Insurance Issues for Touring Artists
March 29, 2005
Taking an artist's act on the road involves a variety of situations giving rise to potential liability distinct from those associated with general music business activity. Overland vehicle travel ' the norm for all but a handful of prominent national touring acts ' is only the most obvious example. The range of activities that take place in presenting a live show, even at the club level, offers a host of others. Thus, an artist's representative should ensure the following types of insurance policies are in place before a tour begins.
Federal Tax Reform Includes Traps For Deferred Compensation Deals
March 29, 2005
Last October, President Bush signed into law the American Jobs Creation Act of 2004. This 2004 Tax Act amended nearly 600 sections of the Internal Revenue Code (IRC), thereby making far-reaching changes to many areas of tax law. While the major focus of the 2004 Act was to provide tax relief for U.S. corporations repatriating earnings back to the United States, this new legislation also provided numerous revenue-raising provisions and tax cuts that affected corporate and individual taxpayers and special interest groups, from film producers to owners of sports teams.
Bit Parts
March 29, 2005
Recent developments in entertainment law.
Artist Liability for Audience Injuries
March 29, 2005
In today's concert scene, high-energy music is often accompanied by audience members who engage in such physical, and sometimes dangerous, activities as crowd surfing, moshing and stage diving. What happens when a member of the audience is injured as a result of such conduct by another concertgoer?
Business Entity for Touring
March 29, 2005
Regardless of which business form an artist selects to handle general music business matters, the touring artist should consider forming a separate business entity under which to conduct touring activities.
Cameo Clips
March 29, 2005
Recent cases in entertainment law.
No Consensus on Custody Disputes
March 28, 2005
Legal issues abound in cases in which a couple, joined in a legal relationship through one state's law, then asks another state to intercede in a custody dispute. Not only are the first state's laws pitted against those of other states, but the interpretation and potential constitutionality of federal and state Defense of Marriage Acts (DOMAs) are called into question under the full faith and credit clause.
Recent Cases: Trends in Marriage Litigation
March 28, 2005
Two recent cases highlight trends in the same-sex marriage litigation: court splits within jurisdictions and the right of third party intervention in ongoing marriage litigation: <i>Seymour v. Holcomb</i>, and <i>Kerrigan v. Connecticut</i>, This article dissects the cases in detail.
The New Realities of California's Domestic Partnership Law
March 28, 2005
In late 2003, the California legislature enacted Assembly Bill 205 (A.B.205), a bill that has transformed the legal lives of more same-sex couples than perhaps any other legislation, either in the United States or in any other jurisdiction. The language of the legislation was utterly simple: As of Jan. 1, 2005, every California-registered domestic partner is subject to nearly all of the state-based rights and obligations that apply to married spouses in California. More than 28,000 couples had already registered by the end of 2004, and even though the law allowed either partner to unilaterally terminate the partnership prior to Jan. 1, 2005 to avoid the effects of the new law, fewer than 1500 couples actually terminated their partnership.
