Los Angeles Music Attorney

Ensuring Your Voice is Heard

In music, the creative part gets all the attention, but the business side decides who keeps the rights, who gets paid, and who gets left behind. That’s where we come in. At Kinney Law, P.C., we work with artists, songwriters, producers, and estates to help them stay in control of their work and ensure the deals they sign don’t come back to bite them later.

Here are a few things we can help with:

• Going through recording contracts before you sign
• Writing and negotiating publishing and distribution deals
• Setting up licensing agreements
• Handling producer agreements, songwriting splits, and co-writer credits
• Managing catalog sales when it’s time to sell
• Registering your songs with the copyright office
• Registering songs with ASCAP, BMI, or SESAC, SoundExchange, and the MLC
• Reclaiming rights through termination notices

If you’re trying to build a music career, the legal side isn’t optional. We’re here to help you protect what’s yours.

Why Should You Have an Entertainment Lawyer for Every Music Deal?

Music contracts are supposed to protect all involved, but if you show up unprepared, the contracts you sign could end up offering you very little protection. Whether you’re signing with a record label, licensing your songs to a brand, or negotiating a split with music publishers, the details matter more than most artists realize.

In the music industry, even indie deals come with language that can affect your rights, your income, and your control over the work you’ve created. And once you’ve signed? It’s very difficult if not impossible to go back..

At Kinney Law, P.C., we represent a full range of music professionals, from individual artists to publishing and production companies. We review contracts and flag traps, and help you keep your intellectual property rights intact. We don’t just deal with problems after the fact; we prevent you from signing into them in the first place.

Music moves fast, and so do the legal issues that come with it. Our attorneys bring extensive experience in entertainment law and intellectual property litigation to artists working on a global basis.

If your music career matters to you, then so should the contracts behind it. A trusted entertainment attorney can make the difference between long-term success and years spent fighting for control of your work.

What Should You Know About Music Licensing?

Music licensing is one of the most common and most dangerous places for artists to get burned. On the surface, it sounds like an opportunity. A brand wants to use your song. A series wants your track for an episode. But buried in the fine print are the rights you could be giving away for good. In the entertainment industry, that kind of mistake follows you.

Most artists don’t fully understand what they’re licensing. Are you giving up the master? The publishing? Is it for one use or unlimited use? Can they sublicense it to other platforms? These are the kinds of questions music lawyers ask before the deal gets signed. Without someone experienced in entertainment law reading the agreement, you’re relying on trust in an industry that rarely runs on it.

At Kinney Law, P.C., we help music professionals protect their intellectual property every step of the way. We’ve seen licensing deals go sideways fast, and once it’s signed, there’s not much you can do. A licensing mistake doesn’t just cost you one opportunity. It can cost you the rights to your music. That’s why bringing in an entertainment lawyer from the start isn’t optional. It’s protection.

How Has Digital Streaming Changed the Music Industry?

Streaming didn’t just change how people listen to music; it completely rewrote how artists, publishers, and companies deal with ownership, rights, and income. What used to be a straightforward process, selling records and splitting revenue, is now a maze of micro-licensing, algorithm-driven payouts, and shifting platform terms. That shift has created a long list of legal concerns that most artists aren’t prepared to deal with on their own.

In the modern music industry, getting your music onto platforms like Spotify or Apple Music is easier than ever. Understanding the licensing terms behind those platforms, though? Not so much. Every stream generates revenue, but tracking how it’s divided between the artist, the publisher, the label, and the platform can get messy fast. And when you factor in territory rights, exclusivity clauses, or evolving platform rules, protecting your intellectual property becomes even more critical.

At Kinney Law, P.C., we help music professionals make sense of the fine print. We can handle intellectual property issues tied to digital content, and help protect your work in a space that changes constantly. The streaming world moves fast. You need attorneys who understand how to protect your music just as quickly.

What Should Artists Know About Ownership?

In music, ownership isn’t as straightforward as people think. Just because you can write the song, sing the track, or even finance the whole project doesn’t mean you automatically own all of it. And once you give those rights up, getting them back can take years, if it’s even possible.

