Moderator Abby North and panelists John Riley, Damien Riehl, and Crispin Hunt discussed the challenges and opportunities of generative AI technology and provided an overview of the latest developments in the field.
Speakers
• Damien Riehl
Damien Riehl is a lawyer, musician, and technologist with experience in complex litigation, digital forensics, and software development. A coder since 1985 and for the web since 1995, Damien helps lead the design, development, and expansion of Fastcase’s data-science efforts, integrating AI-backed technologies to improve legal workflows and to power legal data analytics. In 2019, Damien gave a TEDx Talk about his All the Music project, which to date has computationally composed over 400,000,000,000 (400B) melodies, has written them to disc (fixed in a tangible medium), and has given the public access through Creative Commons Zero (CC0), which provides rights similar to rights to works in the Public Domain. Damien’s project has contributed to discussions between lawyers, musicians, and industry professionals regarding (1) copyrightability of machine-created works and (2) copyrightability of melodies alone.
• Crispin Hunt
Crispin Hunt is a multi-platinum selling songwriter and record producer. He has written or worked with or for Florence and The Machine, Lana Del Ray, Ellie Goulding, Jake Bugg, Maverick Sabre, Newton Faulkner, Natalie Imbruglia, Bat For Lashes, Razorlight, Estelle, Rod Stewart and many others. He is a global advocate for Creator Rights and is a Director of PRS , former Chair and current board director of The Ivor’s Academy, former PPL Director and FAC CEO. He was lead singer of the 90’s Britpop band Longpigs and worked in the UK House Of Commons as a Parliamentary Researcher and Campaign Coordinator.
• John Riley
John Riley is an Assistant General Counsel at the U.S. Copyright Office where he has contributed to the U.S. Government’s Supreme Court briefs in the Aereo and Petrella cases, district court briefs including in Thaler v. Perlmutter, the Office’s policy reports including Copyright Small Claims, Copyright and the Music Marketplace, and Unclaimed Royalties: Best Practice Recommendations for the Mechanical Licensing Collective, and, among other regulatory work, rules implementing the Music Modernization Act, Copyright Alternative in Small-Claims Enforcement (“CASE”) Act of 2020, and the Group Registration for Works on an Album of Music (“GRAM”) registration option. He also frequently advises Congress on copyright law. Prior to joining the Copyright Office, John worked as the Senior Manager of Intellectual Property Enforcement at the United States Chamber of Commerce’s Global Intellectual Property Center. John earned his LL.M. in Intellectual Property Law from the George Washington University Law School and his JD from the Dickinson School of Law. He holds BA degrees in Political Science, English, and Communication Arts & Sciences from Penn State University. He has been recognized by the American Intellectual Property Law Association for his distinguished service and contributions in the field of intellectual property law.
Moderator
• Abby North
April 20, 2023 LA – AI and Copyright: Navigating the Intersections of Creativity, Technology, and Copyright
The foreign country marketplace represents billions of dollars in publisher and songwriter royalties. The “rules of the game’ though outside the U.S. are very different in many ways from the practices, laws and policies that govern our domestic dealings. Many issues and policies surfacing abroad can have a significant effect on U.S. publisher, songwriter and composer revenue let alone the way we do business. This panel of foreign country experts will discuss some of these important issues as well as their effects on the global marketplace. Areas covered include the EU Directive (Article 17), Pan European licensing, the effect Covid has had on collection societies, the fair and appropriate manner of distributing streaming royalties, the handling of translations and the role of sub publishers, among other items.
Speakers:
• Peter Jansson – Early on, the position of Professional Manager was offered by Festival Music, Australia’s largest independent music publisher. Dealing with both local and international songwriters, Peter soon developed a rapport with many successful songwriters and artists. EMI Music Publishing offered the position of Creative Director in 1984 which gave Peter the chance to work with the largest catalogue of songs in the world. As one of the original participants in the EMI Executive Exchange Program, Peter was given the chance to experience many of the major world music markets first hand by working in numerous EMI offices such as Tokyo, Hamburg, Paris, London, New York, Nashville and Los Angeles. In 1989, PolyGram Music offered a joint venture deal for Peter to set up his own music publishing company, and Janssongs, Inc. was born. First headquartered in Sydney, Peter moved the operation to Los Angeles in 1996. Janssongs’ writer roster included an impressive who’s who of Pop/R&B/Country writers including several Grammy nominated writers and producers. The company also music supervised many feature films during the course of its operations which enabled the company to draw from its talented pool of writers and composers and ensured activity for their individual catalogues. Janssongs, Inc. was acquired by a New York investment group in October, 2004. As a Music Industry executive, Peter has represented Paul McCartney, Queen, David Bowie, Kate Bush, A-ha, Foreigner, Cheap Trick, Elton John, Neil Diamond, Roy Orbison, Divinyls, Roxette, Europe, Gilbert O’Sullivan, The Motels, Leo Sayer, Dexys Midnight Runners, Stevie Wonder, George Harrison, Blondie, Laura Branigan, Don McLean, Grace Jones, Juice Newton, Gerry Harrison (Talking Heads), The Wiggles, Little River Band and Ronnie Milsap amongst countless others. In 2004, Peter was a signatory to a Joint Venture agreement with the Chinese Government and was given the historic opportunity of creating the very first “legitimate” music operation in mainland China, representing 65,000 CD masters and 1,757,000 copyrights and developing the infrastructure to China’s emerging national music industry. Peter joined the Disney Music Group in 2016 as Senior Manager, International for Disney Music Publishing and was tasked with protecting and enforcing the global rights and collecting all revenue types for the iconic Disney Music Publishing catalogue globally, ex-USA. Day-to-day responsibilities include overseeing and managing the relationships with all our global partners, including resolving any and all issues at all 187 CMOs globally as well as DSP disputes. Black Box reports reviewed frequently; suspense and control accounts matched against our catalogue claims; YouTube Disputes and Appeals claim resolution on a daily basis; and international monitoring of Societies’ distributions and income tracking of missing royalties. Peter is a regular guest at music conferences throughout the world, bringing his years of knowledge and experience to many Music Industry panels.
