True Hip-Hop: Cross your T’s and dot your I’s

In a recent interview, I had the opportunity to talk to Entertainment Attorney Ted Baer, www.tedbaerlaw.com based in Santa Barbara, CA. Baer’s firm has been in operation for over 30 years. He has worked with artist such as Tupac Shakur and many other major film stars. His firm has a great reputation for it’s consistent dealings with negotiations and contractual matters, and is well respected throughout the entertainment world.

In my conversation with Mr. Baer we spoke on many topics pertaining to artist management and what are some of the things that need to be protected when it comes to the artist his image, music, and brand. Mr. Baer explained to me that one of the first thing you want to do as a manager for your artist is to trademark his stage name and likeness, doing this will protect the artist from being exploited against by anyone else attempting to use their name or likeness for personal gain. A current example of this would be William Roberts aka Rick Ross. Roberts is using the name and image of convicted felon and former drug king pin Freeway Rickey Ross in an effort to gain street credibility within the rap game. Earlier this year Ricky Ross (drug trafficker) filed suit against Rick Ross (rapper) for trademark infringement. Later a judge dismissed the case based on the wide range of usage through television, magazines, and other media using his name on a wide scale. Ricky Ross has hired another law firm and is hopeful that his new team of lawyers will turn out better results.

When we discussed the creative side of the business Mr. Baer advised me to make sure the rights to each song belong to the artist and that each song is copyrighted so that no one else can gain any form of royalties for the artist’s work. Today many artists function as a brand. Artists are now endorsing their own products from clothing to headphones. Artists are now branding themselves in order to create additional sources of income. This a smart way to do business as an artist when the bright lights are dim they will still have income coming in and building longevity into a life long financial situation.

Mr. Baer also gave me some great tips to incorporate when it comes to managing my artist and I look forward to implementing then into place.