Here’s the tentative schedule for Artist Rights Symposium II: Artist Rights in the Time of the Virus! We will be doing the panels virtually and weekly. At present, we are planning on the four panels that are listed below but may extend to other topics beyond this core group. UGA students will be able to access as part of their academic materials. We will be updating this on the fly.
We would like to live stream to the public, but that may be a bit ambitious at this point. We will be posting Zoom recordings of each panel on this blog and through other channels like The Trichordist and Artist Rights Watch, so it will be pretty nearly live. (If you’re interested in getting an invitation, we may be able to accommodate a limited number, so leave a comment with your contact as those invitations will be limited.)
Like last time, the panels are part of class materials at the University of Georgia Music Business Program at Terry College of Business
Here’s the line up for April:
April 2: “Kafka Meets the Accountants: Metadata, Licensing and Money”
(MBUS 4300 Music Publishing, MBUS 3000 Business Fundamentals Music Industry)
The panel will discuss the connection between accurate metadata, licensing (especially collective licensing) and royalty payments.
Panelists are:
Moderator: Dr. David C. Lowery, University of Georgia, Athens
David Lowery is the founder of the bands Cracker and Camper Van Beethoven. He is a Lecturer in the Music Business Certificate Program at the Terry College of Business, University of Georgia at Athens. He is the founder and the editor of the Trichordist, a leading artist rights blog and is a frequently lecturer on artist rights issues and copyright. He has testified before the U.S. House of Representatives, Subcommittee on the Courts, Intellectual Property and the Internet.
Keith Bernstein of Crunch Digital and Royalty Review Council, Los Angeles
Keith Bernstein is responsible for extending Crunch’s partnerships and spearheading growth in international business segments, including music, film & television, publishing and games. Keith is known in the entertainment industry for his acute financial prowess and knowledge of the complexities of music copyrights, royalty accounting, reporting requirements, label operations, and digital service operations. With over 25 years of experience, he has a unique blend of music industry and business development experience, and is recognized for his strategic insight and personal integrity.
Chris Castle, Christian L. Castle Attorneys and editor of MusicTechPolicy and MusicTechSolutions, Austin, Texas
Chris Castle is founder of Christian L. Castle, Attorneys in Austin, Texas and is admitted in Texas and California. He divides his practice between music industry clients, music tech startups and public policy matters relating to copyright and artist rights. Before founding the firm in Los Angeles and San Francisco, Chris was Of Counsel to Wilson Sonsini in Palo Alto, General Counsel at SNOCAP in San Francisco, Senior Vice President Business Affairs at Sony Music in New York, and Vice President Business & Legal Affairs at A&M Records in Hollywood. He moved the firm to Austin in 2011.
He has testified at the UK Parliament, spoken at Congressional seminars and lectured at universities and law schools in the US and Canada including American University, Osgoode Hall, UCLA, USC and the University of Texas. Chris is a frequent speaker at professional events such as the National Association of Attorneys General, SXSW, the Texas Entertainment Law Institute and the New York State Bar Association Music Business and Law Conference. Chris graduated from UCLA with MBA, JD and BA degrees. Chris received the 2016 Texas Star Award from the State Bar of Texas.
Michelle Lewis of Songwriters of North America, Los Angeles
Ali Lieberman of SoundExchange, Washington, DC
Ali Lieberman is Director of Business Process and Product Management at SoundExchange. In this role, she serves as the product manager of Music Data Exchange (MDX), which is used by all major record labels and music publishers to exchange sound recording and musical work data. She has helped lead the organization through a major platform transition and is currently working on executing new royalty and data solutions for sound recordings and music publishing. Prior to joining SoundExchange in 2011, Ali managed the US ISRC Agency within the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Ali is an MBA graduate of the Georgetown McDonough School of Business and has over 10 years of experience in the music industry.
Helienne Lindvall of the Ivors Academy, London, England
Helienne Lindvall is an award-winning professional songwriter, musician and columnist. She is Chair of the Songwriter Committee & Board Director, Ivors Academy of Music Creators (formerly British Academy of Songwriters, Composers & Authors BASCA) and Chairs the esteemed Ivor Novello Awards. She also writes the Guardian music industry columns Behind the Music and Plugged In and has contributed to a variety of publications and broadcasts discussing songwriters’ rights, copyright and other music industry issues.
