Introduction
The ever-changing music industry is teeming with dozens of professions and career paths for one to take, from working in a studio as a mixing/recording engineer to working in a hospital as a music therapist, and all of which demand a different set of skills, work experience, personal attributes and qualifications. One field of music intrigues me much more than the rest, however, and that is the field of music law. There are many roles within this sub-speciality, such as becoming a royalty analyst (someone who tracks, manages and analyses royalty payments for artists) or an in-house (someone who handles all the legal needs for one specific company), however I am most interested in the career path of a commercial music lawyer. A music lawyer’s main job is to negotiate and resolve disputes within artists/publishers, which could stem anywhere from the distribution of royalties within contributors to live performance deals and sponsorships.
This role is incredibly important within the music industry as without the help of music lawyers to act as professional mediators within legal disputes and disagreements, there would be no way to properly and fairly confirm who would be deserving of royalties within a piece of music. This is made especially important once you consider how lucrative the music industry is, especially when your clients could potentially be artists/publishers that are world-renowned and famous. I chose this career path as I thought it would be quite an interesting profession to research, and because I personally think there is a certain niche-ness to it that more popular or ‘obvious’ career paths in the industry (for example a session musician) that would make me more intrigued when it came to researching about it.
Required Qualifications
Due to the nature of the subject of law, the qualifications required to become a music lawyer are quite extensive. Because of this, I will be looking at several sources to get factual statements on what qualifications are mandatory for someone pursuing this profession. AllAboutLaw (2024) states that, though admittedly possible through networking, the best way for an aspiring lawyer to get into entertainment law would be through qualifications. This can be seen in the quote,
This essentially means that qualifiers will be looking for an undergraduate degree in law, followed by an LLM (postgraduate degree.) Though I am not doing my undergraduate in law, it is hypothetically possible for someone to have an undergraduate-level qualification in law by achieving a non-law undergraduate followed by a conversion course.
An important detail for aspiring lawyers in the UK is that, in order to become one, you will technically have to become a solicitor first. This is as passing the Solicitor’s Qualifying Exam (SQE) is a mandatory stepping-stone in becoming a lawyer. National Careers (n.d.) shares the same info as the first source, whilst also stating that anyone wanting to become a music lawyer would have to pass the SQE and complete at least 2 year’s worth of work experience, as stated by the Solicitor’s Regulation Authority (updated 2025).
Personal Skills/Duties & Responsibilities
Any good lawyer would need to be knowledgeable with legal issues, such as copyright law and contract law. However, within the sub-genre of music, an entertainment lawyer would need a deep understanding of music and the industry that surrounds it. This not only includes being music-savvy, but it also encapsulates having knowledge regarding the film and TV industries, as well as knowledge in the world of publishing.
When it comes to skills, an entertainment lawyer would need to be a quick and analytical thinker in order to work well in fast-paced courtrooms; the ability to come up with quick, valid responses to counter your adversaries in court is imperative for anyone wanting to pursue a career in law. You would also need to be a good communicator, as as a lawyer, you are supposed to act as a tether between your client and the judge.
Aiding your clients as an advocate in court is only one part of the puzzle when it comes to being an entertainment lawyer, as you will have to spend the majority of your time gathering evidence and drafting documents, in hopes of striving for the best possible outcome for your clients. All of your work as a lawyer, from reviewing contracts to negotiating royalty rates will have to be explained to your client in a digestible, easy-to-understand manner, so that they are fully aware of what is happening within their case. This often includes translating very confusing, important legal fine-print into something someone who isn’t pursuing a career in law could understand, which is why communication is a key aspect for an entertainment lawyer to have.
As for personal qualities, a music lawyer must have a good sense of morality and ethics. A major part of being a lawyer is putting all personal beliefs and opinions aside, and doing whatever is best for your client whilst upholding the law, regardless of how you may personally feel about the matter. This ensures that the legal system remains ‘just’ and fair, so that no one person can receive any extra favor from the law.
As well as this, resilience is another personal quality that a lawyer would need to have. The ability to bounce back when things don’t go your way is mandatory for a lawyer, as an integral part of being a good lawyer is persevering through failures and setbacks that can come from missed leads, client disputes, or burnout.
Industry Challenges
There are several challenges within the music industry that may affect an entertainment lawyer. Therefore, someone looking into the profession should be aware of them. A particular challenge that is relatively new concerns the rapid advancement of technology, particularly AI. The use of “Deepfake” is a major concern for those in the music law industry. Deepfake is a form of generative AI that can replicate a person’s voice, and when anybody is able to make a globally famous artist sing/rap anything they want online, it is easy to see how problems can easily arise.
