The Jablonski Law Group

When Ed Dekema put a copy of his standard agreement in front of me to sign, I turned to Kevin Jablonski of the Axios Law Group. He charged me for an hour of his time and talked me through every point in the contract. Without going into details, Kevin gave me a list of important changes I should ask for, and Ed agreed immediately to almost every one. It was quick and easy and, since the contract dealt with ownership of the copyrights to my music, it was absolutely essential to get it right.

When I spoke to Kevin again recently, he said he has left Axios to start his own firm, the Jablonski Law Group. Citing an overly competitive environment at Axios, Kevin also said he’s in a better position now to shape what he does.

“While I do do patent law, I want to refashion my practice towards musicians,” he said.

I asked Kevin if there’s any advice he frequently gives to aspiring musicians. He said musicians should make sure they’re doing things correctly when they agree to license their music, and they should ask themselves how they can be a good business person in the music industry.

Kevin said some of what was common sense in the past no longer applies. “Before, the path to success was with a major record company,” he said. “But there are too many stars being made these days.”

He suggests that young musicians, guided by a faith in their talent, use tools made available by the internet to promote and distribute their own music.

“A shrewd business person can come in and say ‘I don’t need some A&R guy to make me a star,” he said.