Meet Erin M. Jacobson, Esq.

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Erin M. Jacobson, Esq. a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Erin, so good to have you with us today. We’ve always been impressed with folks who have a very clear sense of purpose and so maybe we can jump right in and talk about how you found your purpose?

I’ve always loved music. When I was in college at USC, I took an “Introduction to the Music Industry” class and as we discussed recording agreements and how musicians were regularly signing agreements that were unfair to them. I

also learned about the role of music lawyers in the business, and decided then and there that I would become a music lawyer to protect musicians from signing unfair agreements. Since that time, I have been instrumental (no pun intended) in protecting the copyrights of musicians and music rights’ owners, making sure they are paid fairly for the use of their music and creative services, and helping them make business decisions that contribute to their success.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
I am a music transactional attorney, which means I draft, review, and negotiate contracts regarding music. I handle all types of music industry agreements, with an emphasis on music publishing and licensing. My clients include Grammy and Emmy Award winners, artists, songwriters, independent music publishers, independent artists and companies, and distinguished legacy catalogues. In the legacy space, I work with legacy songwriters, legacy catalogues, and the estates and heirs of legacy songwriters and catalogues to clean up longstanding mistakes in the catalogues, revitalize the catalogues, recapture rights that were previously granted to a third party, and handle the purchase and sale of catalogue rights.

I am highly skilled at navigating the contractual issues and relationships of my clients and I also really understand the world of music publishing and administration, which many attorneys do not. I am also one of the small number of music attorneys who handle recapturing copyrights for clients via copyright termination notices. I also have a great knowledge of older music catalogues, and know how to position them in today’s marketplace to keep them in people’s minds and revitalize their earnings.

I also have an e-commerce website called Indie Artist Resource (www.indieartistresource.com) which offers educational resources and contract templates for DIY musicians.

 In addition, I wrote a book called “Don’t Get Screwed! How to Protect Yourself  as an Independent Musician”  (https://dontgetscrewedbook.indieartistresource.com) which covers the  fundamentals of copyright protection, the different types of music royalties  and how musicians can collect them, and explains the most common types of  contracts for independent musicians, as well as how musicians can learn  from the mistakes of others and protect themselves.

What is very exciting about what I do is really being able to help people and do my best to put them in a better position than they were before by protecting their rights and making smart business decisions.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

I am very detail oriented, I know a lot about my subject matter, and I believe in what I am doing. I would encourage others to learn as much as they can about their chosen field and pay attention to details, because they matter.

Tell us what your ideal client would be like?

I work with musical artists and music rights’ owners (and their estates/heirs in the case of music estates) that have a need for legal protection and business advice. As mentioned earlier, I also work a lot in the space of recapturing copyrights, which would be for people who meet the legal requirements to do so. In choosing which clients I represent, I also consider whether they are people who I enjoy working with and appreciate the value of my expertise and services.

Contact Info:

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