Variety’s 2024 Music Legal Elite Report Covers Top Attorneys Who Rock Showbiz

The music business saw a lot of big deals and, as always, a lot of disputes. It’s also in the thick of wrestling with AI and all that this evolving technology means to the artists these legal eagles represent.

“Ultimately, AI will help amplify human creativity and we support ethical AI which includes transparency on training sources and appropriate approvals,” says Steve Gawley, Republic’s exec VP of business & legal affairs and business development. “Great examples of this kind of AI use are the Beatles track “Now and Then” which used AI to isolate John Lennon’s vocals from other sounds to create the first new Beatles song in many decades and the use of AI for language translations.”

But Lawrence Iser of Kinsella Holley Iser Kump Steinsapir, flatly states: “There is no legitimate, non-infringing use of AI in the recorded music business.”

Ben Semel notes: “From a legal standpoint, we also see opportunities for AI tools to assist with enforcing rights and safeguarding royalties in the era of Big Data. The great challenge now is to ensure that these benefits are not overshadowed by the profound risks in irresponsible and illegal use of AI tools.”

• Lisa Alter, Katie Baron

  Partners
  Alter, Kendrick & Baron

  In the past 18 months, Alter and Baron have closed $920 million in deals, largely through their work for Primary Wave Music Publishing, which has included the acquisitions of various interests in the music publishing and master recording catalogs of the Doors, Huey Lewis and the News, Def Leppard, America, Alice in Chains, the Ramones, Culture Club, Styx co-founder Dennis DeYoung, Sublime, Air Supply and numerous others. According to Alter, whether or not there are many “legacy” artist catalogs left to buy is a matter of perspective. “There is a generation who considered ‘legacy’ the ’50s, ’60s and ’70s,” she says. “Now, it’s the ’80s, ’90s and early 2000s.”

• Peter Anderson

  Partner
  Davis Wright Tremaine

  This year, in a lawsuit for Cher, Anderson obtained summary judgment that Sonny Bono’s widow had improperly relied on a Copyright Act notice of termination to divert royalties due to the superstar under her divorce agreement with Sonny. In another high-profile case, Anderson obtained summary judgment dismissing copyright infringement claims against Sam Smith and smash hit single, “Dancing With a Stranger.” He has also worked on behlf of Lil Nas X, Cardi B, the Weeknd, Green Day, and Gwen Stefani and Pharrell Williams.

• Jason Boyarski

  Founding partner
  Boyarski Fritz

  Boyarski reps the music producers behind a bevy of recent No. 1 hits, including Louis Bell (“I Had Some Help” by Post Malone featuring Morgan Wallen), Pete Nappi (“Who” by Jimin) and Cirkut (“Unholy” by Sam Smith). In the last year, he’s also negotiated Will Smith’s pact for his first album in nearly two decades and documentary and music publishing deals for the estate of Earth Wind & Fire’s Maurice White, as well as numerous catalog deals, including one for a founding member of Maroon 5. “It’s less of a free for all than it was back in 2020 or 2019,” says Boyarski of the music catalog marketplace. “Now they’re carefully strategizing their genre niche and filling gaps.”

• Derek Crownover

  Vice chair, music industry
  Loeb & Loeb

  In his five years with Loeb & Loeb, Nashville-based Crownover has guided the growth of the firm’s music team while beefing up its Music Row client list. Over the past 18 months, he oversaw Otis Redding estate’s administrative deal with Sony Music Publishing, the catalog sale for hit songwriter Ashley Gorley’s Tape Room Music and a catalog deal for Craig Wiseman’s Big Loud Shirt while also representing Sam Hunt, Gaby Barrett, Jordan Davis, Pat Benatar and, among others. In regard to AI, Crownover says, “The lawyers and accountants only have some of the answers, but the positives are that we will eventually see new revenue streams for those uses, and some songs that I love will have new lives with cool attribution partners that were never contemplated before.”

• Ilene S. Farkas, James S. Sammataro, Frank P. Scibilia, Benjamin K. Semel, Donald S. Zakarin

  Ilene S. Farkas
  Co-chair litigation group and music group, media & entertainment litigation practice
  James S. Sammataro
  Co-chair music group and media & entertainment litigation practice
  Frank P. Scibilia
  Co-chair, music group and copyright practice
  Benjamin K. Semel
  Co-chair, music group, chair of the AI interdisciplinary group
  Donald S. Zakarin
  Co-chair, litigation and music groups, media & entertainment litigation practice
  Pryor Cashman

  The firm that guided a win for Ed Sheeran, Warner Music and Sony Music Publishing in infringement claims brought by the Marvin Gaye estate are defending some 100 defendants —including Bad Bunny, J Balvin and Daddy Yankee — on a copyright claim by a pair of Jamaican producers that encompasses more than 1,800 songs and practically threatens the entire reggaeton genre. Pryor Cashman also had Universal Music Group and CEO Lucian Grainge removed from an abuse claim brought against Sean Combs and are representing Tiesto, Karol G and three publishers for a claim against the song “Don’t Be Shy.” Farkas prevailed in two claims brought against Megan Thee Stallion and others in two different matters, one involving “Savage,” the other over “WAP” and “Thot Shit.” Scibilia represented Sony Music Publishing, Seasons Four Publishing and others for the unauthorized commercial use of “Working My Way Back to You,” while Semel continues to guide the Mechanical License Collective, including the five-year Periodic Review of its Designation by the Copyright Office.

