Legal and Management
Carleen Donovan Launches The Oriel Company With Chloë Walsh and Jen Appel
“Collectively, Chloë, Jen, and myself share so many great memories and an incredible 20 plus year history of collaborating together,” Donovan said. “We also share the same philosophy regarding our clients. By teaming up, we wanted to leverage the reach of a larger agency with the concentration of a boutique. The Oriel Company presents the opportunity to do just that and deliver the gold standard in commitment to our roster and projects.” Walsh and Appel will join The Oriel Company from Grandstand Media where they worked with Meghan Helsel, Kate Jackson, Dana Erickson and Lisa Gottheil, who they said provided “expert support,” telling Billboard, “We feel lucky to be a part of such a strong female-led community of entertainment executives and lo...
Jimi Hendrix’s Brother, Niece Found in Contempt of Court for Violating Trademarks
Tina Hendrix tells Billboard that her family is “devastated and disappointed about the judge’s decision and I strongly feel that it was incorrect and unjust for several reasons.” The contempt ruling against Leon and Tina Hendrix follows a lengthy court battle that began in 2017 when Experience Hendrix LLC — the sole owner of the late rocker’s musical compositions, sound recordings, copyrights and trademarks — and Authentic Hendrix LLC, the licensing arm for Hendrix, filed an infringement case. Experience and Authentic Hendrix sued Leon Hendrix and a business associate for trademark infringement, deceptive acts and false advertising, among other claims. In Oct. 2019, the court entered a permanent injunction against Leon Hendrix and his corporate entities, finding they...
Former CAA Music Agent Aaron Tannenbaum Joins WME
He joins the Hollywood talent agency as a partner, based in Nashville. Veteran music agent Aaron Tannenbaum has joined WME as a partner, based in its Nashville office. The former CAA agent represented country music artists within the touring industry while with the rival Hollywood talent agency since 2010. Before that, Tannenbaum worked at Paradigm. “Aaron has earned a reputation in our business as an agent who has a strong ability to identify talent and takes the long-view in building an artist’s career, making him a great fit for us,” Scott Clayton, WME’s co-head of music, said in a statement. You Deserve to Make Money Even When you are looking for Dates Online. So we reimagined what a dating should be. It begins with giving you back power. Get to meet Beautiful people, chat and ma...
OneRepublic’s Ryan Tedder Sells Majority Stake in Catalog to KKR
The catalog of nearly 500 songs written, recorded or produced by Tedder encompasses all OneRepublic songs — including hits “Apologize,” “Secrets” and “Counting Stars” — as well as Tedder’s work with artists like Beyoncé, U2, Paul McCartney, Adele, Stevie Wonder, Ed Sheeran, Lady Gaga, Cardi B and Jonas Brothers. Going forward, KKR will collaborate with Tedder to “expand upon the success and reach” of his and OneRepublic’s music, according to a press release. Formerly known as Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co., KKR has a long history of music industry investments. It teamed with Bertelsmann for the music rights joint venture BMG Rights Management in 2009, controlling 51% until Bertelsmann t...
Recoup, There It Is: An Artist’s Guide to Royalty Hunting (Guest Column)
The good news is that, thanks in large part to a growing coalition of artist advocates, led by SoundExchange, many countries are beginning to pay American performers. In the coming years, we expect most countries to accept the notion of “National Treatment,” which means that if you pay your citizens, you pay American citizens, too. So, now’s the time to register with a collection agent for your works. If you are a producer or musician, make sure you are properly credited for all the parts you play. That helps significantly in some countries, like Germany. This revenue can range from a few bucks to a few hundred thousand dollars. It matters, so get it straight. 2. The Desk Audit: If you are signed to a record label or music publisher, it’s a good idea to investigate ...
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...
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...
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’...
Diego Toro Celebrates Two Years of Toro Music Group With Yotuel Romero Signing
Below, Toro elaborates on the company’s anniversary, growing success and plans for 2021. What was the biggest life lesson working at Sony that you walked away with? It is very difficult to mention a single teaching in a lifetime of experiences with music, songs, artists and colleagues. But the “opportunity” that Sony gave me to demonstrate with passion, to think “outside the box,” to believe that you can break schemes, trusting music production from the heart, and being loyal to your principles and values are an inspiring route that will always pay off. What inspired you to launch your own marketing and management company two years ago? In a company, you live the musical stages of the artists, the releases, campaigns, and strategies according to the season. But in managem...
David Swartz Launches Singular Arts Group Artist Management Company in Berlin With Matt Lambert
Mykki Blanco, Patrick Wolf, Finn Ronsdorf & FaltyDL are the first four artists on the Germany-based company’s roster. David Swartz launched a Berlin-based full-service artist management company Friday (Dec. 4) called Singular Arts Group in partnership with Matt Lambert. Swartz spent the early part of his 20-year career in the business in the live music sector, from concert promoter to booking agent, before moving into artist management. He started Kosher Management in Los Angeles in 2009 and managed American and European acts mainly across the rock and electronic genres until 2016 when he moved to Germany. Lambert, who will serve as Singular Arts Group’s creative director, has more than 15 years of industry experience working as a filmmaker, photographer, artist and cr...
Chance the Rapper Hit With $3M Lawsuit From Former Manager Pat Corcoran
Corcoran is suing for breach of contract, violation of the Illinois Sales Representative Act and unjust enrichment, among other counts. He is additionally asking the court to order an accounting of all amounts earned by the Bennetts beginning in Feb. 2013 — the date Corcoran says that Bennett agreed to pay him 15% commission on all touring, merch and album sales, among other income streams — as well as to enforce a sunset clause that will entitle him to future commissions for a three-year post-termination period ending Apr. 25, 2023. The complaint names as defendants Chance the Rapper, LLC as well as the rapper’s merchandise and touring companies Cool Pop Merch and CTR Touring. The 20-page suit (read in full here) narrates Corcoran’s years-long relationship with Bennett a...