• Based in London, Howard Price has spent his professional career of over 20 years at EMI Music Publishing, and further to the acquisition of EMI Music Publishing, at Sony Music Publishing. Howard’s focus over this time has been to bring in and manage partnerships with production companies, broadcasters and studios, in the UK, US and other parts world. In addition to the music publishing administration, Howard has been responsible for realising wider opportunities with such clients, for example, through master rights representation and Production Music library relationships and ventures. Howard is a lecturer at the Royal College of Music Composition for Screen course, and guest lectures for various other educational bodies and establishments.
• Cécile Rap-Veber has been appointed Executive Director Development, International and Operations, SACEM, since June 2021. She is in charge of negotiations and collections relating for media usage, phonographic and videographic media, digital exploitation, private copying levies, international collections and global development of SACEM. She is responsible for the SACEM repertoire and the distribution of royalties collected for the use of works from the repertoire of SACEM in France and abroad. Since 2019, Cécile has headed the Licensing, International and Operations Division. A former lawyer at the Paris Court of Appeal, she joined Universal Music France in 2000, where she was Legal & Business Affairs Director and then Universal Music Consulting & Content (UMCC) Director until 2013. Cécile is General Secretary of the Society for the Administration of Mechanical Reproduction Rights (SDRM). She sits on the Board of Directors of Copie France. She is also on the Board of Directors of the International Bureau of Societies Managing Registration and Mechanical Reproduction Rights (BIEM). Cécile holds a Master’s degree in Contract Law and Private International Law and a Certificate of Proficiency in Law (CAPA) from the Paris Bar.
• Alex Taggart is the Head of International for emerging markets music industry services company and rights management business Outdustry. Based in Los Angeles, Taggart works with the company’s rapidly growing roster of artists, songwriters, producers, labels and publishers to explore opportunities in emerging markets. He is widely recognized as an authority in the Chinese music rights landscape, and is regularly quoted in publications including the Wall Street Journal, Billboard and Quartz.
Moderator:
• Todd Brabec, Esq., Co-author “Music, Money and Success”/former ASCAP EVP/Adjunct Professor USC & LA Board Member
Please join us for an engaging conversation with all of the current Chapter Presidents of the AIMP who will discuss the critical issues confronting Independent Music Publishers, as well as the future plans and growth of the AIMP!
Speakers:
• Teri Nelson Carpenter is the President & CEO of Reel Muzik Werks, LLC, which is an innovative full-service independent music publisher specializing in music for Film & TV and international rights management. RMW provides Global Writer/Publisher Administration, Licensing & Clearance and Music Supervision for all Media. Before founding RMW, Ms. Carpenter was the executive in charge of network television music at Fox Family Worldwide/Saban Entertainment, where she was responsible for overseeing their global music business. Prior to that, Ms. Carpenter served as a Music Administration & Production Executive at MGM and was formerly the Director of Music at Academy Award Winning Indie Company, Hemdale Film Corp. Ms. Carpenter began her career at BMI in Film/TV relations. Ms. Carpenter is a recent two-term President of the California Copyright Conference and Finance Chair of the Board of Directors of the Copyright Alliance in Washington D.C. Currently, Ms. Carpenter serves as a member of the Independent Publishers Advisory Counsel for the NMPA. She is also the Los Angeles Chapter President and former National Chair of the AIMP and serves on the Executive Board of the IMPF. Ms. Carpenter is a member of the Joint Project Lead at CISAC and an active member of the Society Publisher Forum, where she lends her experience in many groups including the A/V working groups along with serving on the Steering Committee & Working Group for CIS-Net, a FastTrack/CISAC global music database project. Ms. Carpenter is a proud member of Leadership Music Class of 2022.
