A Music Lawyer in Your Corner
Done Deal Digital offers independent artists a full legal team - a vetted entertainment attorney with 44 years at the California Bar, about 95% of the practice in music. We screen the request and make the introduction; you engage and pay the lawyer directly under their own agreement. We never touch your legal fees - we just make sure you're not facing the business of music without a real lawyer.
The Attorney in Your Corner
The attorney we connect you with is a San Francisco entertainment lawyer with 44 years at the California Bar, with roughly 95% of the practice in music - representing recording artists, producers, songwriters, record labels, and concert and club promoters, and handling copyright, trademark, and intellectual-property matters. When you come through Done Deal Digital, you're introduced directly and engage the attorney under their own agreement. Done Deal Digital is not a law firm and never shares in or touches your legal fees.
Introduced through Done Deal Digital - you engage the attorney directly, under their own agreement.
How It Works
Tell us what you need
A contract to review, a copyright to file, a name dispute, a bad deal. One quick form — no cost.
We screen & match
We make sure it's the right fit, so you get real help and nobody's time gets wasted.
Meet your lawyer
We introduce you directly to a 44-year music attorney. You engage and pay them under their own agreement — we never touch the fee.
Why Done Deal Digital
We've been in these rooms. From Bay Area roots to a verse in a 2× Platinum Master P film, we've spent years getting independent artists paid and protected. When we put a lawyer in your corner, it's one we trust — and we stay with you through it.
The Legal Services We Offer
The full legal side of a music career, offered through Done Deal Digital and performed by a licensed attorney you engage directly.
Contract Review & Negotiation
Your lawyer reads, redlines, and negotiates any agreement an artist is asked to sign, so they don't give away rights, money, or control by accident.
Learn more →Record/Distribution Deal Review
Your lawyer reads your label or distribution contract and tells you in plain English what you're actually giving up and what to push back on.
Term Sheet & LOI Review
Before a full contract exists, your lawyer reviews the deal summary so you spot bad terms before they get locked in.
Redlining & Counter-Proposals
Your lawyer marks up the other side's draft with edits and writes the counter-offer language you send back.
Deal Point Negotiation
Your lawyer negotiates the actual numbers and terms (advance, royalty rate, term length, territory, options) directly with the other side, or coaches you to.
Plain-English Deal Memo
You get a short written summary of the deal's key risks and recommendations so you can make the final call yourself.
Management & Agency Agreement Review
Your lawyer checks your manager or booking-agent contract for excessive commissions, long terms, and rights grabs.
360 Deal Review
Your lawyer reviews multi-rights ('360') label deals that take a cut of touring, merch, and endorsements, and flags what to carve out or cap.
Custom Contract Drafting
Your lawyer builds the agreements you need from scratch, written for your specific situation rather than a generic online template.
Learn more →Producer Agreement
A contract that sets exactly what the producer gets paid, what royalty points and publishing they keep, and who owns the master.
Featured Artist / Collaboration Agreement
A contract for a guest verse or collab that locks in credit, splits, approvals, and how the song can be used.
Songwriter Split Sheet & Co-Writing Agreement
A signed document fixing each writer's percentage of the song so there's no fight when the royalties show up.
Work-for-Hire / Buyout Agreement
A contract where a beatmaker, engineer, or session player is paid a flat fee and assigns ownership cleanly (a buyout / work-for-hire assignment).
Session Musician & Engineer Agreements
Short contracts where hired players and engineers assign any rights, confirming no claim to the master or song after they're paid.
Recording Artist Agreement (for your label)
If you're signing other artists, your lawyer drafts the deal your small label uses to sign them.
Sample/Interpolation Use Agreement
A contract documenting permission and splits when you build a new song on top of someone else's existing work.
Beat License Agreement
Your lawyer drafts or reviews the lease and exclusive-license terms producers and artists use when beats change hands.
Copyright Protection & Enforcement
Your lawyer secures legal ownership of your songs and recordings and goes after people who use them without permission.
Learn more →Copyright Registration (PA & SR)
Your lawyer files your songs and master recordings with the U.S. Copyright Office so you can sue and collect full damages.
Infringement Analysis
Your lawyer reviews whether someone copied your work (or whether you copied theirs) and tells you how strong the case is.
Cease & Desist Letters
Your lawyer sends a formal demand telling an infringer to stop using your work, on attorney letterhead that gets taken seriously.
DMCA Takedowns & Counter-Notices
Your lawyer gets your stolen content removed from YouTube, streaming, and social platforms, or fights a wrongful takedown of yours.
Infringement Litigation & Settlement
If a letter isn't enough, your lawyer files suit or negotiates a cash settlement for the unauthorized use.
Ownership & Chain-of-Title Cleanup
Your lawyer documents who owns what across all collaborators so your catalog is clean and sellable.
Work-Made-for-Hire vs. Assignment Counsel
Your lawyer structures your ownership paperwork correctly so rights actually transfer and hold up, instead of being challenged later.