• John Frankenheimer, Debbie White

  John Frankenheimer
  Chair, music industry
  Debbie White
  Vice chair, music industry
  Loeb & Loeb

  White has negotiated a wide range of deals for music legends like the Who, Duran Duran and Christina Aguilera, but her proudest accomplishment is the role she’s played in helping break K-pop in America as the legal rep for HYBE and its acts, including BTS, TXT, Seventeen and NewJeans. “They could tell I was genuinely passionate about it, so they entrusted me to help them,” she says. Frankenheimer is something of a legend himself as one of the architects of the booming music M&A landscape, with a list of recent deals that includes $100 million in acquisitions for client CTM Outlander in the past year alone. “Most companies now are quite adept at data analytics and they can model out [earnings] in a much more predictive way than they ever been able to do,” says the vet, whose other clients include Sony Music Publishing, Warner Chappell, Warner Music Group, Diana Ross, Vince Gill and Carrie Underwood.

• Steve Gawley

  Exec VP of business & legal affairs and business development
  Republic

  As a member of the label group’s executive board, Gawley spent early 2024 aligning Mercury, Island, Def Jam and Republic within the newly formed Republic Recording Co. while expanding the company’s partnership with Big Loud. Key deals signed under Republic’s new structure include Miranda Lambert, Chappell Roan, Tucker Wetmore, AP Dhillon, Anitta and accomplished Latin music producer Tainy, while Gawley also guided the launch of Metro Boomin’s Boowminati label, finalized soundtrack deals for the films including “Wicked” and struck an alliance with BMG for the new Jelly Roll album, released this month.

• Damien Granderson

  Partner
  Granderson Des Rochers

  Granderson’s client list includes such indie labels Paper Route, Neighbourhood and Quality Control Music, representing the latter when it was acquired last year by HYBE America for a reported $320 million. The attorney for such acts as J Cole, Wizkid and Snoh Aalegra also made key performance agreements for Raye (including Coachella, London’s O2 Arena and “Saturday Night Live”), and branding deals for A$AP Rocky (Bottega Veneta, Puma Beats) and J Balvin (Marc Jacobs, Air Jordan, Tiffany). Granderson inked Coachella appearances for Balvin and Side Siram and renegotiated favorable terms for the Notorious B.I.G. estate with Warner Music and Queen Naija’s with Capitol.

• Jeff Harleston

  General counsel and exec VP of business & legal affairs
  Universal Music Group

  As expected from the world’s largest music company, merger and acquisition deals have been a primary focus of Harleston’s team for the past 18 months, including the acquisition of Nigeria’s Mavin Records, Thailand’s RS Group and UMG’s partnership in Chord, an investment fund dedicated to acquisition of music publishing and recorded music catalogs. UMG also expanded its deals with both DSPs and social media platforms on more artist-friendly terms, but its main focus remains on protecting artists’ and composers’ rights in the face of generative AI. “The key is that the use of AI must be in the service of the artist and with the consent of all artists whose rights are implicated,” says Harleston.

• Larry Iser

  Managing partner
  Kinsella Holley Iser Kump Steinsapir

  If you feel like you can’t escape politics during this election season, Iser can relate. The attorney, who previously made news representing Jackson Browne and David Byrne for unauthorized use of their music in campaigns, is currently monitoring tunes used by the Trump-Vance ticket on behalf of four high-profile music makers. He’s also pursuing several infringement claims on behalf of Grammy-nominated duo Sofi Tukker and their publisher Third Side Music, including a lawsuit filed in in the United States District Court in Ohio for the unauthorized use of their chart-topping song “Best Friend” in a social media and television campaign.

• Jason Kawejsza

  Exec VP, head of business & legal affairs
  Interscope Capitol Labels Group

  It was a homecoming of sorts for both Kawejsza and his employer when he negotiated the acquisition of Dr. Dre’s recorded music and music publishing assets and income streams for Interscope, including his seminal hip-hop album “The Chronic,” first released by the label in 1992. “Growing up in New York City, I loved West Coast gangster rap, so to have a role in bringing it back to Interscope was very rewarding,” he says. Recently, he also led the deal that brought Karol G to Interscope Records and negotiated a strategic partnership between Universal Music Group/Geffen Records and K-pop giant HYBE.

