You work hard at your craft and play out or work offsite often. You’ve accumulated a cornucopia of professional equipment over the years that cost a small fortune and would be financially devastating to replace, so don’t become one of the many artists who neglect unglamorous yet crucial details and become unfortunate statistics each year. Make sure you have adequate insurance coverage for your professional gear. “Adequate” here being defined as coverage for its REPLACEMENT value vs. its DEPRECIATED value since we all know electronics begin depreciating the nanosecond we purchase them. Unfortunately, even if you have a renters or homeowners policy, it will probably still not provide enough coverage…

There comes a time for every successful up and coming artist to seek legal advice. Usually, this is something we classify in the category of “Good Problems” rather than “Bad Problems,” however that doesn’t necessarily make the whole process any less stressful for most people! Before opening up the phonebook and paying $250+ per hour to an entertainment lawyer or consultant for elementary questions, it only makes sense to exploit every possible free or low cost option at your disposal first. Almost every major entertainment city has a program called Volunteer Lawyers for the Creative Arts, which is exactly what the name implies. Qualified attorneys agree to put their name…

By Laura Kessler Avoid the So-Called “Copyright Brokers” and Do It Yourself! Lately you may have noticed the increasing online presence of organizational entities offering to copyright your songs for you for fees ranging anywhere from $75-$150. While there are certainly legitimate services artists should outsource to PR companies and agents, in my opinion copyrighting should never be one of them for a variety of reasons. First, the fee to copyright a song is only $45 regardless of who registers it. Anything above and beyond that is a “service fee” and it will literally take the same amount of time to tell the broker the required information as it would…

By Laura Kessler THE ENTREPRENEURIAL MINDSET: SELF RELIANCE & ACCOUNTABILITY My career coaching business grew out of the realization as a teacher that what holds most performers back from finding a career as an artist is not a lack of talent, but a lack of business and emotional intelligence. As well as fear: fear that they’re not good enough, fear of standing alone, fear of getting ripped off, even fear of success and what it will cost! For the professional on a career plateau as well as the novice just starting out, here are some tenets for long-term success in the entertainment industry: COMMIT TO YOURSELF AND YOUR SUCCESS As…