The business side of music is a can of worms, let me tell you. It’s not just the contract dispute that can go underhanded and nasty, it’s all the weird legal challenges you never even thought were possible. You play a few gigs for some rockstars and suddenly find yourself in the middle of a criminal charge. Or your buddy posts a questionable video to the filter-ridded Instagram and someone gets arrested. Shit happens. In the entertainment industry – especially in the highly temperamental world of the Pop Music genre – there is no shortage of wild events that can lead to a whole new front of legal strife. One of the most frequent underlying questions that can arise when facing a legal problem is this: can you settle a criminal case out of court. Now, let me clarify something. If you’re looking at a criminal case it’s not like you have the Queen of England up your butt or anything. But the point still stands; nothing is worse than having to deal with legal challenges in the music business. In order to fend off any kind of ugly legal battle, it pays to know about what your options are for out-of-court settlements. Plus, and this is huge for Popstache, resolving any legal battle quickly is more or less the best way for a musician to save face with their fans.
Here are a few of the most famous musician-based legal issues:
- Justin Bieber A while back, Justin Bieber had to take a paternity test as part of a temporary custody case over a one-year-old boy who was said to be his son. Turns out, Justin lost the test and this one woman made a claim to get him for child support that went all the way to the tune of $330,000. Can you say moolah? That said-and-done, Justin and the woman agreed to a $100,000 settlement. What does this tell us, except to say that if you know you’ve got the goods and can win, it’s probably a good idea to settle early before things drag on and get really expensive.
- Chris Brown It’s pretty excuse-worthy that Chris Brown ended up in some legal trouble involving the law and the alleged assault of singer and model Rihanna many years ago. His court battles and potential jail time were hot topics on gossip blogs following their breakup. After getting arrested in Washington D.C. for allegedly punching a man in the face, he was indicted for one count of felony assault. He reached a plea deal and eventually ended up serving some community service as part of a probation violation.
- T-Pain The list above is just a short compilation of a few of the Popstars who have been in a variety of legal issues for one thing or another. However, this list also shows us how quickly these issues can be sorted out, given the right tools. If it were me, I’d make sure to do as much as I could to opt for an option that would keep my ass out of the media spotlight.
On that note, rather than inspecting the legal options in the scenarios of Chris and Justin, let’s explore what it means to opt for an outcome like T-Pain.
What it Really Means to Settle a Criminal Case Outside of Court
Realistically, we all know that the world of Pop is about making money. If your music project or band is making money, then it’s worth all the hassle of juggling lawyer fees with your next recording session and your merchandise printing. However, you can’t let money become the primary reason for every single decision you make as a musician. Given enough time, money can be earned back. However, a bad reputation? Not so much. When a musician finds themselves on trial in front of the entire world, it doesn’t matter if they’re innocent, guilty or set up. If they let a legal battle progress all the way into the courtroom, they’re still going to end up on tabloids and entertainment news spots testing the limits of our attention spans. If you can relate to this, the simple answer is, “get settlements fast.” The sooner your legal disputes are behind you, the sooner you can go back to selling records and concert tickets.
Options for Settling Out of Court
You’ve seen it, I’ve seen it, everyone has seen it. I’m sure that even the looniest of legal experts have seen it. But what does it really mean to settle a criminal case out of court? Lest we forget, this means that you’ll be paying money for some sort of terms agreed upon by both parties. This usually results in the withdrawal of any charges that could have seen you in front of a criminal judge or jury of your peers (they don’t call them “peers” for nothing). Here are a few options:
- Copping a Plea
- Agreement with Probation
- Deviated Sentence
Keep in mind, these options aren’t always available, depending on the severity of your charges. For example, when it comes to serious cases where someone’s life has been put at risk (like the above mentioned T-Pain case) you’re going to be forced to go through the entire legal process. This includes hitting the law books hard, paying your lawyers a lot, felonious fines and probable jail time. Don’t skip on your lawyers. They’re the ones who will guide you through the nitty gritty of the law in your particular state and help out your case with their mentorship. Plus, it’s always a good idea to know how to engage in a little bit of street law, like knowing what crimes to ignore so that you can look like a saint when you face a judge.
One of the most common misconceptions here is that musicians like God and Say Okay are above the law and punishment. There’s always a chance that you’ll end up on Spin Magazine for talking out of your ass in public, and those chances increase when you’re overindulging tequila shots and confronting people on Hollywood Boulevard at 3 AM (I’m looking at you, Zac Efron). If you assume your Popstar status is enough to get you by without having to pay your debt to society, think again. The last thing you want is to end up on a list of “Biggest Celebrity Breaking the Law” next to Miley.
Once you’ve accepted the fact that you’re not too good for the law or any kind of punishment, you can move on from the litigation phase of your career. While a few fan sites are going to be picking apart your legal life, there will always be enough Pop music fans to love you unconditionally. When it comes down to it, you need to do what works for you; legally and financially. If you can’t settle with half your bank account, you might need to consider filing bankruptcy to wait for another day to strike back. Just don’t forget that eventually you’ll have to clean up your legal mess; because legally, you’re just like everyone else.
For more information on legal processes, you can visit Wikipedia’s page on Legal Process.
