#29: Miro Oballa - Music & Entertainment Lawyer

I’ve always wanted to get an entertainment lawyer on the show, especially one that dealt heavily on the music side, so when I was introduced to Miro at the beginning of the summer, being already familiar with him, his practice and his very impressive client list, I had to jump on the opportunity. And he very kindly obliged. We skyped in shortly after. There’s a lot of information in this so you may even want to listen to it a couple of times. There’s information for artists as well as people working on the business side; also, for those looking to get into the industry but still deciding on what area to pursue. As we go through our conversation, he really builds us a picture of how all of his experiences in the past have accumulated to help him get to where he is now. We get his thoughts on Vancouver’s music scene vs. Toronto’s, and what his vision is to grow it bigger in Vancouver, which is where he currently practices out of. We then get into an overview of what his job actually entails and you’ll see it starts to become clear that, in this age where artists are becoming more independent and relying more heavily on their core team (with a label being almost more of a service provider), a lawyer is an integral and essential part of building their career, being able to offer experienced insights from all angles. He discusses brand partnerships and how they work, as well as some of the more common disputes that he deals with that artists should be aware of. Of course, we talk about what he feels it takes to be a great entertainment lawyer and what he loves about his career. So, ladies and gentlemen, without further ado, Miro Oballa.