Less dangerous but still problematic are AI songs, which are generated through the use of real songs with existing copyright. This way of ‘training’ AI models is problematic once you consider the lack of permission or compensation given to the real artist, as several AI songs have already hit top charts on streaming services, an example being “Walk my Walk” by Breaking Rust (2025), which topped Billboard’s ‘Country Digital Song’ and hit Spotify’s Viral 50. (https://open.spotify.com/track/17HsyeI0Eq06n3XRntZ4DT?si=687c61bb37a34952)
Marketing/Promotional Impact
Music lawyers work with artists and labels behind the scenes, creating stable foundations for artists to flourish and build from. This is done primarily through building connections and negotiating deals that would advance the career of an artist/label. Tackling this equally important section of the music industry allows artists to focus primarily on the creative aspect of the music industry.
As well as this, music lawyers act as a hypothetical firewall for artists, aiding them in protecting their identity and image through the use of intellectual property (e.g. copyright, trademark). This stops other artists/labels from exploiting the artist the lawyer is working with for monetary gain.
Personal Challenges
As if the challenges that come with the advancement of AI weren’t enough, there are also several personal challenges that an entertainment lawyer could undergo. High-pressure negotiations and ethical dilemmas are the main forms of personal challenges an entertainment lawyer could face, with the latter of which being able to occur not only through your own morals, but through your duty between clients or even a third party. LawyersOfDistinction (2014) suggests that a good way of reducing the amount of ethical dilemmas in your work is by doing routine checks within your clientele, and not taking any new clients that could potentially create conflict with a client that they already have. This can be seen in the quote,
Essentially, if a music lawyer had two potential clients, and Client A and Client B share opposing views, it would be best for a lawyer to only consider taking one of them moving forward to avoid unnecessary complications and stress in the future.
Career Progression
Typically, the career of a person opting for a profession in music law would progress starting from entry-level roles. This includes being an associate at a firm, or an in-house for music labels. As touched on earlier, you will need to become a qualified solicitor as one of the entry requirements for this, which can be done through the SQE. Over the course of several years, you will progress from your entry-level role by choosing an area to specialize in, for example copyright, trademark, and other forms of intellectual property (IP). With this knowledge, you would be able to move to the ranks of being a partner of a law firm, or a member of the General Council of a music company.
Once you have reached the stage in which you have solidified your role within a law firm or music company, continue to network and learn about the music industry to potentially start your own firm, building the foundations for the careers of future artists.
Conclusion
In conclusion, music lawyers are an integral part of the music industry. Though almost never considered the ‘face’ of the industry, the work of entertainment lawyers ensure that artists and labels stay prominent within media through constantly networking with companies and other industries that focus on marketing.
As well as this, they advise and guide artists and labels throughout their careers, for example giving an artist insight on which of the 2 deals they were given would best suit their long-term goals as a musician. Them focusing on all of this allows for artists to focus more of their attention into the practical side of making music.
In my opinion, this is a very interesting profession that isn’t talked about nearly as much as it should be, even within the actual music industry itself. Because of this, I have found this essay to be beneficial to me as now I have more information on a potential career path I could go down.
Bibliography
Arif, Z. (2024). Steps to Starting a Career in Entertainment Law: From Networking to Interviews. [online] AllAboutLaw Employer Hub. Available at: https://www.allaboutlaw.co.uk/school-leaver-law-careers/becoming-a-lawyer/steps-to-starting-a-career-in-entertainment-law-from-networking-to-interviews#section-3 [Accessed 7 Jan. 2026].
Breaking Rust (2025). Spotify. [online] Spotify.com. Available at: https://open.spotify.com/track/17HsyeI0Eq06n3XRntZ4DT?si=687c61bb37a34952 [Accessed 7 Jan. 2026].
Lawyers of Distinction (2024). Legal Ethics: Common Dilemmas And How To Handle Them. [online] Lawyers of Distinction. Available at: https://www.lawyersofdistinction.com/legal-ethics-common-dilemmas-and-how-to-handle-them/ [Accessed 7 Jan. 2026].
Solicitor’s Regulation Authority (2025). Degree and equivalent qualifications explained. [online] Sra.org.uk. Available at: https://www.sra.org.uk/students/sqe/degree-equivalent/ [Accessed 7 Jan. 2026].
