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Center for Continuing Education

Entertainment Law

(1.75)

ShockWave Streaming Audio Excerpt

Robert E. Gordon.
Susan Rabin.

Robert E. Gordon, Boalt Hall, '59, is in private practice in Corte Madera. He has taught Entertainment Law at Hastings College of the Law and Boalt Hall and has lectured extensively throughout the United States on panels sponsored by the Forum Committee on Entertainment and Sports Law of the American Bar Association. Mr. Gordon is the entertainment industry's representative for the Estate of Jerry Garcia.

Susan Rabin is in private practice in Mill Valley, representing artists from a wide variety of genres. Ms. Rabin serves as Chair of the Sports and Entertainment Law Section of the Bar Association of San Francisco and has taught Entertainment Law at Golden Gate and University of San Francisco Law Schools and Monterey College of Law. She is a frequent lecturer on music industry agreements, copyright, and publishing matters for California Lawyers for the Arts.

Entertainment Law Program Outline

Instructor: Robert E. Gordon, and Susan Rabin. (1.75 hrs.)

    Tape One, Side - A (approximately 50 minutes)
  1. Overview of the record industry, 1960 to the present. From vinyl to 8-track, cassettes, CDs and, now, CD-ROMs, combining audio with the visual.
  2. Practicing Entertainment Law: the job description. Changes in the nature of the practice. "Economics" issues. Scope, nature of the work involved.
  3. Types of record companies:
    1. Majors
    2. Independents
    3. Production Companies
      1. "Skilled-Producer" type
      2. "Business-Entrepreneur" type
  4. Publishing: structure of the business
    1. Majors
    2. Smaller "independents" licensing rights to songs
    3. Those affiliated with "entepreneur" type production companies.
  5. Music Publishing Law
    1. Ownership of copyright; role of the publisher
    2. Publishing rights; Works for Hire
    3. Publishing income: distribution; 17 USC Sec. 101 et seq.; licensing
    Side - B (approximately 50 minutes)
  1. Mechanical royalties; performance fees; synchronization licenses
  2. Co-publishing and other agreements
  3. MOCK RECORD NEGOTIATION: major label vs. unsigned act
    1. Preliminary discussions with A & R Department
    2. The form contract which begins the negotiations
    3. Parties: (which artists will sign the contract)?
    4. Major deal points: Territory, number of albums, tour budget, control over production, videos, mechanical royalty rate, size of advance, recoupment.
    5. Management: Business and Professions Code Sec. 1700 et seq.; range of fees; types of managers; scope of duties. 

.....I thoroughly enjoyed this program.  The quality of the lecture,
information and recording was superior.

Cara Taylor, Esq.
Universal Music & Video Distribution
Universal City, CA

Center for Continuing Education (CCE) is a State Bar of California MCLE approved provider. CCE certifies that this program has been approved for MCLE Self-study credits in the amount of 1.75 hours.

All CCE-MCLE Audio Programs feature state-of-the-art Digital Recording.

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