Panel Video
Suggested Reading
David Lowery, Simplify Registration and Costs for the MLC
Chris Castle, MLC Metadata Showdown: What’s in a Name? Your money.
Abby North, Ex Parte Letter to Copyright Office On MLC Metadata Format
Charles Sanders, Comments of Songwriters Guild of America on Proposed MMA Rulemaking
April 9th That Thing You Do, a Fair Use Update: YouTube, Google v Oracle,
The so-called National Emergency Library and more.
(MBUS 4300)
The panel will discuss the importance of fair use and the need to strike a balance in the rights of creators and users.
Panelists are:
Leslie Burns
Visual artist advocate and litigator. Leslie grew up in a house full of creatives and has worked in the creative industries since the 90s. She was a studio manager, photographers’ rep, and producer before becoming a marketing consultant to photographers. She’s lectured across the USA and even written a couple of books on the business of being a commercial photographer.
Colleen Doran
Colleen Doran is a New York Times bestselling cartoonist. Her published works number in the hundreds with clients such as The Walt Disney Company, Marvel Entertainment, DC Comics, Image Comics, Lucasfilm, Dark Horse Comics, Harper Collins, Houghton Mifflin, Sony, and Scholastic. Her credits include Amazing Spiderman, Guardians of the Galaxy, Sandman, Captain America, Wonder Woman, The Legion of Superheroes, The Teen Titans, Walt Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, Anne Rice’s The Master of Rampling Gate, Clive Barker’s Hellraiser, Clive Barker’s Nightbreed, A Distant Soil, The Silver Surfer, Lucifer, and many others.
Ellen Seidler is co-founder of Fast Girl Films. She also blogs at http://www.voxindindie.org exploring issues that impact indie artists including piracy, online copyright, and content creation. She also works as an anti-piracy consultant, assisting independent film distributors with IP protection, DMCA takedown, and Content ID management and monetization. Seidler is a member of the Advisory Board for the Digital Citizens Alliance and given presentations on piracy and copyright issues at Canadian Music Week, Stanford, UC Davis Law schools and George Mason’s (CPIP) Center for the Protection of Intellectual Property. In 2011 she was a speaker at Canadian Music Week’s Global Forum and her ongoing anti-piracy efforts have been covered by a variety of news outlets including NPR, Fortune Magazine, and Backstage.
Ken Doroshow is Chief Legal Officer, Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Doroshow is responsible for all of the RIAA’s legal affairs, including litigation, intellectual property enforcement, and regulatory matters on behalf of the RIAA and its member companies. Doroshow is an experienced litigator and counselor with an extensive background in the major entertainment sectors. Before joining the RIAA as its Chief Legal Officer, Doroshow was a partner in the law firm of Jenner & Block LLP, where he represented a broad range of media and entertainment clients, including the RIAA and its members, with a particular focus on content protection, intellectual property enforcement, and the First Amendment.
Terry Hart (Moderator)
Terry is currently an assistant general counsel at the U.S. Copyright Office. He was previously VP of legal policy and copyright counsel at the Copyright Alliance. Terry Hart also writes Copyhype, a blog he started in 2010 devoted to the analysis of copyright law, policy, and history. In 2011, the site was named by the ABA Journal as one of the top 100 law blogs in the U.S. and has been cited in legal publications and online news outlets. This blog is written in his personal capacity, and no views expressed on it should be attributed to any current or past employers. He earned his J.D. from Chicago-Kent College of Law with a certificate in Intellectual Property and is admitted to the Pennsylvania Bar.
Panel Video
Suggested Reading:
Brewster Kahle v. Gonzales (9th Circuit opinion)
Pierre N. Level, Toward a Fair Use Standard
Twelve Questions For Boston Public Library President
GoldieBlox Fair Use and the Beastie Boys
Bogus Fair Use Claims Hurt Creators.
Copyright Office Fair Use Index
April 16th Music in the Time of the Virus: Agents, Performers, Promoters, Venues and SBA Perspective.
