Did you know some artists lose ownership of their stage name if it was trademarked by their label?
In many recording or management deals, the label quietly trademarks the artist’s name early on especially if they funded branding, rollout, or marketing. So when the artist leaves, they sometimes can’t legally use the same name for releases, merch, or performances unless they negotiate to buy it back.
But WHY do labels do this??
•To protect the brand they invested in
• To prevent an artist from leaving and carrying the label’s “property”
• To maintain merchandising revenue.