From Online to Headline A Narrative on Legal Powers and Duties of an Indie Music Attorney Written by Brett Greenberg 1 Chapter 1: The Discovery “Two cappuccinos for Frank and John,” the barista yelled. Frank took out his headphones and walked up to the counter and grabbed the drinks. He sat back down at the table with John and passed him one of the cups. “So do you feel ready for this yet” John asked. “I guess so. As ready as I’ll ever be,” replied Frank Frank was less than a week away from taking the California Bar. He had moved out to California a month after graduating from law school back in Ohio. Frank had dreams of working in the music industry as an attorney, and everything he’d learned had strongly suggested his best chances for pursuing that dream would be out West. John had been living in Los Angeles for over a year now. Frank and John grew up together as close friends, despite John being a few years older than Frank. The two always discussed their plans and dreams for their future careers. John had practiced in labor law in California briefly, but after a two-year stint at a firm, he decided to pursue his dream. Since then, he started working as a tour manager and personal manager to several artists. “I just want to get this exam over with,” said Frank. “I can’t stop thinking about it.” “You’ll be fine bud,” John said warmly. “You’ve been studying your ass off. I passed the Bar my first time, and I think you’re smarter than me. You know what you’re doing.” Frank smiled. They put their headphones on and turned up their music. John went back to emailing clients and making hotel reservations for an upcoming Fall tour, and Frank dove back into his review materials. A few hours passed and it was now 8:00 p.m. John tapped Frank on the shoulder and suggested they head back home for the night. Frank agreed, closed down his computer, and tossed it in his bag. The two of them walked out of the café and turned left to walk back to their apartment. “Wait up, do you hear that?” asked John. “The music from the café? Yeah,” said Frank. “No, no, no, it’s from around the block. Come on” 2 They walked down the block and turned the corner. On the sidewalk, outside of a small bar called Dixies were two guys and a girl jamming and singing together. They sounded like a folk band mixed with hip-hop, jazz, and house music. The girl was singing while playing an electronic drum kit and a keyboard, one guy was playing guitar, while the other guy was singing and playing bass. Their sound was mesmerizing. “This is amazing,” whispered Frank. “Pretty, pretty good,” said John. They moved closer and stood nearby, enjoying the trios’ seemingly effortless ability to create a unique atmosphere of music while performing on the sidewalk. Eventually the group wrapped things up, and John suggested they go chat with them before they leave. Frank was tired and anxious about studying for the Bar, but agreed. John took out a ten-dollar bill and dropped it in the open guitar case in front of them. “Guys, that was incredible,” John exclaimed. “What’re your names? How long have you been playing together?” “Thank you,” said the girl. “Well this is my sister Juliet, and I’m Liam, and this is our buddy Theo,” said the bassist Liam. “Juliet and I have been playing since we were kids, and we met Theo after moving from Seattle down here to Los Angeles.” “That was, what, almost a year ago now?” said Juliet. “Yeah just about a year,” said Theo. Frank and John continued talking with them for a while. They learned that the group called themselves No Food in the Library, and that they all maintained normal careers, but they were passionate and dedicated to follow their dreams of becoming professional musicians. The dark-haired, lanky Theo had been running a drop-shipping business online since he was in high school. Liam and Juliet, both blonde-haired and blue eyed, worked at their uncle’s restaurant, Tony’s Pizza, as servers. John handed Liam his business card and mentioned that he was a personal and tour manager, and that Frank was in the process of taking the California Bar next week to become a licensed attorney. Frank, he added, planned on working with artists, 3 producers, labels, promoters, and venues. The group seemed flattered, and John and Frank assured them that they were genuinely interested by their sound and wanted to stay in touch. They all parted ways, and John and Frank walked home. The next week, Frank walked out of the Hyatt in downtown Los Angeles where the California Bar was being administered. He felt good, but didn’t want to get his hopes up. He turned on his phone to see nearly a dozen missed calls from his nervous mother. Despite the fact that Frank and his mother talked every few days, she bombarded him with a plethora of questions all too familiar to him. “Yeah, yes mom,” Frank mumbled into the phone. “No mom, not too difficult. Of course I studied. Yes, plenty of sleep last night. I think I’ll be fine. I need to go. No, no girlfriend. Yes. Ok. I love you too.” The conversation ended and Frank hopped in a cab to go meet up with John at their friend’s recording studio. John’s group of friends included people involved in the music industry considering the nature of his career. Raphael, the sound engineer and producer who owned Red Light Studio, was originally from Milan, Italy, but had moved to Miami as a teenager and then studied at the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University. John and Raphael had met by chance at a concert in Los Angeles. Raphael had developed a solid reputation around Los Angeles for his ability to mix intricate compositions and effortlessly encourage artists to perform to their highest potential and produce mesmerizing sounds. Because of this reputation, he was always busy. Artists, both amateur and well-known, shuffled in and out of the studio on a daily basis. This was a beautiful opportunity for John to get to meet potential clients, and several of his existing clients were in fact artists who had recorded music at Raphael’s studio. Frank walked in and was greeted by John and Raphael on the couch with a bottle of scotch on the table and a congratulations balloon bouncing against the ceiling. “I’m sure you killed it,” exclaimed John. “But whatever, it’s over, no need to talk about it.” “Of course he killed it, Frankie is a stud,” remarked Raphael. “Thanks guys,” replied Frank. “Give me a glass of whatever please.” “I know celebrating before you know the results might be bad luck, but you’re lucky enough so I figured you wouldn’t mind,” said John. 4 Frank and John lay back on the couch while Raphael scrambled around the studio talking about the clients he had been working with earlier. “You’d love ‘em, Frank. I was playing their stuff for Johnny earlier and he started yapping about how he just found another client. Too bad for him they’re already being managed by Jake Yazell’s group.” Raphael played some of the songs they recorded earlier. They weren’t finished up to Raphael’s standards yet, but they absolutely had a unique, impressive sound. “Show him that video of No Food in the Library, John,” said Frank. “Who?” questioned John. “No Food in the Library, the group outside the Dixies from the other week.” “Oh yeah, yeah, them. One second. Raphael take my phone, plug it into your speakers and press play.” “Do I look like an idiot to you,” asked Raphael. “Just give me the phone Johnny.” John lobbed his phone across the room and Raphael fumbled it but managed to hold on. Frank smirked, imagining the scene John would’ve made if Raphael dropped his phone. Raphael plugged the phone in to his speakers, pressed play, and retreated back to his over-the-top reclining chair. After the video ended, Raphael looked at Frank and John and laughed. “You found these kids,” asked Raphael, “they’re pretty damn good. They sound like The XX, James Brown, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and the Beastie Boys hopped in bed together, made some magic, and created this musical love child. The lanky dude looks like a total dork but he’s got some serious talent on the guitar.” “That’s a weird way to describe it Ralph, but I guess I agree,” said John. “Add Lana Del Ray to the mix,” Frank chimed in. “The girl, Juliet, has an incredible voice.” “Get them in my studio. Johnny, call them up. I want to meet these kids.” “We have some work to do with them before we even consider bringing them into the studio and exposing them to a creature like you,” said John. 5 “I get drunk and throw a guitar through a window one time and suddenly I’m called a creature,” laughed Raphael. “It was a crappy guitar anyway.” 6 Chapter 2: The Discussion Over the next month, Frank and John spent a significant amount of time getting to know the members of No Food in the Library. John’s focus was on building up the band’s online presence.