Entertainment, Arts, and Sports Law Commons^™

The Non-Recording, Non-Artist" Recording Artist": Expanding The Recording Artist's Brand Into Non-Music Arenas, Suzanne Kessler

Vanderbilt Journal of Entertainment & Technology Law

The changing nature of the music business presents earnings challenges for both record labels and recording artists. Historically, labels and artists entered into recording contracts pursuant to which the artists created music which the labels funded, distributed, marketed, and promoted. Many artists made good livings from music sales, earning dollars per album, while the labels profited even more. However, as digital delivery, especially streaming, now supplants physical records as the primary music consumption manner, the money that labels and artists realize from music sales has significantly decreased. In particular, artists earn fractions of pennies per track streamed. Labels, too, are …