Serious question about Copyright

[PJMcK]

12. The music business is not as crooked as you think

I've been in this business for over 40 years and I've seen very little illegal behavior. The tiny bit I've seen was the result of either misunderstanding of a deal or negligence in executing a deal.

What you wrote about publishers and labels is dated. It happened in the distant past but today the business is so inundated with lawyers and accountants that large-scale criminality would be nearly impossible to execute.

Among my professional activities, I'm a music publisher for some of Broadway's top songwriters and I've worked with all of the major publishers and record companies. I've never seen anyone cheat.

There are plenty of anecdotal tales of an artist being "ripped off" by their label or management. It's pretty hard to do unless you're not paying attention to your business. Many artists need to be reminded to mind their business carefully. But, in general, it's not how the music world rolls. It would unsustainable if there were wide-spread corruption.