Performing Arts Entrepreneurship & Leadership Resources

Ann Arbor Area SCORE: Legal Resources - List of resources provided by an organization of experienced business owners and managers in the greater Ann Arbor area who volunteer their experience and knowledge to help potential and existing small business owners achieve success.

Michigan Legal Help - Resources for individuals who are handling their legal problems without a lawyer.

Creative Many: Lawyers for the Creative Economy - Service offered by a statewide organization that develops creative people, creative places and the creative economy in Michigan through research, advocacy, professional practice and communications.

National Directory of Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts

Lawyers for the Creative Arts - Provides free legal services and resources to financially eligible clients in all areas of the arts in their effort to assist individuals and organizations with business issues, contracts, copyrights, trademarks and many other legal areas.

New Media Rights: Arts and Intellectual Property Volunteer Lawyer Organizations - List provided by an independently funded non-profit program of California Western School of Law that provides legal services to creators, entrepreneurs, journalists, and internet users.

Performing Arts Labor Unions

Actors' Equity Association - Seeks to foster the art of live theatre as an essential component of society and advance the careers of its members by negotiating wages, improving working conditions and providing a wide range of benefits, including health and pension plans.

Screen Actors Guild - American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) - Committed to organizing all work done under their jurisdictions; negotiating the best wages, working conditions, and health and pension benefits; preserving and expanding members’ work opportunities; vigorously enforcing contracts; and protecting members against unauthorized use of their work.

American Guild of Variety Artists - Represents performing artists and stage managers for live performances in the variety field, which includes singers and dancers in touring shows and in theatrical revues (non-book shows), theme park performers, skaters, circus performers, comedians and stand-up comics, cabaret and club artists, lecturers/poets/monologists/spokespersons, and variety performers working at private parties and special events.

Writers Guild of America East and West - Represents individuals who write content for motion pictures, television, news and digital media by negotiating and administering contracts that protect the creative and economic rights of its members; conducting programs, seminars and events on issues of interest to writers; and presenting writers’ views to various bodies of government.

Directors Guild of America - Seeks to protect directorial teams' legal and artistic rights, contend for their creative freedom, and strengthen their ability to develop meaningful and credible careers.

International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) - Represents technicians, artisans and craftspersons in the entertainment industry, including live theatre, motion picture and television production, and trade shows.

Art Directors Guild - As IATSE Local 800, ADG represents individuals who work throughout the world as production designers, art directors, scenic, title and graphic artists; set designers and model makers; illustrators, matte artists, and previs artists.

United Scenic Artists - As IATSE Local 829, represents designers, artists, craftspeople, and department coordinators and works to protect craft standards, working conditions and wages for the entertainment and decorative arts industries.

Stage Directors and Choreographers Society - Seeks to foster a national community of professional stage directors and choreographers by protecting their rights, health and livelihoods; facilitating the exchange of ideas, information and opportunities; and providing administrative, negotiating and contractual support.

American Guild of Musical Artists - Represents artists from numerous disciplines that create America's operatic, dance, and choral heritage by working to guarantee artistic institutions adhere to fair labor practices.

American Federation of Musicians - As the largest union of musicians in the world, advocates for fair labor practices for its members.

Performing Rights Organizations

SESAC - Licenses the public performances of more than 400,000 songs on behalf of its 30,000 affiliated songwriters, composers and music publishers.

American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) - Licenses over 11.5 million ASCAP songs and scores of more than 720,000 songwriters, composers, and music publishers and is owned and governed by its members.

Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI) - The largest music rights organization in the U.S. protects the public performances of 14 million musical works created and owned by more than 900,000 songwriters, composers and music publishers.

Global Music Rights - The newest music rights organization, formed in 2013, GMR seeks to be an active and progressive advocate for copyright holders in the current performing rights marketplace, protect the integrity of music rights, and promote the value of intellectual property on behalf of creators.