• John Ozier
As EVP, Creative at Reservoir, John Ozier oversees the company’s Nashville operations, including signing and developing new talent. He joined Reservoir in April 2019 and has already closed over nine figures in catalog acquisition deals that include over 150 #1 titles. Ozier has built the Reservoir Nashville roster to 20 active writers and has closed other deals including “Butter” by BTS, which sat atop Billboard’s HOT 100 chart for 10 weeks; as well as deals with ALABAMA, Travis Tritt, Buddy Cannon, Roger Murrah, Sugar Ray and more. Ozier is serving his eighth year as President of the Nashville Chapter of the Association of Independent Music Publishers (AIMP) and is also National Chair of the entire organization. He is also a hit songwriter with 2 #1 songs in the country genre, amongst others. He is a member of the Regions Bank Middle TN Advisory Board and a member of the Oasis Center Board of Directors.
• Michael Lau is the current President of the AIMP New York. A publishing and industry consultant as well as owner an independent music publishing company, Michael leans on his diverse experiences as a Music Supervisor, Composer, Publisher and Music Technologist. He also currently serves on several advisory boards within the music technology space and on the Operations Advisory Committee of the MLC. Most recently, Michael worked with Songtradr to build its music publishing and rights management strategy. Michael was one of the original founders and COO of Round Hill where he focused on keeping the company forefront of technology, data, and creating/maintaining efficient and effective processes. Prior to Round Hill, Michael served in various capacities at Warner/Chappell Music. As Director of Strategic Marketing he revitalized and built the NY Ad and Video Game business. Later, the company leveraged his technical and marketing skills by creating a role where he served as Senior Director, Creative Information Technology and Marketing Development. The company licensed a creative pitching and quoting system that he originally developed to manage the music operations of two Winter Olympic broadcasts for CBS. Michael has also served as creative consultant to a few estates, including Ray Charles Entertainment and Four Jays Music/Harry Warren. Prior to music publishing, Michael was a music supervisor, music producer and editor for the entire run of Courage the Cowardly Dog, and a number of interactive, web-based series for Warner Bros Animation, among many other productions. Michael is a graduate of Berklee College of Music.
• Tony D. Alexander is co-founder, President & Managing Director of Made in Memphis Entertainment LLC (MIME), a Black-owned full-service entertainment group comprising MIME Publishing, an independent music publishing company that handles the copyrights of some of the most sought-after young producers in hip-hop and R&B; Heavy Hitters Music, a film, TV, and ad sync company with an all-female creative team and Emmy-winning music catalog; Beatroot Music, a leading independent music distributor, as well as its subsidiary Beatroot Africa; and 4U Recording, a state-of-the-art recording studio brand with locations in Memphis and Atlanta. MIME is dedicated to developing and empowering diverse talent on both the creative and business sides of the industry. Mr. Alexander serves on the Boards of MusicBiz, A2IM, and Chairs the AIMP Atlanta Chapter Steering Committee. He has been featured in publications such as Billboard, Wired, Music Ally, Music Week, Pitchfork, and Memphis Business Journal. He has also been selected as a Billboard Indie Power Player (2021), Worth Magazine Worthy 100 (2022), and Memphis Magazine Power Player (2020-22) among other honors. Mr. Alexander is also a member of the Leadership Music Class of 2023. Mr. Alexander is a magna cum laude graduate of Morehouse College and holds both Master of Science and Juris Doctor degrees from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Moderator:
• Michael Eames, PEN Music Group & former AIMP LA President
In this panel we’ll look at the latest on some high profiles copyright infringement cases including Ed Sheeran’s “Shape Of You,” Katy Perry’s “Dark Horse” and Dua Lipa’s “Levitating.” We’ll talk about where this rash of infringement cases has come from. We’ll also discuss the new CASE Act, which is basically a small claims court for copyright infringement and what it means to you. And we’ll tie all this in to issues of social justice; past, present and, hopefully, with some solutions for the future.
Speakers:
• Heather A. Antoine, Esq. is a Partner and Chair of the Firm’s Trademark & Brand Protection practice and Co-Chair of the Privacy & Data Security practice group. Heather’s practice is focused on protecting a company’s intellectual property; a fundamental feature of every business. Her practice includes trademark clearance and selection, domestic and foreign trademark prosecution, enforcement, proceedings before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB), licensing, trade secret protection, copyright, rights of publicity, domain names disputes, and counseling on brand and IP strategy. Heather believes in supporting companies at each stage – from due diligence when choosing a name, to ongoing brand management, to ensuring portfolios are safeguarded and ready for sale. Heather is also focused on guiding businesses through the ever-expanding patchwork of privacy laws, both domestically and internationally. This includes drafting privacy policies, and guidance on how to comply with specific privacy regimes, such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the Children’s Online Privacy and Protection Act (COPPA), and the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), and California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA). Heather works with companies to design and strengthen their privacy and data security policies and practices, to help them prevent data security breaches, and to minimize the risk of a data breach. Heather serves as Chair of the California Lawyers Association Intellectual Property Section. Heather frequently speaks and writes about IP, Internet, tech, and privacy issues. She has been quoted in publications such as the Los Angeles Times and CNBC. Heather has been recognized by her peers for excellence in her practice, having been selected by Thomson Reuters as Southern California “Super Lawyer®” and “Rising Star®.”
