Musician needs advice

[elpesuti]

What is the name of your state?What is the name of your state? Illinois

Some time ago, a friend of mine introduced me to a guy who does voiceovers in Spanish for commercials on radio and TV. He asked me to write some jingles, mainly for local companies he was doing business with. A couple of my jingles were sold and played on a hispanic radio in Chicago. I got paid on time and everybody was happy. We never set up a contract or anything because our agreement was based on trust.

The last jingle I produced for him was played on the on a local radio in November. Since then, I've been trying to get paid with no success. At first, he gave me different excuses for the delay, but now he doesn't even return my calls. I feel both depressed and stupid because I have no contract to enforce. I just learned the lesson the hard way.

I am not a full-time musician and therefore not very familiar with the music legal stuff. I'd like to know if there is something I could do to get paid for the services rendered. I would appreciate any advice.

Thanks

 

[BelizeBreeze]

Probably not since there is not contract nor proof that you own the copyright to the jingle.

HOWEVER, there is also no proof that the other party has the right to represent you or your workproduct. Get my drift?

I would strong suggest you contact a copyright attorney where you live and ask the cost of writing a Cease and Desist letter to the radio station after outlining your problem.

It may be worth $200 or $400 to have the station stop playing the jingle until this is settled. And then NEVER do business without a contract from this point on.

 

[dumpsterfire]

Copyright your jingle. Go to www.copyright.gov and fill out form SR.

The music business is a great place to get hosed. Cover your assets with a contract for everything you do and don't sign anything you don't understand.

 

[mabenedetto]

Commercial jingle

Copyright attaches to your work the moment you set it in tangible form. In the case of your jingle, that would be the moment you composed it. For the actual sound recording (which has its own copyright), that would be the moment you recorded it.

Copyright attaches whether or not you register or place a (c) or (p) notice on the work, but registration and placing the notice provide extra benefits (one of them being proof of your claim). However, if you actually composed and recorded the jingle and you didn't sign a "work for hire" agreement, you are still the owner of the song, and can enforce your rights.

I would advise you to consult an entertainment attorney to determine what rights you have and how you can enforce them.

In the future, don't do work for someone without getting a signed contract (reviewed by your attorney) spelling out your compensation. The relatively small expense you will incur in hiring an attorney to negotiate your deal will be far less than the pain of trying to collect from a deadbeat.

I hope you found this post helpful.

 

[elpesuti]

Thank you all for your replies. I just sent my registration form to the Copyright Office. I will definitively get in touch with an attorney.

However, I will be carefull asking about attorney's fees this time. Some years ago, I contacted a lawyer and was billed $ 60 for a 20 minutes phone call.

Thanks again.