SHAY LAWSON

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Jacquees vs Ella Mai - How to Legally Make Cover Songs

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Jacquees vs Ella Mai - How to Legally Make Cover Songs

In case you missed the buzz on Twitter last week. The internet exploded when Jacquees’ cover of “Trip” by Ella Mai was removed from Soundcloud and Youtube. While the internet decided it was a hater move on the part of Ella Mai, her label made it clear it was business related and she had no say in the matter.

A better description is that it was a LEGAL matter. As T-Pain pointed out you CANNOT monetize material that does not belong to you. In simple words that is THEFT in legal terms it is copyright infringement.

So how do artists cover other people’s songs all the time and how was THIS different?

Follow the jump to find out!

CLIENT NEWS: TRAP KARAOKE X ESSENCE FESTIVAL

CLIENT NEWS: TRAP KARAOKE X ESSENCE FESTIVAL

Guess who’s partnered with Essence Festival!!! The show sold out so be sure to visit ww.trapkaraoke.com to see when they will hit a city near you or regret the rest of your adult life.

RECAP: GRAMMYs on the Hill 20th Anniversary

RECAP: GRAMMYs on the Hill 20th Anniversary

Much more than an awards show, the Recording Academy hosted it's 20th annual GRAMMYs on the Hill April 18 and 19 in Washington, providing a unified push to support the Music Modernization Act and usher in concrete reforms for all music creators.  I was honored to be among the 100 delegates invited by the Recording Academy to take part.

Here are some of the highlights:

CLIENT NEWS: Apple Music/Beats1 Radio x Trap Karaoke

CLIENT NEWS: Apple Music/Beats1 Radio x Trap Karaoke

Excited to finally share Trap Karaoke is now a member of the Beat1 Radio family! The first episode streamed March 28th and you can go listen On Demand over at Apple Music! 

LISTEN TO THE FIRST EPISODE HERE:

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MEDIA MENTION: Atlanta Business Chronicle Profile

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MEDIA MENTION: Atlanta Business Chronicle Profile

 

I was recently profiled by Atlanta Business Chronicle and had a great opportunity to share my thoughts on management, law, how Ryan Leslie is innovating CRM, and some of my favorite places in Atlanta!

Read the full profile here:

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Handling Music Business As Business...LLCs to Partnerships Explained

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Handling Music Business As Business...LLCs to Partnerships Explained

If you are an artist, producer, or songwriter someone along the way has probably told you that you need an LLC or at least some kind of official business structure.

This may or may not be necessary depending on where you are in your career. Here are 4 ways to know it is time in your music career to open an LLC, get a partnership agreement in place, or just keep doing what you're doing as yourself.

MONEY TALK: The 4 Top Tax Deductions for Creatives

MONEY TALK: The 4 Top Tax Deductions for Creatives

The end of the year is upon us and with that comes the top of the year tax rush. One of the top ways creatives sell themselves short are in tax deductions. All the little things you've spent your money on to help build this year could possibly add up to thousands in tax deductions you don't want to miss.

I've teamed up with accounting guru Iyanna Vaughn to give share some of the top deductions you should should never miss at tax time: