Wisconsin Music Ventures hosts monthly musician workshops via Zoom that touch on important topics for musicians in the industry.

(Song)writers Know Your Rights: Legal Aspects of Songwriting.

We will be talking about legal aspects of songwriting, specifically:

-What are the elements of a song?

-What makes a song protectable by copyright?

-What isn’t protectable by copyright?

-Types of copyrights (composition vs. sound recording).

-Who is considered an author under copyright law?

-How to assess percentage of authorship/ownership.

-How to address collaboration, joint authorship, and joint works.

-What is work made for hire?

-Considerations for use of beats, samples, and interpolations.

-Songwriting income.

Bryan T. Kroes is a shareholder with Hurtado Zimmerman SC in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin. Bryan’s law practice includes entertainment, construction, real property, and municipal bond finance.

As an entertainment attorney, Bryan represents musicians, artists, record labels, theater owners, and other creative types. A lifelong musician himself with an extensive history of touring and production work, Bryan brings a seasoned, unique, and personal approach to the business side of entertainment. Bryan is also a founding member and currently serves as Treasurer, for the Wisconsin Entertainment Lawyers Association.

Bryan’s law practice also concentrates on construction contract negotiation, including intellectual property law issues, and commercial and residential real property acquisition. He represents trade contractors, designers, and owners in dispute resolution related to perfection of lien rights, defect claims, property purchases, sales, leasing, and related intellectual property protection. He also has experience in public bond finance, including revenue anticipation, commercial line of credit, and general obligation fundings.

Peter Strand has extensive experience drafting, analyzing, revising, and negotiating complex entertainment industry agreements including record contracts, music publishing agreements, literary publishing agreements, film and television production agreements (producer, director, actor, composer, location, etc.), content and catalog acquisition and distribution agreements, and agreements between creative collaborators (songwriters, co-authors, bands, production companies). These entertainment industry agreements typically address issues of ownership, compensation (royalties, advances, back end, upfront fees, and buy-out fees) control, credit, and content acquisition (options, licenses, works made for hire). He has represented authors, film/television production companies, recording artists, songwriters, on-screen and behind-the-camera talent, record producers, composers, and life story subjects.