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Music Biz Applauds Pandemic Aid Package: ‘These Relief Provisions Will Save Lives and Livelihoods’
“We also welcome the inclusion of consensus-driven intellectual property reforms in the omnibus bill. The Copyright Alternative in Small-Claims Enforcement (CASE) Act and Protect Lawful Streaming Act (PLSA) will strengthen creators’ ability to protect their works against infringement online, and promote a safer, fairer digital environment, which are particularly needed as the arts struggle to survive the pandemic. We look forward to continuing our work to provide greater relief for the American creative community.” Chief among the music and entertainment-focused measures included in the bill is the Save Our Stages Act, which will provide $15 billion in relief funding for “live venues, independent movie theaters and cultural institutions” that have been devastated by coronavirus-related clo...
The COVID-19 Stimulus Bill Would Make Illegal Streaming a Felony
Congress looks to provide relief to U.S. citizens and small businesses, but the omnibus bill includes some legislative priorities for the entertainment industry as well. Providing relief via direct assistance and loans to struggling individuals and businesses hit hard by COVID-19 has been a priority for federal lawmakers this past month. But a gigantic spending bill has also become the opportunity to smuggle in some other line items, including those of special interest to the entertainment community. Perhaps most surprising, according to the text of the bill being circulated, illegal streaming for commercial profit could become a felony. It’s been less than two weeks since Sen. Thom Tillis released his proposal to increase the penalties for those who would dare stream unlicensed work...
Music’ Big Deal Maker: David Dunn of Shot Tower Capital on Shepherding Sales in a Hot Market
Dunn, who graduated from Bucknell University with a master’s in economics and has a law degree from American University, started his career as an economist with the U.S. government and then became a mergers-and-acquisitions lawyer before going into banking — and forging relationships with music business players like Jackson estate executor John Branca and former Sony/ATV chairman/CEO Martin Bandier, or Big Deal’s founder and president Kenny MacPherson and Pulse’s co-CEO Scott Cutler, whose firms he helped sell to Hipgnosis and (a stake in) to Concord, respectively. Before he began his investment banking career, while still working as an economist while going to law school at night, he once made money on the side as a bartender, including at one of Bill Clinton’s 1993 inaugural ...
Universal Music Group, Concord Extend Global Distribution Deal
“UMG and Concord have built a wonderful relationship over the past 15 years,” comments Concord CEO Scott Pascucci in a statement. “As we have grown, they have provided the support that we needed to expand the worldwide success of our frontline labels, the KIDZ BOP franchise, Craft Recordings, and the rest of our catalog. We are very pleased to be renewing this partnership with Universal.” Adds Lucian Grainge, chairman and CEO of Universal Music Group: “Our partnership with Concord is built on a foundation of shared values. We both put artists and creativity at the center of everything we do.” Grainge continues, “I couldn’t be happier to extend our partnership and l look forward to even more success working with Scott, Tom, Sig and the entire Concord team.” The independent Concord music gro...
Executive Turntable: Sony/ATV Names Digital Prez, Sony Music Africa Hires Artist Dev Lead
Bebawi started his publishing career at EMI Music Publishing in Sept. 2005, when he joined as UK head of business affairs after serving as a partner at London-based media and entertainment law firm Harbottle and Lewis. During his time at EMI, he implemented a pioneering restructure of the company’s digital rights and launched the first publisher-led, Pan-European digital licensing initiative outside of the traditional collection society network. Bebawi was later promoted to European General Counsel and, after Sony/ATV acquired EMI in 2007, he joined the former as executive vp, digital and society relations, international and UK. Sony Music Entertainment Africa has enlisted Christine “Seven” Mosha to lead marketing and artist development for the East Africa region, effective immediate...
Lucian Grainge’s Year-End Memo: An ‘Incredibly Difficult’ 2020, Label Successes & His COVID-19 Scare
Taking his time to get to the usual accolades (of which there were plenty for the world’s leading music company), instead he focused on the power of music in trying times, noting, “I want this year-end note to remind each of you of the instrumental part you played in bringing to the world something powerful, inspiring, uplifting, and yes, universal: music. A force for good unlike any other in the world.” Grainge then highlighted other kinds of achievements that his company can tout, taking action during the year’s multitude of crises: “organizing, volunteering, educating, donating,” as he listed off, detailing how Universal responded to the pandemic, the nation’s racial reckoning and the election. Universal donated to a swath of organizations and d...
