Cover your Ass(ets)

The Legal Side of Music Business

You can write a killer hook.
You can sell out a room.
You can rack up streams.

But if you’re not protecting your income, your intellectual property, and your brand— you’re not building a career. You’re just playing dress-up in someone else’s game.

Let’s change that.

Welcome to Cover Your Ass(ets)—your no-nonsense legal starter kit for the live music business. This isn’t law school. This is the survival guide every working musician in Australia should have in their back pocket.

Why?
Because nothing kills momentum faster than unpaid royalties, cancelled gigs with no contract, or co-writes that come back to bite you.

Let’s make sure your art works for you—onstage, online, and in the bank.

🎯 How Do I Protect My Income and Music Legally?

Copyright, contracts, royalties—it’s a legal jungle out there.
But here’s the truth:

If you want to make money in music, you have to treat it like a business.

Image thanks to BLACKDAY

Here are 10 essential strategies we recommend to every artist, duo, band, and DJ in the Pushworth family. Simple, actionable, and game-changing.

✅ 1. Register with APRA AMCOS

If you’re writing original songs and not registered with APRA AMCOS, you’re leaving money on the table.
Every gig. Every stream. Every time someone sings your song in a cover band—you’re owed.

🔑 Tip: Sign up. Register your works. Log your gigs. Do it now, not “later.”

✅ 2. Use Split Sheets When Co-Writing

Your mate says “we’ll figure it out later.”
Nope. Figure it out now.

Split sheets document who owns what. Whether it’s 50/50, 70/30, or a four-way split—it needs to be in writing before the song goes anywhere.

📝 Rule: No pen, no pub rights.

✅ 3. Register Your Business Properly

Sole trader? Partnership? Pty Ltd?
Get clarity on your structure before the invoices start flying.

💼 Why it matters:

• Tax benefits

• Liability protection

• Easier to claim legit music expenses

• Professionalism (yes, venues notice)

✅ 4. Have a Basic Contract for Gigs

Verbal agreements? Not worth the beer coaster they’re written on.

A simple gig contract should cover:

• Fee

• Date

• Set times

• Load-in

• Tech needs

• Cancellation terms

📃 Bonus: A contract gives you leverage if a venue ghosts.

✅ 5. Get Public Liability Insurance

Some venues require it.
All venues respect it.
And if someone trips over your lead and sues? You’ll be glad you have it.

🎸 Reality check: You’re a business. Insurance isn’t optional—it's smart.

✅ 6. Understand Sync Rights and Licensing

TV ad wants your track? Game on. But make sure it’s licensed properly.

You should get paid when your music is:

• Used in film

• Featured in TV

• Played in ads or games

Know who owns your sync rights, or talk to someone who does.

✅ 7. Keep Backups of ALL Your Work

Digital age = data loss.
Back up lyrics. Demos. Session files. Release dates. Contracts. Everything.

Use the cloud, an external drive, and your mum’s garage if you have to.
Just keep your work safe.

✅ 8. Know the Difference Between Publishing and Distribution

Too many artists think putting a song on Spotify = published. It doesn’t.

🔍 Quick breakdown:

• Distribution = How people hear it (Spotify, Apple Music, etc.)

• Publishing = How you get paid when others use it

Get clear on this. It impacts how (and if) you get paid long-term.

✅ 9. Talk to an Entertainment Lawyer

You don’t need one on speed dial.
But book one session early in your career.

They’ll look over your contracts, help with IP, and give you a legal roadmap.
You’ll save time, money, and a whole lot of grief down the track.

✅ 10. File Your Taxes Properly

Claim your gear. Your travel. Your rehearsal space. Even your guitar strings.

Keep receipts. Log every music-related expense.
Use an accountant who understands creative industries—or risk missing out on $$$.

🎤 Final Word:
You don’t need to become a lawyer.
But you do need to become legally literate.

Because your music is more than a passion—it’s your intellectual property.
And in the business of live performance, your assets are only as safe as your systems.

Protect them. Respect them.
And watch your career become sustainable, profitable, and built to last.

🧠 Want help? Subscribe to the Musoverse to access our resources.

Written by Nichola Burton. I work in partnership with Agents, Artist Managers and Event Producers, who juggle a diverse range of relationships in the Musoverse, to curate, manage and measure data in systems, experience, creative and content to support the entire Musoverse operation in my enterprise A Little Pitchy Copyright 2025