• Judith Finell is a musicologist and the president of Judith Finell MusicServices Inc., a music consulting firm in New York and Los Angeles, founded 25 years ago in New York. Since then, she has served as consultant and expert witness involving music copyright infringement, advised on artist career and project development, and a wide variety of music industry topics. Recently, Ms. Finell was honored to be the 2018 commencement speaker at UCLA’s Herb Albert School of Music. She was also interviewed by NBC/Universal for a 2018 documentary entitled “The Universality of Music,” in which she discussed the ways in which she sees music as being an international language that can bridge cultural barriers that spoken language does not. Judith was the testifying expert for the Marvin Gaye family in the milestone “Blurred Lines” case in Federal Court. She has testified in many other notable copyright infringement trials over the past 20 years. She and her team of musicologists regularly advise HBO, Lionsgate, Grey Advertising, CBS, Warner, Disney, and Sony Pictures on musical works for their commercials, films, and television series. Ms. Finell also frequently advises attorneys, advertising agencies, entertainment and recording companies, publishing firms, and musicians, addressing copyright issues, including those arising from digital sampling, electronic technology and Internet musical usage. Judith was invited to teach the first course in the country on forensic musicology at UCLA in 2018. She holds an M.A. degree in musicology from the University of California at Berkeley and a B.A. from UCLA in piano performance. She has written numerous articles and a book in the area of contemporary music and copyright infringement and has appeared in trials on Court TV and before the American Intellectual Property Law Association. She is a trustee of the Copyright Society of the U.S.A., and has appeared as a guest lecturer at the law schools of Harvard University, UCLA, Stanford, Columbia, Vanderbilt, George Washington, NYU, and Fordham, as well as the Beverly Hills Bar Assn., LA Copyright Society, and the Association of Independent Music Publishers. She is co-founder and editor of Your Inside Track, a music copyright newsletter.
• Kevin J. Greene joined Southwestern’s faculty in 2020. Professor Greene is a nationally recognized entertainment and intellectual property law scholar and an expert witness consultant for copyright, trademark, publicity rights, and entertainment contract disputes. He is a highly committed, outstanding teacher as well as a passionate leader and an IP law influencer. He teaches Contracts and Copyright Law. Professor Greene was most recently a tenured Professor of Law at Thomas Jefferson School of Law in San Diego. He has also been a visiting professor at the University of San Diego School of Law. In addition to Contracts and Copyright, he has also taught IP, Entertainment Law, Music Law, Publicity Rights, International Entertainment Law, and IP in the Cannabis Industry.
Moderator:
• Eric Polin, Sr. VP, Music Publishing, Universal Pictures & LA Chapter Board Member
We hope you will join us for a very special luncheon featuring “Legal Luminary” Jay Cooper, Esq. who will be interviewed by his son and music industry attorney, Todd Cooper, Esq. Speakers:
• Jay L. Cooper, Esq. is the founder of the Los Angeles Entertainment Practice and focuses his practice on music industry, motion picture, television, Internet, multimedia, and intellectual property issues. He represents individuals and companies on intellectual property matters and contract negotiations, including recording and publishing agreements for individual artists and composers; actor, director, producer, and writer agreements in film and television; executive employment agreements; complex acquisitions and sales of entertainment catalogs; production agreements on behalf of music, television, and motion picture companies, and all entertainment issues relative to the Internet and digital services. Among his Clients are Grammy, Oscar, Tony and Emmy Award recipients.
• Todd Cooper, Esq. is Of Counsel with Greenberg Traurig’s Entertainment Practice Group. His practice focuses on music industry, multimedia and intellectual property issues. He is experienced in a wide range of music and multi-media transactions and has represented individuals and companies on intellectual property matters including recording artists, songwriters, producers, personal managers, event producers, models and record executive employment agreements. Mr. Cooper has negotiated recording, distribution, and various other agreements with both major and independent record labels as well as negotiated co-publishing, sub-publishing and songwriter agreements with music publishers and has experience in complex acquisitions and sales of entertainment catalogs. Previously, Mr. Cooper worked as a recording engineer for a major Los Angeles recording studio, as a road and production manager for various touring artists as well as a personal manager for a prominent Los Angeles-based company. Todd earned his J.D. at Loyola Law School and holds a B.A. in History from UCLA. He is admitted to practice in California.
This event begins with the virtual award of this year’s recipient of the Linda Komorsky AIMP Scholarship!
Many artists have been exploring NFTs, DAOs and the metaverse always to build community, develop truly engaged super fans and generate revenue.
