need to speak with a good lawyer to show you how to work that game legally.

I was in a similar situation (well soft of) where I was I had sent in a batch of tracks to BET (this was 2 years ago) and 2 of the tracks contained samples (wasn't paying attention or something) anyway every quarter I was getting a nice lil check from the rotation of these tracks. About a year later I get contacted from the label (not the artist) because they still owned the groups publishing claiming that I owned x amount of $$ etc well that was fine with me so I got my manager we all at down and discussed how much the label was entitled too. They wanted 85% which was fine with me because I understand that they can only take 85% from my company and not me as an individual

So I have my business set up like this.....

My LLC is with ascap

I'm with BMI

My girlfriend and sister are both with Ascap


All the tracks are under the LLC with us as session players and I have a contract on all of us through the LLC saying the LLC will pay us x amount per check for various reasons (mixing etc)

So Once that track comes into the LLC I have to pay out those contracted end the end leaving the LLC with only 10 or sometimes 15% of the royalty check so the label was only able to take 85% of the companies 10-15%

Leaving me (or my family) with 85-90% of the check in the end anyway so.... in the end wasn't that bad just have to know how to go around about the business and the loop holes.

nyke wrote:

EducatedHands wrote:ok so i've got a scenario for you.... what if you're an artist who's huge, and people are itching for you to drop your next full length, you're going to sell thousands just because of who you are. your full length album is gunna have tons of samples, references, quotes, any and every other goodie that may make this release some music lawyer's field day to sue you for every penny you're worth. BUT due to the albums blatant disregard of the law, in an attempt to allow creativity to run at an all time high, this album very well could be the greatest release in the last decade. and people just gotta have it! you selling this album is where the problem comes in. you won't be able to. you're stuck. what do you do? sell a t-shirt for $30, that comes with a FREE full length album. what are your thoughts? i think it's absolutely crazy enough to work and you're free like o.j... if anything, i suppose this artist would be considered a t-shirt vendor at the end of the day. but what does he care about labels? he's getting super paid and getting his hard work out to the masses.

They won't be able to take you for everything 1st off they can only take get % on what you have left over so you need to speak with a good lawyer to show you how to work that game legally.

I was in a similar situation (well soft of) where I was I had sent in a batch of tracks to BET (this was 2 years ago) and 2 of the tracks contained samples (wasn't paying attention or something) anyway every quarter I was getting a nice lil check from the rotation of these tracks. About a year later I get contacted from the label (not the artist) because they still owned the groups publishing claiming that I owned x amount of $$ etc well that was fine with me so I got my manager we all at down and discussed how much the label was entitled too. They wanted 85% which was fine with me because I understand that they can only take 85% from my company and not me as an individual

So I have my business set up like this.....

My LLC is with ascap

I'm with BMI

My girlfriend and sister are both with Ascap


All the tracks are under the LLC with us as session players and I have a contract on all of us through the LLC saying the LLC will pay us x amount per check for various reasons (mixing etc)

So Once that track comes into the LLC I have to pay out those contracted end the end leaving the LLC with only 10 or sometimes 15% of the royalty check so the label was only able to take 85% of the companies 10-15%

Leaving me (or my family) with 85-90% of the check in the end anyway so.... in the end wasn't that bad just have to know how to go around about the business and the loop holes.

can I get a detailed graph?

just dont sample man

nyke wrote:

EducatedHands wrote:ok so i've got a scenario for you.... what if you're an artist who's huge, and people are itching for you to drop your next full length, you're going to sell thousands just because of who you are. your full length album is gunna have tons of samples, references, quotes, any and every other goodie that may make this release some music lawyer's field day to sue you for every penny you're worth. BUT due to the albums blatant disregard of the law, in an attempt to allow creativity to run at an all time high, this album very well could be the greatest release in the last decade. and people just gotta have it! you selling this album is where the problem comes in. you won't be able to. you're stuck. what do you do? sell a t-shirt for $30, that comes with a FREE full length album. what are your thoughts? i think it's absolutely crazy enough to work and you're free like o.j... if anything, i suppose this artist would be considered a t-shirt vendor at the end of the day. but what does he care about labels? he's getting super paid and getting his hard work out to the masses.

They won't be able to take you for everything 1st off they can only take get % on what you have left over so you need to speak with a good lawyer to show you how to work that game legally.

I was in a similar situation (well soft of) where I was I had sent in a batch of tracks to BET (this was 2 years ago) and 2 of the tracks contained samples (wasn't paying attention or something) anyway every quarter I was getting a nice lil check from the rotation of these tracks. About a year later I get contacted from the label (not the artist) because they still owned the groups publishing claiming that I owned x amount of $$ etc well that was fine with me so I got my manager we all at down and discussed how much the label was entitled too. They wanted 85% which was fine with me because I understand that they can only take 85% from my company and not me as an individual

So I have my business set up like this.....

My LLC is with ascap

I'm with BMI

My girlfriend and sister are both with Ascap


All the tracks are under the LLC with us as session players and I have a contract on all of us through the LLC saying the LLC will pay us x amount per check for various reasons (mixing etc)

So Once that track comes into the LLC I have to pay out those contracted end the end leaving the LLC with only 10 or sometimes 15% of the royalty check so the label was only able to take 85% of the companies 10-15%

Leaving me (or my family) with 85-90% of the check in the end anyway so.... in the end wasn't that bad just have to know how to go around about the business and the loop holes.

good schit... incorporating is a good way to protect yourself as an individual...


i need to learn more about this stuff...