EASL Fall Meeting 2024 Day II: Music, Business and Law Conference

Harleston has been with UMG for more than 30 years, and is a member of UMG’s executive management board. This lunchtime conversation will share perspectives informed by his many areas of responsibility, including broad trends in label deals, legislative issues, anti-piracy and fraud initiatives, emerging markets and technologies, including the ways AI is shaping tomorrow's challenges and opportunities. We will also touch on his important work with the UMG Task Force for Meaningful Change, an organization formed within UMG to implement social change initiatives directed at the Black and Latino communities.

9:10 a.m. – 10:40 a.m. | Navigating the Beat:  Hot Button Issues in the Music Industry (AI, Streaming Fraud, Ticketing and Antitrust, MLC and Copyright Terminations)

Join us for an insightful CLE panel that dives into the pressing legal challenges facing the music industry today. “Navigating the Beat” will explore key issues, including antitrust concerns in ticketing practices, the implications of Spotify’s bundling strategies, and the complexities of the Mechanical Licensing Collective and its significance, particularly in light of the Copyright Office’s recent rule change regarding copyright termination matters. We will also address the evolving role of artificial intelligence in music creation and distribution, along with the increasing threat of streaming fraud and potential solutions.

Jem Aswad, Exec. Music Editor, Variety – Moderator

Kristine Dennis, Esq.,  General Counsel, Prolific 1

Morgan Hayduk, Founder and Co-CEO, BeatDapp

Kerry Mustico, Esq., Senior Vice President, Legal & Business Affairs at NMPA

Mona Simonian, Esq., Pryor Cashman

Howie Singer, Adjunct Professor, NYU Music Business

10:50 a.m. – 11:50 a.m. | Economics of Artist Owned Companies

An Ounce of Prevention is Worth a Pound of Cure – The Economics and Power of Artist Owned Companies – For decades artists have sought to maintain control of their work while building their brand and extending opportunities to up-and-coming artists.  Frank Sinatra’s Reprise Records was one of the first artist-owned companies.  The dynamics of today’s digital market have removed barriers to entry and made it possible for many of today’s artists with entrepreneurial spirit to similarly wear both the creative and business hats.  This panel will discuss the potential financial rewards and obligations that come with ownership along with consideration of some of the critical issues related to corporate structure, agreements, key deal points, business strategies and management of royalty obligations that the Artist’s team of advisors must take in running a music company.

Jon Payne, CPA, Citrin Cooperman – Moderator (and Panelist)

Ian Dietrich, Artist Manager, Tenth Street Entertainment, New York, NY

Erin Love, Esq., Erin Love Law

12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. | DIY – Independent Distribution

The DIY path to artist-driven, independent distribution has never been easier … or more complex.  Sophisticated platforms that provide high-level services including digital distribution, rights management, royalty accounting and split payments, and performance analytics, require the artist (and her team) to have a depth of knowledge of the music industry, music copyrights, and data management.  We will take a look at the framework of independent distribution, the types of deals on offer, and the potential the pitfalls to be aware of.

Ariel Hyatt, Founder, Cyber PR – Moderator

Robert A. Celestin, Esq., The Law Offices of Robert A. Celestin

David Fritz, Esq., Boyarski Fritz LLP

Sasha Safavi, Esq., Associate General Counsel, UnitedMasters, Inc.

2:20 p.m. – 3:20 p.m. | Foreign Publishing and Neighboring Rights

Understanding key issues and revenue streams which are known outside the US is important to effective representation of clients who work in the music business in the US.  Neighboring rights are well known and understood in Europe and elsewhere, but not as widely understood in the US.  Similarly, there are rights under copyright that exist outside the US that do not exist within the US, such as the broadcast mechanical right. This panel will discuss what “neighboring rights” are, how they are paid and collected, and how meaningful they are to both labels and artists. Similarly, the panel will also address foreign music publishing rights, that are relevant outside the US, how they are collected by societies, and paid to publishers and artists.  Questions are welcome.

Neeta Ragoowansi, Esq., Women in Music – Moderator

Ernst Bakker, Zanoise

Neville Quinlan, Managing Director of Neighboring Rights, Peermusic

Charles Sanders, Esq., General Counsel to Songwriters Guild of America

3:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. | Litigation on the Music Front

The last year has seen many exciting copyright and entertainment developments in the litigation arena.  Four experienced panelists who have litigated extensively in the music industry will examine some of the recent high profile cases (e.g.,  the pending – at the time of this writing –appeal in the 2nd Circuit challenging the limitation of pre-1977 music copyright protection to “lead sheets” deposited with original registrations, a new ruling in U.S. District Court holding that Sec 304 reversion and termination extends to foreign rights as well as domestic when applied to worldwide grants of copyright in musical works, and developments on the litigation front involving copyrightability of products of generative AI, and infringement of musical copyrights in both the training and output of AI platforms), both for their legal impact and to highlight the parties’ litigation strategies.   The panel will also look at the practical effects and implications of these cases and trends for litigation in the industry going forward.

Paul V. LiCalsi, Esq., Reitler Kailas & Rosenblatt LLP – Moderator

Ryan Abbott, Esq., Brown, Neri, Smith and Khan LLP

Robert (Bob) Clarida, Esq., Reitler Kailas & Rosenblatt LLP

Jonathan Z. King, Esq., Cowan Liebowitz Latman

Hillel I. Parness, Esq., Parness Law Firm

Networking reception to follow.