This panel explores how songwriters and their publishers may enter this new virtual arena by collaborating in branding the songwriters behind the songs, building communities of followers, fulfilling songwriters’ creative and artistic visions, increasing attribution, and consequently, maximizing publishing revenues. Speakers:
• Born and raised in L.A, Yvonne Drazan has been in the music industry for over 30 years. She is currently the VP Latin Division at peermusic, where she began in 2003 as Creative Manager. She represents many writer/artists including Gloria Trevi, Mala Rodriguez, Molotov, Sofia Reyes, De La Ghetto, Chiquis, and Chayanne, among others. Her experience includes Label Manager for Gustavo Santaolalla’s imprint Surco/Universal, (Juanes, Molotov, Bajo Fondo) coordinated his film scoring work (Amores Perros, Motorcycle Diaries) and productions (Café Tacuva, Kronos Quartet). She worked PR at Rhino Records (Los Lobos, Ramones, The Cars, Devo), was a road manager for various Latin Rock artists and began her career at EMI Latin (Selena Quintanilla, Jon Secada).
• Vickie Nauman specializes in the intersection between t?h=echnology and music, focused on licensing, relationships and music rights; helping grow companies from point A to point B; and global strategic development. She is Founder and CEO of the boutique consulting and advisory firm CrossBorderWorks and has an ambitious portfolio of forward-thinking companies in gaming, tech, consumer electronics, finance and music since 2014. A digital music pioneer, Nauman worked on licensing and product for one of the first legal digital services MusicNet (RealNetworks JV), led strategic partnerships for connected device company Sonos, started and ran the US business for global music platform 7digital, and did digital music business in Europe and China as a consultant. She built one of the first DMCA-compliant services at taste-making Seattle station KEXP and has an MBA through the London School of Economics, NYU-Stern, and HEC-Paris, in the executive program TRIUM. She is an advisor to companies in M&A, strategic growth, and early-stage startups in music/tech. Client base includes Beat Saber/Oculus, AimLab, SoundExchange, Downtown Holdings, Spotify, Warner Music Group, and more listed on LinkedIn.
• Poo Bear is an American songwriter, singer, and music producer. He is best known for being one of Justin Bieber’s main collaborators, having co-written many of Bieber’s hits (including “Despacito (Remix)”, “Where Are Ü Now”, “What Do You Mean?”, “PYD”, “Hold Tight” and “All That Matters”), and for co-writing the song “Caught Up” from Usher’s diamond-certified album Confessions. Poo Bear has a number of records written, produced and sung on his own label, including Bearthday Music, Hard 2 Face Reality, and Beats 2 Make Love 2.
• Autumn Rowe is a Grammy award winning Singer/Songwriter/Producer/DJ from New York. Growing up in the South Bronx, she applied her musical talents in a range of roles, from band leader to session singer. Later, she became a sought-after songwriter, working with some of the world’s biggest artists and record labels. She wrote the dance anthem behind the 2011 FIFA World Cup “Happiness” featuring Alexis Jordan, and has worked with Diana Ross, Dua Lipa, Tori Kelly, Ava Max, Jon Batiste, Naia Izumi, Jax Jones, Big Freedia, MK, Avicci, Zedd, Alesso, AfroJack, Deadmau5, Alex Newell, Leona Lewis, Digital Farm Animals, Boy George, Jon Bellion, The Knocks, Nick Jonas, Kali Uchis, Kacy Hill, Fifth Harmony, One Direction, Sinead Harnett, Fka Twigs, Lindsey, Stirling, Becky G, and Macy Gray, among many other artists. She is currently signed to Stellar/Sony ATV. Autumn is also a celebrated vocal coach. She appeared on season 2 of The X Factor, and as the only vocal coach on America’s Got Talent for five years, between the show’s eight and twelfth seasons. She has coached artists including America’s Got Talent winner Grace VanderWaal, Fifth Harmony, Bea Miller, Carly Rose Sonenclar and Diamond White. Currently living in Los Angeles, Autumn continues to write and mentor both established and emerging artists. She most recently collaborated with Jon Batiste, and Diana Ross while continuing to work on her own projects as an artist and producer.
Moderator:
• Abby North, President, North Music Group, LLC & LA Chapter Board Member
When we think of branding and brand equity in the music industry, we traditionally think of it when applied to performing artists. Fan bases, stream counts, social media engagement, tour revenue, and NIL deals are just some of the metrics used to define and measure an artist’s brand equity. But this is not the sole domain of artists as accomplished songwriters have found value in defining their own brand and growing their brand equity. In our panel, we will learn how a songwriter’s brand is defined, measured, and developed through their own efforts and those of the team around them. And we will hear how songwriters, publishers, and managers leverage building the songwriter’s brand to unlock opportunities and further their career.
Speakers:
• Kristin Juel is the founder of Juel Concepts, an incubator and music marketing/management firm for emerging artists that encourages them to know their worth, value their craft and prepares them for a high stakes and data driven industry. Kristin founded Juel Concepts in 2013 following a storied career of building brands like Blue Cross, Nissan Automotive, Kahlua, KFC, Church’s Chicken, Hotwire.com, Herbalife, TiVo and Kaiser Permanente, for over two decades. She has created strategies for integrated advertising campaigns, curated music playlists for brands, designed concert series, blogged for HuffPost, and advised boards on the use of emerging music technologies. Through Juel Concepts, she and her team have been passionately building the careers of artists like Australia’s Hamish Anderson (“Top 10 Best New Artists of 2016” – Yahoo!), Atlanta’s Billboard charting Ruby Velle & The Soulphonics, and Grammy-Nominated Songwriter/Author Shelly Peiken among many others Kristin applies her keen sense of what it takes to create meaningful experiences for all audiences to everything Juel Concepts does. She often advises startups on how to integrate brand efforts into their business models from the onset and prioritizes mentorship for young entrepreneurial minds where you can hear her talk about three tenets of her business approach: passionate, proactive and transparent. She curates a Spotify Playlist VIBEZZZ FOR DAYS – and recently started a music-oriented collective, UnCut Juels, which is a hybrid media platform designed to uncover and reveal unique, music-adjacent artist stories. The first season of Uncut Juels launched in 2021 as a Web Series + Podcast.