Trademark & Brand Protection
Your lawyer locks down your artist or band name and logo so no one else can use it and you don't get sued for using it.
Learn more →Name Clearance Search
Your lawyer checks whether your artist or band name is already taken before you invest in it or get a cease-and-desist.
Federal Trademark Registration
Your lawyer files your name and logo with the USPTO so you own it nationwide for music and merch.
Merchandise & Logo Marks
Your lawyer registers your brand in the specific categories (apparel, recordings, entertainment services) that actually protect your money.
Trademark Enforcement & Opposition
Your lawyer stops copycats using your name and opposes others trying to register something too similar.
Cease & Desist / Demand on Name Use
Your lawyer sends formal demands to anyone trading on your name without permission.
Domain & Handle Disputes
Your lawyer helps recover a domain or social handle someone is squatting on under your name.
Trademark Maintenance & Renewals
Your lawyer files the periodic declarations and renewals that keep your registered mark alive instead of letting it lapse.
Publishing & Royalty Administration
Your lawyer makes sure every stream of money your songs generate is registered, collected, and actually paid to you in full.
Learn more →PRO Registration (BMI/ASCAP/SESAC)
Your lawyer sets you up as a writer and publisher so you collect performance royalties when your music is played.
Publishing Entity & Admin Setup
Your lawyer establishes your own publishing company and registers works so you keep the publisher's share.
Mechanical Royalties & The MLC
Your lawyer registers your songs with the Mechanical Licensing Collective so you collect streaming mechanicals that often go unclaimed.
Split Registration & Conflict Resolution
Your lawyer files your ownership splits with the PROs and The MLC and resolves disputes when collaborators' numbers don't match.
Royalty Audits
Your lawyer hires or directs an audit of a label or distributor's books to find money they should have paid you.
Unpaid Royalty Recovery
Your lawyer chases down and recovers royalties from PROs, SoundExchange, distributors, and platforms that you're owed but haven't been paid.
SoundExchange & Neighboring Rights
Your lawyer registers you with SoundExchange and neighboring-rights collectives to collect digital-radio and foreign master royalties.
Co-Publishing & Admin Deal Review
Your lawyer reviews the publishing, co-pub, and admin deals you're offered so you understand the term, the split, and what happens to your copyrights.
Licensing & Sync Clearance
Your lawyer gets your music placed in media for money, and clears other people's music and samples you want to use legally.
Learn more →Sync Licensing (Film/TV/Games/Ads)
Your lawyer negotiates and papers the deal when a show, game, or commercial wants to use your song.
Master Use Licenses
Your lawyer handles the separate license needed to use your actual recording (not just the song) in a placement.
Sample Clearance
Your lawyer gets written permission and negotiates the splits when you use a piece of someone else's recording.
Interpolation & Cover Licensing
Your lawyer secures the rights when you re-sing or re-play part of another writer's song.
Mechanical Licenses for Covers
Your lawyer obtains the mechanical license that lets you legally release your cover of someone else's song (digital releases via the MLC blanket license; physical via a song-by-song license at the statutory rate, 13.1¢ in 2026).
Music Library & Catalog Licensing Terms
Your lawyer reviews or drafts the terms when you place music with a sync library or license your catalog out.
Business Formation & Label Structure
Your lawyer sets up the legal entities and internal agreements that turn your music activity into a real, protected business.
Learn more →LLC / Corporation Formation
Your lawyer forms the company that holds your music business so your personal assets are shielded and taxes are cleaner.
Band / Partnership Agreement
Your lawyer writes the agreement among bandmates covering money splits, decisions, name ownership, and what happens if someone leaves.
Operating Agreements & Equity Splits
Your lawyer documents who owns what percentage of the company and how profits and control are divided.
Label Services & Distribution Deals
Your lawyer structures or reviews the agreements your label uses to release and distribute music.
Independent Contractor & Employment Setup
Your lawyer papers your relationships with the people who work for you so they're classified and protected correctly.
Joint Venture & Imprint Deals
Your lawyer structures partnerships and label imprint arrangements so contributions, costs, and ownership are clearly defined.
Rights Recovery & Recapture
Your lawyer gets back rights and money you signed away years ago, using laws specifically designed to give creators a second chance.
Learn more →Copyright Termination (§203 / §304)
Your lawyer files to take back the rights to songs or masters you assigned decades ago, which the law lets you recapture.
Termination Window Analysis
Your lawyer calculates the exact years you're eligible to serve notice so you don't miss the legal deadline.
Reversion Clause Enforcement
Your lawyer enforces contract provisions that say rights return to you after a certain time or condition.
Catalog Audit & Asset Recovery
Your lawyer reviews your whole catalog to find rights, registrations, and royalties that were lost, unclaimed, or mismanaged.
Re-Recording Rights (Taylor's Version Strategy)
Your lawyer advises when and how you can legally re-record your old masters to own the new versions.
Disputes, Demands & Litigation
Your lawyer steps in when something has gone wrong, with letters, negotiation, or court when needed.
