- So the question now is, just how much of
contract law,
entertainment law,
et cetera,
should a performing musician need to know?
Well,
one of the functions of a manager
if you're lucky enough, or if your career has progressed
to the point where you have a manager, is that , it's a,
it's a trusted relationship
and they should be able to handle those things for you
in order that you can tend to those things that you do best.
That's in an ideal world.
And unfortunately we don't live in an ideal world.
The more we know about our field,
the better we are, the better protected we are.
Knowledge is a very powerful tool.
Especially if it's acquired and then used properly.
That's not to say that a musician needs to
or should become a lawyer, but it's so easy to learn
about the things that we need to know
about the law that do pertain to our field.
If we buy a house,
we are going to learn something about real estate law.
If we are going to be a performing musician,
it's not a bad idea
and it's not hard to pick up the knowledge
pertaining to our field that will help us.
Primarily contract law, a little bit of contract law,
a little bit of entertainment law.
Again, if you're a union member, a lot of these things
are taken care of for you.
It's good to remember that contract law
which governs most of what we do is at a state level.
So it will vary from state to state.
It's gonna be awfully difficult to be well versed
in contract law in all 50 states
and the United States territories.
But books such as "This Business of Music"
published by Billboard Press is a really good source
of just the information that a classical musician
might need to know during their career.
The second volume, more about "This Business of Music",
is almost specifically geared
towards the performer of art music.
Whereas the big thick first volume is pretty much geared
towards recording artists and commercial music purveyors.