This is pretty straightforward. The Live Music Business is shut down. It is an unparalleled economic disaster for most performers and venues. Our team of experts will give their perspectives on what happened; how they are adapting; what help is available; and what the future holds. Some advanced topics we are likely to touch upon will be the Small Business Administration loans and aid, ticket refunds, force majeure contracts and event cancellation insurance.
Panelists
(Madison-House Agency): Jerry is an agent at Madison House Agency. Jerry has a wide range of music business experiences and has been an agent since 1997. Previously he worked at Paradigm Agency, Monterey International and Pollstar.
(Cracker/Camper Van Beethoven). David has 37 years of experience in the music business as the lead singer/songwriter of Camper Van Beethoven and Cracker. He is a Senior Lecturer at the University of Georgia Terry College of Business Music Business Certificate Program. He is also co-author of Music Publishing: The Complete Guide 2nd Edition (Alfred Music 2019).
Julie Watson is the Executive Producer of Live from Cain’s, a syndicated public radio program broadcast from the historic Cain’s Ballroom in Tulsa OK.
Mike Jones is a concert promoter, artist manager, middle agent and festival organizer. He is co-owner of More Music Group in Virginia Beach. He claims to be 59. This means he was 11 when he started playing in bands and was a partner at the legendary Cellar Door Concerts in his mid-twenties (Cellar Door is one of the companies that evolved into what is now Live Nation). He’s probably booked a show for pretty much any band you can name. Normally quiet and reserved he’s finally agreed to speak publicly about the live music business.
Chris Castle is the founder of Christian L. Castle, Attorneys in Austin, Texas and is admitted in Texas and California. He divides his practice between music industry clients, music tech startups and public policy matters relating to copyright and artist rights. Before founding the firm in Los Angeles and San Francisco, Chris was Of Counsel to Wilson Sonsini in Palo Alto, General Counsel at SNOCAP in San Francisco, Senior Vice President Business Affairs at Sony Music in New York, and Vice President Business & Legal Affairs at A&M Records in Hollywood.
Video
Suggested Reading:
Pandemic: Force Majeure Contracts and Insurance in the Music Business
Pandemic: Should Government Ordered Shut Downs Be Government Backed “Business Interruptions”?
April 23rd Recorded Music in the Time of the Virus: Record Labels, Recording Studios, Artists, Producers and Streaming Service Perspective
(All Classes)
Recorded Music Industry experts discuss how COVID-19 Pandemic is changing the recorded music business. Is there a silver lining in this cloud? Like everything in the music business, there is not a simple and straightforward answer.
Bass Player, Producer, Engineer, Chase Park Transduction Recording Studio, and Director of the Terry College Music Business Certificate Program
Famed first wave punk rock photographer and attorney, Theresa Kereakes has a long and storied music business career that has taken her from punk dives to highest levels of the music industry.
Josh is Senior VP for Strategic Data Analysis at the Recording Industry Association of America. Nobody knows the data on recorded music better than Josh.
In 1986 Martin Goldschmidt started an indie label called Cooking Vinyl because he liked a band that couldn’t get a record deal. 34 year’s later it’s one of the biggest indie labels in the world.
Moderator: Chris Castle, Christian L. Castle Attorneys and editor of MusicTechPolicy and MusicTechSolutions, Austin, Texas
Chris Castle is founder of Christian L. Castle, Attorneys in Austin, Texas and is admitted in Texas and California. He divides his practice between music industry clients, music tech startups and public policy matters relating to copyright and artist rights. Before founding the firm in Los Angeles and San Francisco, Chris was Of Counsel to Wilson Sonsini in Palo Alto, General Counsel at SNOCAP in San Francisco, Senior Vice President Business Affairs at Sony Music in New York, and Vice President Business & Legal Affairs at A&M Records in Hollywood. He moved the firm to Austin in 2011.
Video
A power outage caused the video to stop for approximately 8 minutes. We’ve posted it in two parts.
Part I
Part II
Artists' Rights Symposium 
The videos are excellent–would like to attend the 4/23 session if possible– Howie Singer (currently Adjunct Professor, NYU Music Business Program, Technology Consultant to UMG Strategy group and other start-ups)
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