• Chris Martignago is a senior member of the A&R team at Prescription Songs based in Nashville, TN. He graduated in 2012 with a Bachelor’sdegree in Music Business from Full Sail University in Orlando, FL. While in school, an internship with Steve Robertson (Paramore, Shinedown) turned into a full time job developing the A&R research department as Director of A&R and Research at Atlantic Records. There he signed Anna Clendening and guided her single “Boys Like You” to platinum status in the US. He put together A Day To Remember’s Gold certified collaboration with Marshmello “Rescue Me.” Delivered “Sway With Me” by GALXARA & Saweetie as a fan favorite on Margot Robbie’s Birds of Prey soundtrack which featured Doja Cat, Megan Thee Stallion, Halsey and Normani. He also managed alt R&B artist R.LUM.R overseeing two Top 10 Urban AC singles with “Frustrated” and “How It Feels.” In Nashville he has continued signing artists, collaborating with the creative community, and volunteering his time to local arts programs & schools. He prides himself on being both an outspoken advocate for creatives in Nashville and a bridge of creativity to the rest of the world. His latest signings at Prescription Songs include A.B. Eastwood and Puru Dogra.
Moderator:
• Marc Caruso, CEO & Co-Founder, Angry Mob Music/AIMP LA Vice President
An in depth conversation about LOD issuance, best practices and song registration nuances you may not be aware of. With the amount of catalogs changing hands and new music being created LOD issuance and work registration volume is at an all-time high. This part of the publishing business is often taken for granted or rushed and if not done properly can result in delayed or missed payments for everyone involved.
Speakers:
• As Chair of the National YPC Committee, Ashley Morey, who has extensive experience supporting publishers and songwriters from her 8+ years at HFA, will be tasked with coordinating the YPC’s national meetings, handling communication on behalf of the committee, and mobilizing its members. She began her career in the music industry as an assistant roadie before earning her BBA in Music Business from Belmont University and interning in the Licensing and Membership departments at ASCAP Nashville. From there, she joined HFA as an Inquiry Agent in 2013 and worked her way up through the ranks, taking on the Director, Client Services role in September 2021. Over the past several years, Morey has also toured and released music with her husband, Justin Morey, as the duo Sunshine & The Rain.
• Aaron Partington rejoined Music Reports in 2022 as VP, Product. He leads product strategy and implementation across the Company and serves as the connection point between Music Reports’ customer and internal technology teams, transforming and translating business objectives into technical requirements and functional, scalable products. Aaron has held a series of senior technology and product roles at SoundExchange, BMI and Music Reports (where he started his music business career in 1993) and has spearheaded numerous successful initiatives related to the architectural design, development and implementation of software systems and processes in support of synchronization, mechanical, public performance and neighboring rights in the USA, Canada and Europe. Prior to pivoting to a Computer Science and Music Licensing career path, he majored in Political Science at the University of Southern California.
• Maurice Russell is the Head of Rights Management for The Mechanical Licensing Collective (The MLC). In this role, Russell supports The MLC’s work to implement the first statutory licensing system for mechanical rights in the United States. Russell also leverages his operational and administrative expertise in order to help The MCL prepare to process digital music royalty payments to music publishers and songwriters globally. A senior executive in the music and entertainment industry with over 20 years of experience and a deep passion for intellectual property (IP) rights management, licensing, business development, strategy, client service and operations management, Russell was previously the founder of music industry rights management consultancy firm Media Rights Management (MRM). At MRM. Russell helped his clients navigate the music industry’s growing licensing and data challenges. Prior to launching MRM, Russell held senior roles in operations and strategy at the Harry Fox Agency (HFA), where he directed the development and launch of numerous licensing and royalty solutions to transition the company to the high-volume digital music market. Russell holds a B.A. in American History from Columbia University and an M.B.A. in Finance from New York University Stem School of Business. He resides in New York City.
Moderator:
• Frank Handy, VP Head Of Administration, Position Music & LA Chapter Treasurer
Join us for an update from David Israelite on the most recent legislative and industry developments affecting publishers, songwriters and the users of our works.
Speaker:
• David M. Israelite is President and CEO of the National Music Publishers’ Association (NMPA), a position he has held since February 2005.
