“Ask the Entertainment Lawyer” May 5 at RAC
By Chris King Of the St. Louis American
Rappers talk a lot about “paper,” meaning their money.
But if you want to make any money in the rap game – and hold onto the money after you make it – you had better understand “paper” in another sense.
Contracts!
“Paper work is very important,” says local rapper Potzee.
The man behind “Good Evening” knows you can say “good bye” to your earning potential if you don’t have your contracts straight.
Like it or not folks, you need an attorney to do all that.
“I had a good idea about the business of music, but my attorney understood it better,” Potzee said.
Local rappers have many local options for entertainment attorneys. Among black lawyers, Eric Kayira of Husch Blackwell Sanders and Daniel Brown of Bosley and Associates are two options.
Potzee’s attorney is Barbara Graham-Alexander.
“To succeed in the music industry, you cannot wait around and let things happen,” Graham-Alexander said. She said aspiring artists should think of themselves as entrepreneurs.
Potzee’s lawyer is one of several who have been rounded up by a very helpful local non-profit called St. Louis Volunteer Lawyers and Accountants for the Arts, or VLAA.
On Monday, May 5, she and other local entertainment lawyers will participate in a panel discussion about music law. They will take questions from the crowd and describe what services they provide in addition to reviewing agreements with record labels.
Daniel Friedman, Emmett McAuliffe and Jeff Michelman are the other panelists.
This is part of the VLAA’s Business Edge seminars. Local artists should know about VLAA if they don’t. It sounds too good to be true, but the organization is funded to organize the efforts of volunteer lawyers who help artists negotiate their legal hurdles/hassles and finances.
You’ve got to know at least one lawyer you trust in the music business, or you had better not be trusting anybody.
As Potzee said, “Don’t not sign anything before reading and understanding every word.” And having a lawyer do the same.
“Ask the Entertainment Lawyer” will be held 7-9 p.m. Monday, May 5in the Regional Arts Commission’s building, 6128 Delmar, right across the street from the Pageant. Advance registration is $10. Registration at the door will be $15. Call 314-863-6930, or visit www.vlaa.org.