const u32 pattern = 0xdeadbeef;
        int ret;
 
+       down_read(&card->controls_rwsem);
        kctl = snd_ctl_find_id(card, &control->id);
-       if (kctl == NULL)
-               return -ENOENT;
+       if (kctl == NULL) {
+               ret = -ENOENT;
+               goto unlock;
+       }
 
        index_offset = snd_ctl_get_ioff(kctl, &control->id);
        vd = &kctl->vd[index_offset];
-       if (!(vd->access & SNDRV_CTL_ELEM_ACCESS_READ) || kctl->get == NULL)
-               return -EPERM;
+       if (!(vd->access & SNDRV_CTL_ELEM_ACCESS_READ) || kctl->get == NULL) {
+               ret = -EPERM;
+               goto unlock;
+       }
 
        snd_ctl_build_ioff(&control->id, kctl, index_offset);
 
        info.id = control->id;
        ret = __snd_ctl_elem_info(card, kctl, &info, NULL);
        if (ret < 0)
-               return ret;
+               goto unlock;
 #endif
 
        if (!snd_ctl_skip_validation(&info))
                ret = kctl->get(kctl, control);
        snd_power_unref(card);
        if (ret < 0)
-               return ret;
+               goto unlock;
        if (!snd_ctl_skip_validation(&info) &&
            sanity_check_elem_value(card, control, &info, pattern) < 0) {
                dev_err(card->dev,
                        control->id.iface, control->id.device,
                        control->id.subdevice, control->id.name,
                        control->id.index);
-               return -EINVAL;
+               ret = -EINVAL;
+               goto unlock;
        }
+unlock:
+       up_read(&card->controls_rwsem);
        return ret;
 }
 
        if (IS_ERR(control))
                return PTR_ERR(control);
 
-       down_read(&card->controls_rwsem);
        result = snd_ctl_elem_read(card, control);
-       up_read(&card->controls_rwsem);
        if (result < 0)
                goto error;