Israelite is responsible for overseeing all aspects of NMPA’s operations, from legal strategy and implementation to government affairs and advocacy. His leadership has produced revolutionary successes on behalf of publishers including the largest CRB rate increase in history, groundbreaking industry collaboration in royalty rate agreements, landmark settlements and model licenses with streaming platforms, and ultimately raising the profile of the publishing community. Additionally, Israelite was instrumental in guiding the effort to modernize copyright laws culminating in the Music Modernization Act (MMA) and the subsequent creation of the Mechanical Licensing Collective (MLC).
He has been named to Billboard’s Power 100 multiple times and serves on the boards of the Songwriters Hall of Fame, the Country Music Association and Special Olympics DC. He also serves as the President of the NMPA S.O.N.G.S. Foundation (Supporting Our Next Generation of Songwriters) which supports songwriters through funding scholarships and direct services, among other assistance.
Prior to leading NMPA, Israelite held senior positions in various capacities for the U.S. government including at the Department of Justice where he served as Deputy Chief of Staff and Counselor to the Attorney General of the United States and was appointed Chairman of the Department’s Task Force on Intellectual Property. He also worked in the U.S. Senate where he was Administrative Assistant (Chief of Staff) for Missouri Senator Kit Bond. Previously, Israelite also practiced law in the Commercial Litigation Department at the firm of Bryan Cave, LLP in Kansas City, Missouri.
Israelite earned his Juris Doctor from the University of Missouri and his undergraduate degree from William Jewell College.
An honest conversation with key industry DEI executives to offer insight on how they guide and craft diverse and inclusive cultures. Learn how these unique leaders create a culture of innovation for their organization and employees. AIMP’s special event will approach diversity head on by discussing our human differences. Hear from the experts with years of education and experience to help guide us through this enlightened journey.
Speakers:
• Liliahn Majeed, Chief Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging Officer, Universal Music Group
• Tiffany R. Warren. EVP, Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer, Sony Music Group
• Will Wells. Producer, Songwriter, and Educator
Moderator:
• Sandye Taylor, VP, Chief DEI Officer, Broadcast Music, Inc.
Please join us for this discussion with three independent music publishers and their songwriters as they share their lessons, perspectives, and wishes for 2022.
Speakers:
• Teri Nelson Carpenter is a music industry veteran. Her executive experience includes a background in performing rights management and overseeing major studio and network television music departments. Ms. Carpenter’s experience in protecting and monetizing music copyrights is well known and has earned her the highest level of respect from composers and publishers worldwide. Ms. Carpenter is currently the President & CEO of Reel Muzik Werks, LLC. A Full Service Music Rights Management Company that specializes in Global Writer/Publisher Administration, Licensing & Clearance and Music Supervision for all Media. As the executive in charge of network television music at Fox Family Worldwide/Saban Entertainment, Ms. Carpenter was responsible for overseeing the Fox Family/Saban’s global music business. Prior to that Ms. Carpenter served as a Music Administration & Production Executive at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM Studios). Before that she was the Director of Music at Academy Award Winning Indie Company, Hemdale Film Corp. Ms. Carpenter began her career at Broadcast Music Inc. in Film/TV relations. Ms. Carpenter holds a Bachelor of Music Degree in Vocal Performance & Composition from Cal State Long Beach where she graduated with honors. Ms. Carpenter is a recent two-term President of the California Copyright Conference and Finance Chair of the Board of Directors of the Copyright Alliance in Washington, D.C. Currently, Ms. Carpenter serves as a member of the Independent Publishers Advisory Counsel for the NMPA and serves on the Executive Board of the International Independent Music Publishers Forum. Ms. Carpenter is a member of the Joint Project Lead at CISAC which governs all X-Industry music projects. She is also an active member of the Society Publisher Forum where she lends her experience in many groups including the A/V working groups along with serving on the Steering Committee & Working Group for CIS-Net a FastTrack / CISAC global music database project.
• As CEO and Co-Founder, Marc Caruso oversees all facets of Los Angeles based, independent music publisher Angry Mob Music. For the past 20 years, as an entrepreneur, composer, producer and Emmy-nominated music editor, he has been at the forefront of music publishing and rights administration. Under his leadership since its founding in 2009, Angry Mob has evolved into a diversified music company with successful operations in publishing, music rights management, and audio-visual music production. Marc has also led the company’s direct signings, ranging from major label artists and accomplished songwriters to emerging producers and composers. He is a member of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, The Recording Academy, The Motion Picture Editors Guild, The Society of Composers & Lyricists, and represents Angry Mob Music’s interests as a Team 100 member of the National Music Publishers Association.
• Born and raised in L.A, Yvonne Drazan has been in the music industry for over 30 years. She is currently the VP Latin Division at peermusic, where she began in 2003 as Creative Manager. She represents many writer/artists including Gloria Trevi, Mala Rodriguez, Molotov, Sofia Reyes, De La Ghetto, Chiquis, and Chayanne, among others. Her experience includes Label Manager for Gustavo Santaolalla’s imprint Surco/Universal, (Juanes, Molotov, Bajo Fondo) coordinated his film scoring work (Amores Perros, Motorcycle Diaries) and productions (Café Tacuva, Kronos Quartet). She worked PR at Rhino Records (Los Lobos, Ramones, The Cars, Devo), was a road manager for various Latin Rock artists and began her career at EMI Latin (Selena Quintanilla, Jon Secada).
