The legal voice
MUSIC and entertainment lawyer Darren Sanicki has been watching the finals of the high-rating TV talent show The Voice with a special interest.
Sanicki is the legal representative for all the contestants on the Nine Network show, and can relax in the knowledge that whoever wins the series should have no legal worries handling their success.
Sanicki, principal of the law firm GI & Sanicki Lawyers of South Yarra, is well-known in the Melbourne community for being a member of popular simcha band Havana Moon, which he helped form 22 years ago.
Since establishing his own firm in 2009, Sanicki has been the legal representative for contestants on talent shows Australian Idol, X-Factor and Australia’s Got Talent.
“These days the producers of talent shows insist that all contestants have legal representation and they have to sign contracts before starting work on the show,” Sanicki explains.
“The producers pay for their legal fees and they invite several lawyers to pitch to the group of contestants for the right to represent all of them – making a pitch is a bit like Australian Idol for lawyers.”
Sanicki won the “audition” to represent all the contestants on The Voice, which has been running for weeks with teams of singers led by Delta Goodrem, Keith Urban, Seal and Joel Madden. It has become a nationwide ratings hit with more than two million viewers for most shows.
“This was the biggest number of contestants that I have dealt with in one hit,” says Sanicki of the contract arrangements for The Voice.
“It’s usually such a crazy time for contestants leading up to these shows that the legals are really of least importance to them.
“Unfortunately, some contestants think that this new and exciting life is how their lives are going to be from now on.”
“Many contestants come down to earth with a huge thud once these shows end. It can be really hard for them. There are some who remain grounded and focused, using it as a stepping stone for bigger and better things.”
Sanicki warns aspiring performers of the dangers of doing their own legal work with DIY contracts found on the internet.
“The really scary contracts are usually those found online or from a foreign country where you often have no idea who you’re dealing with,” he says.
“The online environment makes it a lot easier to be ‘discovered’ by someone from overseas, but some of the contracts are pretty rough, blatantly ripping off artists. The key is to get advice and know what you’re getting into.
“I’m usually looking out for things the contract doesn’t say. You’d be amazed at how many clients receive a flimsy two-page recording or licensing deal and think it all looks okay.
“When you ask them how long it goes for or how many albums they are required to deliver, they discover that detail has been omitted.”
Sanicki says that many contestants on TV talent shows are young and have little experience of the music industry.
“They rely on you to explain how everything works.”
Sanicki developed a passion for music while a student at Mount Scopus Memorial College. After completing his economics degree at LaTrobe University he opened a music shop and studio where he taught music, did recording work for bands and wrote jingles.
In 1990 he established the band Havana Moon with Jackie Jacobson, which has become a permanent fixture at simchas and corporate functions, with a core of seven band members increasing up to 12 when required.
In 1994, Sanicki wrote It’s More Than a Game, which became the theme song to the Nine Network’s top-rating The Footy Show. A few years later he became musical director of the Seven Network’s footy variety show, Live and Kicking.
“It was a good life working in the music industry,” he recalls.
However, Sanicki yearned to be an entertainment lawyer and in the late 1990s decided to study law full-time at Monash University.
After graduating, he worked for a small suburban legal firm for a year before joining Marshalls & Dent, where he worked for five years. He then established his own firm, Sanicki Lawyers, in 2009. Earlier this year, Guy Israeli joined the firm as a partner.
With his passion for music as strong as ever, Sanicki can often be seen at the late-night gigs of his clients, where he often acts as a mentor.
Sanicki is chairman of The Push, a not-for-profit Victorian youth music organisation, and was a founding board member of Music Victoria.
He says it is his way of giving something back to the community.
The Voice is on the Nine Network on Mondays at 7.30pm with the winner announced on June 18.
REPORT by Danny Gocs
PHOTO of Sarah de Bono in the Nine Network’s The Voice.