Eddie Money’s Family Sues Hospital Over Rocker’s Death
Rocker Eddie Money’s family is suing the University of Southern California’s Keck Hospital for medical malpractice and wrongful death, according to a lawsuit filed Monday in Los Angeles County Superior Court. Money, whose real name Edward J. Mahoney, died at the age of 70 Sept. 13, 2019. He’s best known for his hit songs “Two Tickets To Paradise,” Baby Hold On,” “Think I’m in Love” and “Take Me Home Tonight.” Prior to his death, Money had been diagnosed and was being treated for stage 4 esophageal cancer. Money’s family, listed as his heirs to his estate, include his wife Laurie Harris Mahoney and his children Jessica, Zachary, Edward, Desmond and Matthew, filed this 11-page complaint alleging that doctors and medical personnel at USC’s Keck Hospital failed to properly diagnose...
Recording Academy Paid $4.5M in Legal Fees in 2019, Filings Show
Dugan’s short-lived tenure as Portnow’s successor began Aug.1, 2019, and her salary — as well as any changes in expenditures that occurred under her short-lived tenure — are not indicated in this filing. Five days after being put on administrative leave on Jan. 16, 2020 — just 10 days before the 62nd Grammy Awards — and eventually terminated, Dugan filed a discrimination complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). According to Dugan’s EEOC complaint, she learned in May 2019 that “[Joel] Katz and his law firm [Greenberg Traurig] are paid an exorbitant amount of money by the Academy.” She accused the academy of being “boys’ club network” — a place “where men work together to the disadvantage of women and disen...
Roc Nation to Launch Publishing Imprint With Books From Lil Uzi Vert, Meek Mill
Under a new partnership with Random House, Roc Lit 101 will also put out titles by Yo Gotti, Fat Joe and music journalist Danyel Smith. Roc Nation is getting into the book publishing business via a new partnership with Random House, the companies announced today. The new imprint, which is rolling out under the name Roc Lit 101, will be dedicated to publishing books “at the dynamic intersection of entertainment and genre-defying literature, including exhilarating, innovative work from some of the biggest artists and most imaginative and incisive writers of our time on a wide range of subjects such as music, sports, pop culture, activism, and art,” according to a release. The imprint will be overseen by Chris Jackson, publisher and editor-in-chief of Random House imprint One World Books, and...
Ticketmaster’s Arbitration Policy Again Enforced in Dispute Over Pandemic Refunds
Ticketmaster filed a motion to compel arbitration. It argued that Hansen, like anyone else who buys concert tickets through its site, agreed to its terms of use which contains an arbitration agreement. In September, both Ticketmaster and StubHub prevailed on similar motions in disputes brought by baseball fans. There, U.S. District Judge Dale Fischer found that the click-through agreements users interact with while signing into the site and buying tickets are sufficient to provide notice of the policy and constitute mutual assent to an arbitration agreement. That’s one of the arguments Hansen made here; he didn’t read the terms of use and was unaware it included an arbitration provision and therefore he couldn’t have assented. U.S. District Judge Edward M. Chen isn’...
Defying Pandemic Woes, Live Entertainment Giant OVG Showed New Growth in 2020
One company, however, has not only avoided layoffs completely but actually hired more than 50 executives in the last two months to assist with a growing portfolio of venues and development initiatives. The Oak View Group, founded by former AEG chief executive Tim Leiweke, has been a quiet but persistent force for prosperity and economic development during the pandemic. Launched in 2015 along with Leiweke’s partner Irving Azoff, OVG is overseeing $4.5 billion in arena development projects across the world, including in Austin, Texas. There, the company made its most recent high profile hire, announcing that Casey Sparks, who previously managed the BOK Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma for ASM Global for six years, was joining the company. Sparks will serve as vp of OVG Austin and assista...
Mary Megan Peer Succeeds Father Ralph Peer II as Peermusic CEO
As executive chair, Ralph Peer II will retain corporate board responsibilities at peermusic, including providing expertise that helped build the company into one of the world’s top independent music publishing firms. (In the third quarter of 2020, peermusic ranked ninth by marketshare on the Top Radio Airplay chart and 10th on the Hot 100 Songs chart.) Moreover, Peer II will continue to serve as a member of several industry boards, including the National Music Publishers’ Association NMPA and International Confederation of Music Publishers. “It’s been a very satisfying challenge to have stewarded peermusic’s heritage repertoire made possible through the genius of my father and the savoir faire of my mother while simultaneously keeping our firm active and successfully engaged wi...
