Watch out! They’re circling, slowly, closer, and they look hungry! The sharks that is, the scam-meisters that prey upon naive, ambitious artists who are eager to be published.
So you see an article in the want ads that’s looking for talented writers of songs, poetry, or stories. You’re eager to get your work out there and someone is ready to do that. The only thing you have to do is...pay up front. Wait a minute! Whether it’s publishing poetry, lyrics, or music, if it’s your work then you should be paid. Not vise versa. There are enticements for submitting your music for a compilation disk but you must pay them for the disk – beware! Promises for future jobs are only that – who is in it for you?
Every year I have people come up to me and ask about an ad they saw in the newspaper about companies looking for talent. They have a room set up at a local hotel and invite you to make an appointment to meet with them. They promise you that they will get you jobs, get you noticed by all the big boys. We are going to make you a star. All this for an up front one time payment of 6,000.00 dollars.
The saddest part of this story is that after they tell me about the ad they then proceed to tell me they gave these companies the money. Please please talk to your lawyer before you sign anything. Remember only sign your name on an autograph picture without your lawyer looking over the paper work first.
First of all, if you do meet with anyone who makes an offer, check to see if it’s a legitimate company. Do not sign anything without consulting an attorney. A bad contract is harder to get out of than a bad marriage. You need to understand every letter of that contract, what you get, what you give, for how long, and for how much. Once a contract is signed it is binding, whether you were clear about everything or not. So be sure you’re sure.
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