• More than words on a page or notes to a melody- William Davenport has had an intimate relationship with music that dates back to his childhood in Atlanta, Ga. A soulful spirit with gospel roots, he scribes music reminiscent of mature love in its truest form. From his beginning days, William has been lauded as a true balladeer and music prodigy skilled in piano, guitar, violin, and organ. While in college pursuing a degree in Engineering, William appeared in and won several high-profile talent shows including: the embassy Records national Talent Search, and the opportunity to be a singer/songwriter for Neyo’s recording label, Compound Entertainment. More recently, William has continued to be recognized as an independent artist, including being spotlighted in the BET Music Matters campaign. No stranger to the stage, William has shared a stage with legends such as: India.Arie, Will Downing, Boney James, Laura Izibor, Mary Mary, and Kirk Whalum. A powerful voice in his own right, William continues to pen musical stories that genuinely reflect the heart songs of everyday love and sensuality while carving a career in the industry with his unique sound and undeniable talent.
• Manu Manzo is a singer/ Songwriter born in Venezuela & raised in Miami. She started singing very young as well as acting and dancing. She grew up listening to jazz and Latin music at home with her family. Artists like Etta James, Ella Fitzgerald, Amy Winehouse, Sarah Vaughn, Celia Cruz, Alejandro Sanz, as well as artists and groups from her native country Venezuela who have influenced her in her compositions with their flavor & soul. Ever since she relocated to the United States at 10 years old she’s been part of different music groups. She studied at Berklee College of Music in Boston for two years where she discovers new sounds such as Neo Soul, which gave her new influences. In 2015 Manu released her first EP “Como Soy”. It was independently released and which she describes as “a fulfilling body of work that came from the heart”. Manu collaborated with other songwriters and artists which included: Alex Ubago, Tommy Torres, Luis Enrique, Elsten Torres, Cris Zalls & Juan Carlos Pérez Soto, who also served as the producer of the project. Manu’s sound is a blend of all the genres that have influenced her musical career and life. From Latin to jazz, hip-hop to soul and the blues. Manu found her space between old school and new school, without ever losing her essence and musical identity. In September 2015 Manu was nominated for the “Best New artist” category of the Latin Grammys. In 2016 Manu signed a worldwide music publishing agreement with Peermusic Publishing and Aquos Entertainment. Manu is also currently recording her first full length album which includes songs written by her and produced in Los Angeles, New York and Miami by JS & Noize, James Poyser, The Audibles, SOS and Salaam Remi. Manu is a future superstar….
• Soulful pop singer, songwriter, recording artist and entertainer, Tatiana Owens is conquering stage, screen, and stream, one song at a time. Tatiana has performed at legendary NYC venues like The Cutting Room, Arlene’s Grocery, The Groove and twice at the historic Lincoln Center/Alice Tully Hall in New York City, once as part of the Discovery Channel’s “Animal Planet” Gospel Choir Event and once as part of The Louis Vuitton Fashion Gala with musical direction by WoodKid. She has even shared the stage with the great Stevie Wonder, performing background vocals on his “Songs in the Key of Life” tour. Views of Tatiana’s vocal work on the YouTube comedy channel “The Key Of Awesome” are numbered in the tens of millions. She also has an off-Broadway resume which includes lead roles in iconic productions like “A Chorus Line,” “Harlem Remembered” and “Memphis.” Her music has been featured on CBS, MTV, VH1 Logo, Lifetime, CMT, BET, USA Network, The CW Network, The Paramount Network and Showtime inclusive of Tatiana’s song “Pendulum” from the hit VH1 show Love and Hip Hop released on Universal/Def Jam Records as part of the Love and Hip Compilation. Tatiana’s song “Trigger” has been featured on both Showtime’s Ray Donovan and Shameless, The CW Network’s Dynasty, The UK Television Series Guilt and The Paramount Network Series American Women. Tatiana has appeared all over print media and the blogosphere inclusive of Billboard Magazine and Hits Magazine which chose her as one of their “Top 5 Artists To Watch.” Also of note, Tatiana’s song “Still a Rose” charted Top 40 for over a year on the Top INDeCOUVERTES Radio Chart in France. Tatiana recently cowrote “Feeling Fine” for recording artist Zinah Rose on DGR Records and the song is currently receiving airplay in South Africa.
Please join us to celebrate the holiday season and to award our chapter\’s Indie Publisher of the Year to Heavy Hitters Music and the late Cindy Badell-Slaughter and present our Individual Award in support of Songwriters & Publishers to Mitch Glazier/RIAA. Our event will kick off with a performance by L.A. based songwriter and alt-pop artist LeyeT! All attendees will be entered in a virtual drawing. Once our regular programming ends, all attendees will have the opportunity to holiday mingle in a Zoom breakout room!
