Short answer: Zeb Chandler forms LLCs and corporations for artists, content creators, producers and independent labels in Georgia, and drafts the operating, partner and investor agreements that go with them. He works alongside your accountant on tax elections and helps protect the business name with a trademark.
What business formation includes
- Choosing the entity: LLC, S corporation election or C corporation, based on your income, partners and plans (with your CPA on tax questions)
- Formation filings with the Georgia Secretary of State, and the EIN from the IRS
- Operating agreements for single-owner and multi-owner LLCs
- Partner, band and collaboration agreements: ownership, money, decisions and exits
- Investor agreements for labels, studios and creator businesses raising money
- Trademark applications for an artist name, channel, label or product line
- Moving your IP into the company, so copyrights and contracts sit with the business
Starting an independent label
A label is a business built on ownership. The order matters: form the company, put artist and producer agreements in writing, register copyrights and songs, set up distribution and keep chain of title clean. Done in that order, the catalog has value you can borrow against, license or sell. Done out of order, it's a collection of handshake deals.
The Artist & Label Accelerator walks independent labels and launching artists through this in 12 weekly meetings.
For creators with brand income
Once brand deals are regular, signing them through an LLC keeps business obligations separate from personal assets and makes banking, contracts and taxes cleaner. Zeb sets up the entity and makes sure your existing agreements, channels and trademarks line up with it. See legal services for creators.
Business formation questions
Should an artist or content creator form an LLC?
Usually once you have regular income, partners, employees or contracts with brands and labels. An LLC helps separate business liabilities from personal assets, makes it easier to sign deals and bank as a business, and gives you a clean entity to hold copyrights and trademarks. Ask your accountant about tax elections such as an S corporation election.
How do I start a record label in Georgia?
Form the company (usually an LLC), get an EIN, open a business bank account, set up distribution, sign artists with written agreements, register copyrights and songs, and protect the label name with a trademark. The Artist & Label Accelerator covers these steps in 12 weeks.
What is an operating agreement and do I need one?
It's the contract among the owners of an LLC: who owns what percentage, who makes decisions, how money comes out, and what happens if someone leaves or dies. Georgia doesn't require one to be filed, but any LLC with more than one owner should have one in writing.
What does it cost to form an LLC in Georgia?
The Georgia Secretary of State charges a filing fee to form an LLC, and the LLC must file an annual registration each year between January 1 and April 1. Zeb quotes his legal fee for formation and the operating agreement up front.
Should my band or group have a partnership agreement?
Yes. A band agreement settles who owns the name, the recordings and the songs, how money is split, and what happens when a member leaves. It's far easier to agree on this before there's money or conflict.