What’s Legal & What’s Not

The plain-English guide to the music-business law that protects your money and your masters. The contract game is confusing on purpose — because confusion is profitable. This is the real rules, in language you were never taught to read, so you stop losing on the deals that are legal but not fair.

$39

Instant PDF · 11 chapters · researched & source-checked

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Costs less than one bad clause in a contract you didn’t understand.

8 Chapters. No Lawyer-Speak.

Everything an independent artist needs to know before they sign anything — written the way it’s actually talked about, then checked against the real law.

1 · What You Actually Own

The two copyrights, masters vs. publishing, and why “keep 100%” depends on who did the work.

2 · Fair vs. Predatory Contracts

The red flags, California’s 7-year rule, the re-recording right, and the “work-for-hire” trap.

3 · How You Get Paid

Splits, mechanicals, the PROs, and the SoundExchange money most artists never claim.

4 · Distribution Deals

Exclusive vs. non-exclusive, auto-renew traps, and not signing your catalog away.

5 · The 5 Ways Money Gets Made

And the legal line on each — investing, pay-to-play, comps, sponsorship, services.

6 · Scams & Red Flags

Showcase scams, guaranteed-earnings lies, fake “invest in my release” pitches.

7 · Your Pre-Signing Checklist

The exact questions to ask — and when to get a real lawyer.

8 · Know the Game

How to use what you learned — and how Done Deal Digital does it fairly.

Why Trust It

This isn’t recycled internet advice. It’s the same law we built Done Deal Digital’s own contracts on — then we fact-checked every chapter against the real statutes (the U.S. Copyright Office, the SEC, the FTC, California’s own code). It’s education, not legal advice — but it’s the version nobody hands you on the way in.

Get the Guide — $39 →