There are two sides to every piece of music: the song itself and the recording. If you wrote the lyrics and melody, you own the publishing rights, until you don’t. Sign the wrong contract and you could hand that over for good. The same goes for master rights, which are the actual recording. A label or producer might pay to make it, but in exchange, they often keep full control. That means they decide where the recording gets used, who profits off it, and whether you get a say in any of it. They can even prevent you from re-recording your own song for years after you sign.

Artists also run into problems with joint ownership. If you’re working with co-writers, producers, or a band, you’ll want to sort out the split before the track blows up. If it’s not in writing, it gets messy fast.

Even independent artists aren’t immune. Distributors, publishing companies, sync agents, they all want a cut. And they’re not always upfront about what you’re giving up.

Here’s the bottom line: if you’re serious about a music career, you have to know who owns what. That one detail can decide whether you build a catalog or spend your future watching someone else control it.

Copyright Registration, Licensing, and Transfers

Attorneys protect music rights by formally registering songs with the U.S. Copyright Office, drafting clear licensing agreements for commercial use, and managing ownership transfers through written assignments. These steps help prevent disputes, secure revenue, and enforce ownership if someone tries to exploit your work without permission.

What About Publishing Companies?

In the entertainment industry, music publishers do a lot more than track royalties. They’re responsible for safeguarding creative assets, organizing large catalogs of intellectual property, and making sure licensing deals are buttoned up before anything goes out the door. Because of how quickly the landscape changes, legal support isn’t a bonus; it’s a requirement.

Music lawyers help publishing companies organize their agreements with artists, producers, or record labels. From ownership splits to usage rights and contract terms, these details matter. Without them, disputes can drag on for years over who’s owed what and how the work can be used.

Lawyers also step in when intellectual property issues surface, whether that’s keeping an eye out for infringement or handling a lawsuit. In a field where music can be copied, sampled, or sold without warning, having someone ready to act is critical.

In places like Los Angeles, where indie labels and major studios both operate, the legal work behind music publishing doesn’t stop. It’s tied to every deal, sync placement, and negotiation. Publishers don’t just work with songs; they work with rights. And if those rights aren’t properly protected, it’s the company that ends up paying for it.

What Happens If You Break a Music Contract?

Breaking a music contract, intentionally or not, can trigger a legal mess. You could face financial penalties, lose rights to your work, or get tied up in litigation that halts your career. Most disputes come down to unclear terms, missed obligations, or disagreements over revenue. Once conflict starts, how it gets handled depends on the contract itself: some require private arbitration, others head straight to court. Either way, artists rarely come out ahead without legal help.

If a deal starts going sideways, don’t wait. 

When Should You Call a California Entertainment Attorney?

Anyone working in the music industry should be proactive, taking extensive efforts to protect themselves and their interests.  If you need a music attorney who has the experience necessary to guide you through the legal landscape of music law, it’s time to call 213-668-6220 to schedule a consultation with our entertainment attorney.

Regardless of your needs, we have the legal services to help you and your career grow.

Music Services

• Representation of recording artists, songwriters, music producers, artist estates, record companies, and full-service entertainment businesses in connection with the review, negotiation and drafting of recording, publishing, and distribution agreements with major and independent labels, management agreements, music licensing and distribution agreements, producer and mixer agreements, songwriter and band agreements, touring and merchandise agreements, personal appearance agreements, sponsorship and endorsement agreements, work for hire agreements, and marketing and promotion agreements.
• Representation of recording artists, songwriters, music producers, and artist estates in the administration and sale of music publishing and sound recording catalogs, including the handling of due diligence, the preparation of schedules, and the preparation and negotiation of Asset Purchase Agreements.
• Representation of artists and heirs in the issuance of Notices of Termination of Transfer Rights and the re-negotiation of agreements.
• Securing ASCAP/BMI/SESAC (PRO) licenses for media companies, political campaigns, and venues.
• Representation of entertainment and technology companies in the review, negotiation, and drafting of technology licensing agreements, digital content production agreements, and digital distribution agreements.