How much would you estimate an entertainment lawyer would charge hourly to draft music contracts for you? Would you guess $50, $150, $100 or even $200 per hour? Think again! Try $300 or more, an hour! Unless you are absolutely loaded, I am going to safely assume that you don't have that kind of cash lying around to blow on lawyer's fees. This is especially true for people just beginning in the music industry.
Lawyer's fees can easily take away from money you need for studio time, payroll, publishing, entertaining clients, advertising or any other crucial day-to-day activities that you or your company relies on to survive. Don't let this happen to you because it is not necessary. You money is better spent elsewhere.
To be honest with you, most music business contracts that you receive from your lawyer are written by their paralegals or legal secretaries. This means, you are paying them your hard earned money only to have them pass the work off to someone below them. Keep this in mind when searching for an entertainment lawyer. Don't get me wrong. It is a great idea to have a lawyer in your corner in case you need them. But you don't have to pay the unnecessary fees when you have other options.
So, do you actually want to spend roughly $2500 on recording contracts when there may be an easier way? I surely hope not! If your goal is to save money then you have come to the right place. The key to cutting these types of corners is by using music contract forms. For the money it cost to go to lunch, buy a round of drinks and spend a couple hours in the studio, you could purchase these pre-written contracts.
Now, you may wonder if there are contract forms that cover every aspect of the music business and the answer is yes. You can buy a complete set that fits all your needs. Whether it is distribution, manufacturing, royalties, copyrights or publishing, it doesn't matter, it is all there. You can ever edit each and everyone to fit your distinct needs or wants. When it is all over, if you want your lawyer to review it, you will only be billed for 20 minutes as opposed to 5 hours. That will save you an immense amount of money in the long-run and who doesn't love that?
Finding cheap office supplies is vitally important. It is frightening how much money you spend on office supplies. Many of these costs are unavoidable but you would be amazed at how much you could save by shopping around and finding a supplier that will give you a discount. Often the price difference between these replenish able items may seem insignificant at first but when bought en mass or calculated over a long period of time a small saving can make a big difference. Even if it only a few pennies difference on individual items the cumulative money that you save over the long term can be astounding.
Office essentials
Office essentials such as lever arch files, ring binders, envelopes, memo pads, staplers, hole punchers, pens, highlighters and re-positional notes are exactly that- essential. The money you shell out on these supplies can be reduced by shopping around and finding a good deal. Often, the smaller items that cost less individually such as the pens and envelopes are the ones on which you can make the most savings. On the face of it these items may be so cheap per item that you don't consider them an expensive purchase. You see the low price and think that you are not spending much.
However if you consider it carefully you could be paying much more than you think. For example if you buy 1000 envelopes every month and they cost you 12p each then you will be paying out 120 pound. Pay only 10p and this will work out at 100 pounds per month. That's only 20 pounds a month but make this saving over a year and you will have saved 240 pounds. Over five years is will save 2880 pounds. If you were to make savings like this across a number of different office supplies you could be saving an enormous amount of money.
Paper Supplies
There are a number of different categories of paper which if you are shrewd will save you a lot of money. Paper is another of those items that you may not have even considered closely. You are likely to have chosen one of the first packs that you came across. This would however be a mistake. There are great savings to be had on paper. So whether you use a large amount of A4 paper, A3 paper, copier paper, multi-functional paper, inkjet paper, photo paper, coloured paper and labels.
The savings over a year or two can be significant if you take the time to research the best options and calculate how much you can save. It has to be said that paper supplies can cost a great deal of money over time and however anal it may sound even the smallest of savings but these will reap rewards over time. So it is imperative that you scrutinise every penny that you pay out and also try and make sure that you don't use too much paper in your office. Every piece of paper that you use costs you a little bit of money and although it may not on first reflection look like much but it adds up. So save trees and save money by reducing your office paper use and search around to find a good deal on the paper you buy - however tight it may on the face of it seem.
Both Ty Cohen & Shaun Parker are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Ty Cohen has sinced written about articles on various topics from Keyboard Synthesizer, Mens Health and Marriage. Ty Cohen, owner of Platinum Millennium publishing, former record label owner & national music industry seminar speaker/panelist. Author & creator of best-selling music biz books, courses, audio products & "How to" resources that helped 1000s.Visit. Ty Cohen's top article generates over 33100 views. to your Favourites.
Shaun Parker has sinced written about articles on various topics from Online Marketing, Auto Insurance and Wedding Bells. Shaun Parker is an expert on . He uses his expertise to advise others.. Shaun Parker's top article generates over 246000 views. to your Favourites.