• Palisa Kelley

  Head of business and legal affairs
  HarbourView Equity Partners

  Kelley has closed more than 60 music catalog acquisitions by HarbourView in recent months, encompassing over 30,000 songs from artists including Justin Bieber, Nicki Minaj, Pat Benatar, Fleetwood Mac’s Christine McVie, Wiz Khalifa, Nelly, Incubus, Florida Georgia Line, Sum 41, Brad Paisley, Lady A, Hollywood Undead, Dre & Vidal, SoundHouse and Luis Fonsi. “Traditionally, purchasers were looking at the classic pop and rock catalogs, because they met at that sweet spot at the intersection of historical performance, growth trends and return,” she says. “But, as time goes on, people are understanding that there are all types of music that can satisfy investment parameters because there are so many people who like different kinds of music.”

• Clara Kim

  Exec VP, chief legal & business affairs officer
  ASCAP

  As the person overseeing licensing deals for ASCAP, Kim easily pinpoint the chief reason that she thinks it’s superior to other performance rights orgs such as BMI. “We take 10% for operating expenses and pay the rest to you as royalties,” she says. “The others take a minimum of 15%.” In the past year, her team has closed deals with platforms including Apple TV+, Amazon, Hulu, Fox News, Roku and Peacock and inked agreements with new members Jack Antonoff, Kacey Musgraves, Jack White and Tyla as well as returning hitmakers such as Justin Bieber, Cardi B, Timbaland and Charli XCX, while also playing a key role in crafting ASCAP’s policies on AI.

• Christine Lepera

  Partner
  Mitchell Silberberg & Knupp

  Last month, as lead counsel on behalf of Universal Music, Lepera prevailed on a motion to dismiss a copyright infringement claim by a songwriter against the Drake and Kanye West collaboration “Glow.” She continues to represent Kobalt Music Publishing in a copyright infringement case involving Eminem’s publisher Eight Mile Style and Spotify, and Universal Music, Opus Music Group and the estate of Juice WRLD in another infringement allegation. Recent successes include defending Dua Lipa and Warner Music over the hit “Levitating,” and Tim “Timbaland” Mosley in a case where he, Jay-Z and Genuine were also accused of copyright infringement.

• Tim Mandelbaum

  Partner
  Fox Rothschild

  In recent months, Mandelbaum has handled the sale of Christine McVie’s Fleetwood Mac master royalties to HarbourView, the acquisition of DJ/producer Gesaffelstein’s catalog by Position Music and numerous other big music catalog transactions. Although most music legends have now been taken off the market, the deals continue to flow. “I’m in the middle of a deal on behalf of a buyer who is acquiring some rights in music that is only a year old,” he says. Other high-profile deals for the four-decade veteran include the re-signing of Raphael Saadiq to Universal Music Publishing and the negotiation of a distribution agreement between Fivio Foreign and the Orchard.

• Sarah Martin

  Global head of music business affairs
  WME

  Martin, who joined the agency in 2016, was elevated to her current title at the start of 2024, overseeing business affairs for five offices and 250 agents representing more than 2,500 music and comedy acts. The promotion recognized how well her Public Appearance team steered through tricky post-Brexit and post-COVID chapters amid continuing geo-political tensions. “By far the biggest feat of the team this year has been navigating the evolving landscape of the live touring business,” she says. “Our business team relies heavily on the BA team to support initiatives to make business flow efficiently between all parties involved in delivering great shows and entertainment for fans.”

• Donald S. Passman, J. Eugene “Gene” Salomon Jr., Ethan Schiffres

  Donald S. Passman
  Partner
  J. Eugene “Gene” Salomon Jr.
  Managing Partner
  Ethan Schiffres
  Partner
  Gang, Tyre, Ramer, Brown & Passman

  This Gang, Tyre trio has a client list packed with current chart-toppers (e.g., Taylor Swift) and music legends (Elton John, Paul Simon, Randy Newman, Neil Diamond). In the past year, they’ve crafted deals in connection with Green Day’s album “Saviors” and their 2024 tour, Billie Eilish’s album “Hit Me Hard and Soft,” Pink’s 2024 tour, Camila Cabello’s album “C,XOXO” and Adele’s Las Vegas and Munich residencies. Like everyone else in the biz, they are concerned about the abuses of AI, but Salomon stresses there are potential benefits, too. “Throughout history, any time there is new technology that’s introduced into any particular market, the first reaction is fear,” he says. “But this tool, like other tools before it, if handled in the right way, could also be quite beneficial to creators.”

