Music Biz Entertainment & Technology Law Conference Returns to NYC on September 19

U.S. Congressman Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) is featured speaker
Plus, first-ever NYC event from Nashville professional organization WHO KNEW

August 21, 2017 – The Music Business Association (Music Biz) is bringing its Entertainment & Technology Law Conference series back to New York City on Tuesday, September 19, from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. in the Metlife Building at the offices of Greenberg Traurig, LLP.  The program discussion will have ramifications for artists, managers, publishers, record labels, and other music professionals as well as lawyers. Legal attendees will have the opportunity to earn six continuing legal education (CLE) credits through the New York State Continuing Legal Education Board. Lawyers based outside of New York can apply for credits according to their state’s regulations and guidelines.

“The Entertainment & Technology Law Conference series has been going strong for seven years, and we’re thrilled to return to New York City after May’s best-attended installment ever at Music Biz 2017 in Nashville,” said Nicole Hennessey, VP of Communications at Music Biz. “We have a fantastic program lined up that everyone in the music and legal worlds are going to want to check out.”

The Law Conference will be headlined by U.S. Congressman Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), who introduced the “Fair Play Fair Pay Act” in 2015, which would establish a performance right for sound recordings on terrestrial radio. He will discuss the Trump administration’s potential perspective on copyright and royalty issues during the Music Policies in the New Administration panel, which will also feature moderator Peter Strand of Leavens Strand & Glover, LLC; Jacqueline Charlesworth of Covington & Burling, LLP; Todd Dupler of The Recording Academy/The GRAMMYs; Julia Massimino of SoundExchange; and Stuart Rosen of BMI.

Other panels will address hot-button issues such as copyright reclamation, estate planning for music copyrights, and navigating the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) with representatives from the Berklee College of Music, DaBet Music Services, David Rose Publishing, the Digital Media Association, the Estate of Alex North, the Estate of Lorin Maazel, Hazen LLC, Kendrick & Baron LLP, Music Creators North America, One LLP, OneHouse, Rutgers University, Savur Threadgold LLP, the Songwriters Association of Canada, Sony/ATV Music Publishing Nashville, and Straight No Chaser.

The Law Conference will be followed by Nashville professional organization WHO KNEW’s first-ever event in New York City at 6 p.m., which will be held at The Cutting Room on 44 E. 32nd St. Founded in 2015, WHO KNEW gathers expert speakers for a series of 10-minute presentations on topics such as technology, digital rights, gadgets, touring, publishing, song-writing, production, recording, artist management, and business management. The New York event will feature TED Talks-style presentations from top music business executives, including Stacie Seifrit Griffin of Lockn’ Festival & Infinity Downs Farm; Larry Miller of the NYU Steinhardt Department of Music & Performing Arts Professions; Andrew Rasiej, founder of Irving Plaza and Digital Club Network; Peter Shapiro of Dayglo Ventures; and Dick Wingate of DEV Advisors. Attendees will be admitted free with their Law Conference badge, but RSVPs are required to tom@musicrowsearch.com.

Law Conference registration is available now at rates of $329 for Music Biz members and $399 for non-members. A special discounted rate of $149 is also available for students who register with a .edu email address. To sign up, click here.

The full agenda for the Entertainment & Technology Law Conference can be found below or by clicking here.

9:30 – 9:40 AM
Opening & Welcome

9:40 – 11:10 AM
Reclaim Your Copyright
Organized by MusicRowSearch

After 35 years, if you follow the rules, copyrights you’ve signed away can be returned to you or your family. Everyone involved with copyright needs to know how to handle terminations, recaptures, and reversions. Watch experts absorb uncertainty about the process and show you how to simplify otherwise complex issues. All sides will be explored, including how to deal with such requests when you receive one.

• Moderator: Jim Griffin, Managing Director, Hazen, LLC/OneHouse
• Duff Berschbeck, Sr. VP of Legal Affairs and Business Development, Sony/ATV Music Publishing Nashville
• George Howard, Associate Professor of Management, Berklee College of Music
• Lisa Alter, Partner, Alter, Kendrick & Baron LLP
• Daniel Novick, Attorney, Savur Threadgold, LLP
• Eddie Schwartz, Co-Chair/President Emeritus, Music Creators North America/Songwriters Association of Canada

11:20 AM – 12:50 PM
Music Policies in the New Administration
Organized by Leavens Strand & Glover, LLC

Considering that the positions of the Trump administration on copyright and royalty issues are still largely unknown several months into his presidency, this discussion between PROs, politicians, and industry professionals will shed some light on what the industry might look for from them moving forward. The panel would address the possible Trump perspective on hot button issues such as the status of the PRO consent decrees, streaming royalty rates and the rate courts, Fair Play Fair Pay, Copyright Act revisions, and more.

