Nashville To Host Music Biz 2017 Entertainment and Technology Law Conference

Nashville will host Music Biz’s 2017 Entertainment and Technology Law Conference. The conference will take place at the Renaissance Nashville Hotel May 15-18 and will feature talks from experts in the music industry, as well as Rep. Marsha Blackburn.

Keynote speakers include Atlantic Records Group Chairman and COO Julie Greenwald, Spotify’s Global Head of Creator Services Troy Carter, and Creative Artists Agency (CAA) Music Agents Jeff Krones and Hunter Williams. Speakers will touch on topics such as record deals, the DMCA and copyright laws.

While there, attendees can see live music showcases, including the annual Industry Jam. Awards will be handed our during the conference, including the Harry Chapin Memorial Humanitarian Award, which will go to Paula Abdul.

Six continuing legal education credits have been applied for through the Tennessee Commission on Continuing Legal Education. Lawyers outside of Tennessee can apply for credits according to their state’s regulations and guidelines.

Here’s a breakdown of the schedule.

9 – 9:10 AM
Law Conference Opening Remarks

• Nicole Hennessey, VP of Communications, Music Business Association

9:10 – 10:40 AM
Weighing the Options: A Mock Negotiation Evaluating and Comparing Modern Record Deals
With so many different types of innovative deals emerging with respect to master rights, how do you know what’s the best option for you or your artist? This panel plays out the scenario of an artist considering two different offers for their latest EP: a net profit split / joint venture vs. a master rights administration / license agreement.

From the initial meeting between the artist’s manager and attorney to the artist’s attorney negotiating and evaluating the deal terms with each of the companies offering the deals, this presentation will give an in depth look into the pros and cons of different types of modern record deals and explore how these agreements have innovated and pivoted from traditional models. Learn what to look for in different types of agreements, understand what deal terms and business offerings matter most, and get a better sense of what modern record deals can look like.

• Adam Ritholz, Founding and Managing Partner, Ritholz Levy Sanders Chidekel & Fields LLP
• Jennifer Newman Sharpe, Principal Attorney, Law Offices of Jennifer Newman Sharpe PLLC
• Monika A. Tashman, Partner, Fox Rothschild LLP

10:50 – 11:50 AM
The DMCA, YouTube & You: Charting the Future of Music Online
YouTube recently announced that it has issued more than $1 billion in advertising payments to record labels and artists for the use of music over the past twelve months. At the same time, however, numerous industry observers continue to question whether YouTube is doing enough to compensate the rightsholders for the use of their content and to protect copyright holders from piracy. Just a few months ago, more than 200 recording artists and key industry figures, including Irving Azoff, Taylor Swift and U2, signed an open letter to Congress to decry the rampant exploitation of their work for profit by entities such as YouTube and to call for a re-examination of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), the 1998 law that governs infringement liability for internet service providers.

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. In the process, 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: John Tehranian, Founding Partner, One LLP
• Gregory Alan Barnes, General Counsel, ‎Digital Media Association (DiMA)
• Don Nottingham, Entertainment Attorney and Member of Straight No Chaser
• Additional panelist to be added

12 – 1 PM
Music Policies During the Trump Era
Considering that the positions of the Trump administration on copyright and royalty issues are largely unknown as he takes the highest office, 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 royalty courts, Fair Play Fair Pay, copyright act revisions, and more.

• Moderator: John Beiter, Partner, Leavens, Strand & Glover LLC
• Marsha Blackburn, U.S. Congressman, 7th District of Tennessee
• Jacqueline Charlesworth, Of Counsel, Covington & Burling LLP
• Dennis Lord, Exec. VP of Creative and Business Affairs, SESAC, Inc.
• Julia Massimino, VP of Global Public Policy, SoundExchange
• Additional panelist to be added

2 – 3:30 PM
Reclaim Your Copyright!
Reclaim Your Copyright: After 35 years, if you follow the rules, copyrights you’ve signed away can be returned to you or your family. This panel will simplify otherwise complex issues, as experts explain away uncertainty about the process. All sides will be explored, including how to deal with such requests when you receive one. Everyone involved with copyright needs to know how to handle terminations, recaptures, and reversions.

• Moderator: Jim Griffin, OneHouse
• Bart Herbison, Executive Director, Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI)
• Linda Howard, Partner, Adams and Reese, LLP
• Daniel Novick, Esquire, Savur Threadgold, LLP

3:40 – 4:40 PM
Developments in Copyright: The Year in Review
We will examine key court decisions and other related developments with respect to copyright law in 2016, with a particular focus on those which involve music.

• Moderator: Serona Elton, Assoc. Professor & Chair, Assoc. Professor & Chair, Music Media & Industry, University of Miami
• Joe Dimona, VP of Legal Affairs, BMI
• Gary Greenstein, Partner, Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati
• John Simson, Executive-in-Residence/Program Director, American University/Fox Rothschild