Learn more →Demand Letters
Your lawyer sends a formal letter on your behalf demanding payment, return of rights, or that someone stop what they're doing.
Breach of Contract Claims
Your lawyer pursues or defends a claim when one side didn't do what the contract required.
Settlement Negotiation
Your lawyer negotiates a resolution that gets you paid or out of a dispute without a costly trial.
Mediation & Arbitration
Your lawyer represents you in the private dispute-resolution process many music contracts require instead of court.
Litigation Representation
Your lawyer takes your case to court or defends you when no agreement can be reached.
Cease & Desist Response
Your lawyer responds for you when someone else sends you a threatening letter, so you don't react in a way that hurts your position.
Name, Image, Likeness & Publicity Rights
Your lawyer helps you control and monetize the commercial use of your identity, face, voice, and persona.
Learn more →Right of Publicity Protection
Your lawyer stops companies from using your name, face, or voice to sell things without paying you.
Endorsement & Sponsorship Agreements
Your lawyer negotiates and drafts brand-deal contracts so you're paid fairly and keep control of how you're portrayed.
Likeness & AI-Voice Protection
Your lawyer addresses unauthorized AI clones of your voice or likeness and builds protections into your contracts.
Image Licensing & Approval Rights
Your lawyer secures your right to approve photos, artwork, and how your image is used in any release or campaign.
Merchandising Rights Agreements
Your lawyer papers the deals that let others make and sell merch using your name and image, with you getting paid.
Live Performance, Touring & Booking
Your lawyer papers the deals and protects you around shows, tours, and live appearances.
Learn more →Performance / Booking Agreements
Your lawyer drafts or reviews the contract for a gig so you're paid, your rider is honored, and cancellation is covered.
Tour & Promoter Deal Review
Your lawyer checks promoter and tour contracts for unfair fees, liability, and payment risk before you commit.
Venue & Event Contracts
Your lawyer reviews venue and festival agreements so the terms, payment, and obligations are clear and fair.
Liability, Insurance & Indemnity Terms
Your lawyer makes sure you're not on the hook for things that aren't your fault and that insurance requirements are reasonable.
Crew & Support Act Agreements
Your lawyer papers the deals with your touring crew and opening acts so roles, pay, and responsibilities are documented.
Estate, Legacy & Catalog Succession
Your lawyer protects an artist's catalog and income for the people who come after them, before and after they pass.
Learn more →Catalog Estate Planning
Your lawyer sets up who inherits and controls your music rights and royalties so your catalog passes cleanly to your heirs.
Deceased-Artist Rights Administration
Your lawyer helps an estate or family manage, license, and collect on a late artist's catalog correctly.
Heir Royalty & Rights Disputes
Your lawyer resolves fights among heirs or with labels over who controls and collects from a catalog.
Post-Mortem Publicity & Likeness Rights
Your lawyer protects and licenses a deceased artist's name and image, which in many states remain valuable and controllable after death.
Catalog Sale & Valuation Counsel
Your lawyer advises and papers the sale of a music catalog so the family or artist gets a fair, well-structured deal.
General Counsel & Ongoing Advisory
Your lawyer is your on-call legal partner for the everyday questions and decisions that don't fit a single project.
Learn more →Hourly Consultation
You can call your lawyer with a specific question and get a straight answer without committing to a big engagement.
Document & Email Review
Your lawyer quickly looks over a contract, email, or offer before you respond or sign anything.
Career & Deal Strategy
Your lawyer advises on which deals to take, how to structure your business, and how to protect yourself as you grow.
Outside General Counsel Retainer
For a monthly fee, your lawyer acts as your ongoing legal department, available for routine matters as they come up.
Referrals to Specialists
Your lawyer connects you with vetted accountants, business managers, agents, and litigators when a matter is outside his lane.
Legal Education & Coaching
Your lawyer teaches you how the business actually works so you can spot problems and make smarter decisions yourself.
Start With a Free, No-Pressure Intro
Tell us what you're dealing with - a contract, a copyright, a name dispute, a bad deal - and we'll connect you with the right music lawyer. You'll engage and pay the attorney directly under their own agreement. Done Deal Digital is not a law firm and never collects or shares in any legal fee.
Request a Music Lawyer →Important Legal Notice
DONE DEAL DIGITAL IS NOT A LAW FIRM and does not provide legal advice or legal services. Nothing on this page is legal advice.
The legal services described here are provided solely by an independent attorney licensed in California, whom Done Deal Digital connects clients with. Done Deal Digital does not employ, supervise, or control that attorney and is not responsible for the legal services provided.
No attorney-client relationship is formed by this website or by contacting Done Deal Digital. An attorney-client relationship is created only by a separate written engagement agreement signed directly between you and the attorney.
You engage and pay the attorney directly. Done Deal Digital does not collect, hold, share in, or receive any portion of any legal fee. Any referral is non-exclusive, and you are free to choose any attorney you wish.
Communications you send through this page are not confidential or privileged. Do not send confidential or time-sensitive information here. Results depend on the facts of each matter; prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.