Entertainment Lawyer Karl Fowlkes on the Tricky Business of Sampling

At just 29 years old, entertainment attorney Karl Fowlkes already has a vast client roster, including rising star rapper, singer, songwriter and producer Blxst, who just signed a publishing deal with Warner/Chappel. Karl also represents Section 8, the super producer behind Lil Baby’s highest charting singles “The Bigger Picture” and We Paid”. On this episode Karl joins Brian and Nick to discuss his legal expertise in the world of music sampling, as well as his advice to emerging artists on when to seek legal counsel, and how to handle rights management issues. Show Notes: [1:39] Karl’s thoughts on when a musician needs a lawyer. [5:40] Should an artist use the sync services from big online distributors? Karl believes there’s a better strategy. [8:42] What blockchain can do for the music industry. [12:14] A discussion of sampling and rights issues for producers and artists. [19:51] Karl’s skepticism of NFT’s and their usefulness for emerging artists. [29:47] The areas in which artists should be more educated and prepared when entering the music industry. [32:02] How Karl got interested in entertainment law. [36:54] Hear “WYA?” by Joony. Find Karl Fowlkes on LinkedIn and Instagram, and check out The Fowlkes Firm.