Entertainment Law

In late August, 2005, nature dealt a striking blow against the city of New Orleans in the form of a storm called Hurricane Katrina.  Debate over whether the chaos that ensued was the result of a freak/unique natural disaster or the failure of systems designed to protect the population from just such occurrences still rages on.  No matter where people come out on that question, one thing is clear: one of America's urban jewels was--and in some ways, still is-- devastated by the storm.

New Orleans is a music town, and in the years since Katrina, musicians have rallied around their brothers and sisters, musician and non-musician alike, to help with the recovery.  Air Traffic Control Education Fund, a national non-profit, has collaborated with the Future of Music Coalition to facilitate directed assistance to the people of New Orleans by musicians in the years since Katrina.

Their efforts have culminated in this project, Dear New Orleans - A Benefit Album, that was released last week.  Learn more about what artists have been doing to help in New Orleans by checking it out.  And get a great record while you're at it.  The work isn't done, but after five years, it helps to slow down and enjoy the music that helps tie New Orleans to the rest of America and the world.

Netflix is closing another deal that continues the trend of shrinking windows between theatrical, DVD and streaming releases.

Read about the deal HERE and HERE.

There are shades of re-invention of the film distribution models in this story, and it's pretty clear that the process is in full swing at this point.  The movement to faster arrival of films on streaming platforms has been predicted for a while, so this is likely another step along the road towards a theatrical/non-theatrical universe where the non-theatrical world is mostly just streaming.  Slumping DVD sales supports the idea, but just like in the music industry, it's really hard to say where things will be a year from now....

  The New York Times has a great (and comprehensive) piece about the folks that walk the beat and get bars and other establishments to sign on with the performance rights organizations (ASCAP and BMI). 

Check it out HERE.

This article is really worth the read.  We get a lot of calls from clients that get visited by the performance rights organizations, and the whole "of course people should pay for music, just not us" conversation inevitably ensues. 

Is the system broken?

Here's another FEATURED VENTURE: the Concord Free Press.  We have to give credit to NPR for tipping us off to these folks on the commute this morning (their story is HERE), but it really is a project that has the potential to change the publishing game, and game changing is what the featured ventures are all about.

The basic concept of the Concord Free Press (visit them HERE) is that the books they publish are free (100% discount!).  They only ask that those who pick up their books from bookstores make a donation to a charity or person in need, record that donation, and pass the book along after the reader has read it.  The publisher's website is basically a long list of donations that readers have made that are associated with each of their four titles currently in print, and the list is impressive.

In a publishing environment where most books do not make money, this novel approach to doing good makes a lot of sense.  Authors want their work to get out there, and making that happen while creating a social return on the investment is a win-win.  It's not quite "Steal This Book," but it is an interesting and compelling model.

We've been out talking to media about stuff we do. 

Check out Michigan Film Reel's piece HERE- and make sure to check out their other interviews- they get some good ones.

Our friends at WJRW had us on yesterday- you can listen to that conversation HERE.