Podcasts

Los Angeles is a beautiful city filled with sunshine, palm trees...and aspiring actors and models signing talent releases on every corner.
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Talent/appearance releases are agreements that allow movie studios, production companies, (basically anyone filming/recording/photographing another individual) to protect themselves and their content when working on a project. Is your podcast any different?
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The short answer: no. Whether you’re a podcast in its infancy, or a blockbuster hit movie in the making - you’re still recording another person - and that person still has rights. ⁣⁣
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***As a podcaster, how should you protect yourself?***⁣⁣
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First and foremost - California is a *dual consent* state - which means that you ALWAYS have to ask permission to record anyone if you’re not in a public location. (Even determining a “public” place can sometimes get tricky, so to be safe - always ask for their consent!)⁣⁣
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On a separate (but just as important) note, in California individuals also have the right of publicity (their name/voice/image/likeness). If you’re recording someone for your podcast, you need to have your guest(s) sign a release which gives you (the podcaster) the right to use their name/voice/etc. ⁣⁣
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This type of waiver clause, along with several other necessary clauses, should absolutely be a part of your podcast release to best protect you and your podcast episodes. A proper release will prevent guests from claiming any rights to your podcast material, wanting to review how you’ve edited their statements, or even from preventing your podcast from airing.
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*Disclaimer* This post is strictly for general informational purposes only and is not intended to constitute legal advice.