• Tanya Perara

  Exec VP & chief counsel, music
  NBCUniversal

  On top of managing Universal’s catalog of 200,000 songs, Perara is forever tackling new challenges, like handling music oversight (including licensing) for all Olympic events and viral moments and negotiating deals for the movie tie-in “Twisters: The Album,” featuring 21 original country songs, each with multiple songwriters and/or performers, involving approximately 150 contracts. She also participated in negotiations with the musician’s union, addressing controversial issues like the guardrails for AI. “There is a lot of understandable concern in the musician community that these tools could be used to replace the use of live musicians,” she says, “yet there are also artists who want to experiment with what the technology can do to take their creativity to the next level.”

• Daniel Petrocelli, David Marroso, Leah Godesky, Terry Dugan

  Daniel Petrocelli
  Partner, trial practice chair and a vice chair of the firm
  David Marroso
  Partner, general litigation practice chair
  Leah Godesky
  Partner
  Terry Dugan
  Partner
  O’Melveny and Myers

  The always-busy O’Melveny crew represented FreemantleMedia and American Idol Prods. in a claim brought by the show’s former judge Paula Abdul, resolved copyright litigation regarding online music used by apparel brand Vuori, represented Walt Disney Co. to resolve copyright claims to the song “Some Things Never Change” in the animated film “Frozen 2” and defended Kesha in a defamation lawsuit brought by Lukasz “Dr. Luke” Gottwald. The firm is also emmeshed in current matters on behalf of rap star Travis Scott and for Eagle founding member Don Henley, along with matters of consequence for big-name clients it cannot currently disclose. “Undisclosed use of AI to copy music is a serious risk and problem that infringes the rights of artists and others and deceives consumers,” says partner Marroso. “However, with appropriate attribution, we should anticipate that AI will emerge as a new source of music to openly and lawfully compete with human-generated music for spins and plays.”

• L. Lee Phillips

  Senior partner
  Manatt Phelps

  Lee repped Tracy Chapman in her duet with country star Luke Combs at the 2024 Grammys. The duo performed Chapman’s “Fast Car,” which Combs had covered and made the 1988 song into another smash. Sales of her catalog jumped nearly 6,000% in the week after the show. Phillips also represented former “American Idol” judge Randy Jackson in various endorsement deals and has repped such artists as Barbra Streisand, Kenny Loggins, Brian Wilson and the Eagles, as well as for composers and record and publishing companies.

• Paul Robinson

  Exec VP & general counsel
  Warner Music Group

  Within the past 13 months, Robinson and his team handled details for the deal that saw WMG land a majority interest in Elliot Grainge’s 10K Projects, as well as the label group’s participation in YouTube’s Dream Track AI-generated voice experiment. He also provided legal counsel to Robert Kyncl when the WMG CEO prepped to testify in April on behalf of the No Fakes Act before the Senate Judiciary Committee’s Intellectual Property subcommittee. Focusing on the industry’s hot button, Robinson says, “It’s early days, but I believe that AI has great potential to benefit recording artists, songwriters, producers and sound engineers as a tool in the creative process.”

• Paul Rothenberg, Jeremy Mohr, Josh Binder

  Paul Rothenberg
  Partner
  Jeremy Mohr
  Partner
  Josh Binder
  Partner
  Rothenberg, Mohr & Binder

  Rothenberg, Mohr and Binder are proud to topline a young (6-year-old) firm with a roster of artists in their prime. “We’re kind of in a sweet spot of still being young enough to understand the music space and being old enough to know on a very personal level every CEO of every record, publishing and touring company and performance rights organization,” says Binder, who in recent months has closed deals for SZA, TDE’s Doechii and Lisa of K-pop sensations Blackpink. Rothenberg has negotiated more than $100 million in catalog sales for mostly non-legacy acts like Logic, Jon Bellion, Blackbear and Flatbush Zombies. “It’s not just the Bruce Springsteens and Bob Dylans anymore. Catalog sales have come to the masses,” says Rothenberg. “For younger artists, it’s like, ‘Let me cash in on what I’ve done and then I’ll build it up again,’” adds Mohr, who recently cut deals for hip-hop star Gunna (with Binder) and reunited boy band Big Time Rush.

• Julie Swidler

  Exec VP, business affairs and general counsel (global)
  Sony Music Entertainment

  Swidler advises the company’s labels and operating units on all legal agreements and situations, as well as public policy initiatives worldwide, including strategic partnership negotiations, artist contracts, litigation, transactions, global government affairs and joint venture operations. This year, her team continued the Artist Forward initiative that has guided Sony Music’s efforts, designed to build and maintain strong, collaborative relationships with music’s creators through greater transparency. On the AI front, her team works with global industry partners and trade associations to raise concerns from the copyright community and advance Sony’s overall efforts to build a sustainable generative AI landscape for the music business.