Law.com Subscribers SAVE 30%

Call 855-808-4530 or email [email protected] to receive your discount on a new subscription.

Agreement to Amend CA's AB5 Helps Music Industry

By Sidney S. Fohrman and Ariel D. Shpigel
June 01, 2020

On Sept. 18, 2019, Assembly Bill Number 5 (AB5) became law in California, paving the way for dramatic changes in California's gig economy. AB5 was designed to provide labor protections for "misclassified independent contractors," including the application of minimum wage laws, overtime, sick leave requirements, and unemployment and worker's compensation. Once put into practice, however, AB5's negative impacts on industries that rely substantially on an independent contractor workforce quickly became illuminated. After over a year-and-a-half of lobbying efforts by the music industry and negotiations with lawmakers, it was recently announced that AB5 would be amended to accommodate musicians' unique niche in the California economy.

AB5, which added §2750.3 to the California Labor Code, codified Dynamex Operations West Inc. v. Superior Court, 4 Cal. 5th 903 (2018), a California Supreme Court case which used the "ABC test" to classify an individual as an employee or independent contractor. While the previous S.G. Borello & Sons Inc. v. Department of Industrial Relations, 48 Cal. 3d 341 (1989), test used in California placed the burden of proof on the employee to prove misclassification using a variety of flexible, discretionary factors, the ABC test shifted the burden of proof to the employer and created a presumption of employee status.

This premium content is locked for Entertainment Law & Finance subscribers only

  • Stay current on the latest information, rulings, regulations, and trends
  • Includes practical, must-have information on copyrights, royalties, AI, and more
  • Tap into expert guidance from top entertainment lawyers and experts

For enterprise-wide or corporate acess, please contact Customer Service at [email protected] or 877-256-2473

Read These Next
Bankruptcy Sales: Finding a Diamond In the Rough Image

There is no efficient market for the sale of bankruptcy assets. Inefficient markets yield a transactional drag, potentially dampening the ability of debtors and trustees to maximize value for creditors. This article identifies ways in which investors may more easily discover bankruptcy asset sales.

Judge Rules Shaquille O'Neal Will Face Securities Lawsuit for Promotion, Sale of NFTs Image

A federal district court in Miami, FL, has ruled that former National Basketball Association star Shaquille O'Neal will have to face a lawsuit over his promotion of unregistered securities in the form of cryptocurrency tokens and that he was a "seller" of these unregistered securities.

Why So Many Great Lawyers Stink at Business Development and What Law Firms Are Doing About It Image

Why is it that those who are best skilled at advocating for others are ill-equipped at advocating for their own skills and what to do about it?

A Lawyer's System for Active Reading Image

Active reading comprises many daily tasks lawyers engage in, including highlighting, annotating, note taking, comparing and searching texts. It demands more than flipping or turning pages.

Blockchain Domains: New Developments for Brand Owners Image

Blockchain domain names offer decentralized alternatives to traditional DNS-based domain names, promising enhanced security, privacy and censorship resistance. However, these benefits come with significant challenges, particularly for brand owners seeking to protect their trademarks in these new digital spaces.