• Moderator: Peter Strand, Partner, Leavens Strand & Glover, LLC
• Jacqueline Charlesworth, Of Counsel, Covington & Burling, LLP
• Todd Dupler, Sr. Director of Advocacy & Public Policy, The Recording Academy/The GRAMMYs
• Julia Massimino, VP of Global Public Policy, SoundExchange
• Congressman Jerrold Nadler, 10th District of New York (D)
• Stuart Rosen, Sr. VP and General Counsel, BMI

1 – 2:15 PM
Break

2:20 – 3:50 PM
Hey, Hey, My, My, Rock N Roll May Never Die – but the Musicians Who Make It Will

This panel will discuss the estates of musicians, living and dead, and the need to pay attention to the special issues surrounding them. Copyrights, for example, have limitations in wills. Estates have unique needs – should they have a collective voice? We’ll hear from expert attorneys, estate administrators, and family members with extensive audience participation encouraged.

• Moderator: Jim Griffin, Managing Director, Hazen, LLC/OneHouse
• Dietlinde Tuban Maazel, The Estate of Lorin Maazel, renowned global actress and professor, Rutgers University
• Angela Rose White, an attorney and founder of David Rose Publishing and DaBet Music Services
• Abby North, Musician and administrator of the Estate of Alex North

4 – 5:30 PM

The DMCA, YouTube & You: Charting the Future of Music Online

This panel will examine the history of the DMCA; the operation of its safe-harbor, takedown, and liability regime; and the critiques of its operation from the point of view of content creators, owners, users, and internet service providers. The panel seeks to provide direction on navigating the DMCA’s murky waters, an understanding of various problems with the current law, and an overview of the debate surrounding its reform. The panel will be of particular interest to artists and entities whose works are distributed and infringed upon online and will also provide guidance on digital rights management issues and best practices for developers and operators of online entities making use of “user-generated content.”

• Moderator: Peter Afrasiabi, Founding Partner, One LLP
• Greg Barnes, General Counsel, Digital Media Association
• Don Nottingham, Singer, Songwriter, Arranger, Producer and Attorney, Straight No Chaser

6 PM
WHO KNEW

Location: The Cutting Room, 44 E. 32nd St. between Park Ave. and Madison Ave.

The day’s closing event — WHO KNEW — will be held at The Cutting Room, walking distance from the law conference. While all conference attendees are admitted for free by showing their conference badge, RSVP is required. Please RSVP by emailing tom@musicrowsearch.com. Doors open at 6 p.m. for cocktails, followed by the program at 6:45 p.m. sharp.

WHO KNEW will host its first-ever event in NYC as the closing ceremonies for the Music Biz Entertainment & Technology Law Conference. Like all WHO KNEW events, the program will include an impressive slate of highly accomplished music industry execs sharing their wisdom and stories in an intimate “TED Talk” style presentation. WHO KNEW is pleased to announce the currently confirmed speakers below:

• Stacie Seifrit Griffin, Marketing, Media & Tourism, Lockn’ Festival & Infinity Downs Farm
• Larry Miller, Director, NYU Steinhardt Department of Music & Performing Arts Professions
• Andrew Rasiej, Founder, Irving Plaza and Digital Club Network
• Peter Shapiro, Founder, Dayglo Ventures
• Dick Wingate, Principal, DEV Advisors

About the Music Business Association

The Music Business Association (Music Biz) is a membership organization that advances and promotes music commerce — a community committed to the full spectrum of monetization models in the industry. It provides common ground by offering thought leadership, resources and unparalleled networking opportunities, all geared to the specific needs of its membership. Music Biz brings a unique perspective and valuable insight into the trends and changes that innovation brings. Today, we put our collective experience to work across all delivery models: physical, digital, mobile, and more. Music Biz and its members are committed to building the future of music commerce — together.

Music Biz Media Contact

Laurie Jakobsen, Jaybird Communications — laurie@jaybirdcom.com, 646.484.6764