Smells Like Slavery: Unconscionability in Recording Industry Contracts

Authors

Phillip W. Hall Jr.

Abstract

The music recording industry today is fundamentally broken: artists are in open revolt against the labels over their recording contracts; and one U.S. Senator has even stated, "this is the only industry in which after you pay off the mortgage the bank still owns the house." In this Note, Phillip Hall argues that although the equitable doctrine of unconscionability is clearly satisfied by the substantive and procedural unfairness in standard industry recording contracts, flaws in the judicial process make it unfeasible for most artists to seek relief in the courts; thus, what is needed to save the industry is legislation that will somewhat even the playing field, by restricting the most oppressive of what are today standard recording contract provisions.

Recommended Citation

Phillip W. Hall Jr., Smells Like Slavery: Unconscionability in Recording Industry Contracts, 25 UC Law SF Comm. & Ent. L.J. 189 (2002).
Available at: https://repository.uclawsf.edu/hastings_comm_ent_law_journal/vol25/iss1/5