Music Royalties Expert Witnesses
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Music royalties expert witness candidates typically have backgrounds in music law, music business, music licensing, reasonable royalty rates, and/or copyright infringement.
Music rights are a subset of copyright law, and have their own defined intellectual property rights. The rights holders’ protections are commonly known as composition and master rights:
- Composition rights are applicable to the actual songwriter and associated music publisher. The songwriter and music publisher own the copyright for the harmony, melody, and lyrics.
- Master rights refer to the copyright protection created when the composition is turned into a sound recording. The Master copyright protection is owned by recording artists and associated record labels.
Accordingly, there are two general types of music royalties. There are royalties paid out for the licensed use of the sound recording, as well as royalties paid out for the authorized use of the composition. In the U.S., royalties can be distributed for multiple uses, such as:
- Streaming royalties
- Neighbouring rights royalties
- Digital performance royalties
- Sync licensing fees
- Public performance royalties
- Mechanical royalties
The music royalty system is quite complex. Cahn Litigation Services has relationships with many of the top music industry experts that work in the music copyright royalty system. These experts have in-depth knowledge in the types of music royalties, the types of music rights, and which entities are legally due compensation.
Litigation support by a music royalties expert witness could include a royalty audit, writing an expert report, expert opinion, depositions, and expert testimony in the courtroom. In a high-profile case, or litigation involving a significant financial stake, a law firm may request a qualified expert with prior expert witness testimony experience. In addition, clients may seek a music industry expert for pre-litigation consulting work.
Representing the plaintiff or defendant, Cahn Litigation Services is often called upon to locate an expert witness to support matters involving music royalties. Whether the case involves music royalty rates, the music royalty system as a whole, royalty audit projects, forensic musicology, economic damages, or music publishing, Cahn Litigation Services has the experience required to turn an expert witness search around quickly. The firm has a reputation for providing experts with the right balance of expertise and testimony to support each unique project and its nuances.
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Music Royalties Expert Witness - Representative Bios
Please Note: All Cahn Litigation expert witness searches are customized to attorneys' precise specifications and preferences. Attorneys are encouraged to discuss search parameters with a Cahn search specialist.
The below expert witness bios represent a small fraction of those Music Royalties experts known by Cahn Litigation Services. These bios are provided to give lawyers a sense of the Music Royalties landscape.
Expert Witness #264933
This expert is the founder and CEO of a large and respected source for celebrity talent and popular music rights. From multi-level celebrity endorsements to popular music clearance/licensing, the company is recognized as the foremost expert in negotiations, counsel and strategy.
This expert handles quotes and negotiations from hundreds of different agencies, and fully understands the world of music royalties. This expert has negotiated, arranged and contracted about 3,000 deals of every conceivable nature from trade show appearances and industrial film appearances to million-dollar national multi-media campaigns. Included also are royalty deals, endorsements, corporate performances, local, regional and national campaigns, international campaigns, etc. This expert has extensive expert witness experience, and has represented several high-profile clients.
Start Music Royalties Expert SearchExpert Witness #264944
This expert is a nationally recognized entertainment and IP law scholar, and an expert witness and consultant in copyright, trademark, right of publicity and entertainment contract cases. This expert has many years of experience teaching and practicing Entertainment Law, Copyright Law, Publicity Rights, and International Entertainment Law.
In addition to a consultancy, this expert is a professor teaching music law courses, including the topics of music revenue streams, the distinction between the composition copyright and the sound recording copyright, and the relationships between the players in the music industry (such as composers, performers, record labels, and music publishers). This expert holds a law degree, is a regular speaker speak at academic and law practitioner conferences, and is well-published in music copyright law.
Start Music Royalties Expert SearchExpert Witness #227330
This expert is a musicologist and the president of a music consulting firm. This expert and her team of musicologists regularly advise clients on musical works for their commercials, films, and television series. This expert 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.
In addition to successful consultancy, this expert teaches forensic musicology, and has testified quite often in copyright infringement matters, as well as in valuation disputes, including collaborative and derivative musical works. This expert has written numerous articles and a book in the area of contemporary music and copyright infringement.
Start Music Royalties Expert SearchExpert Witness #264924
This expert represents and consults on behalf of a range of clients in the music industry, including major artists, managers, songwriters and various companies. This expert has worked on a number of major deals. This expert has drafted and negotiated many licensing agreements, artist recording agreements, producer agreements, soundtrack agreements, home video/DVD agreements and distribution agreements, and is intensely familiar with the music industry copyright royalty system. This expert has also acted as an expert witness in a number of music industry litigations.
Start Music Royalties Expert SearchExpert Witness #264915
This expert has many years of experience in the music business, where this expert’s entire career has been centered around partnering with the music industry either on behalf of the advertising agency, the client and/or the artist, which has allowed this expert to master the nuances and sensitivities. Over an impressive career, this expert has negotiated and drafted hundreds of publishing and master music licensing agreements. This expert began a career as a business manager at some of the largest and most successful advertising agencies, and is currently with a small music marketing agency with gigantic blue-chip clients.
Start Music Royalties Expert SearchExpert Witness #264955
In addition to work as a professor, this expert advises creators, owners and distributors of music, media and technology and the investors that are active in those sectors. This expert counsels music creators and rights holders on public policy and litigation, and has provided expert testimony before the Copyright Royalty Board and in arbitration, and supports media and technology companies and their financial sponsors on capital formation and growth strategy, digital product/service development, acquisitions and restructuring. This expert’s long career in the music industry has provided him with a deep understanding of music royalty rates.
This expert teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in Music Entrepreneurship, Music Analytics, Strategic Marketing, Global Music Management and the Business Structure of the Music Industry. This expert founded and operated a Grammy Award winning independent record label and music publisher where this expert signed, recorded and published multi-platinum artists. This expert has authored a book, as well as many podcast, papers and presentations. This expert is a member of the Music and Entertainment Industry Educators Association (MEIEA) and the Music Business Association.
Start Music Royalties Expert SearchExpert Witness #248888
This streaming data analytics expert is a globally recognized authority on technology issues relating to intellectual property in the digital age, with experience in standards initiatives involving content identification, metadata, and rights. This expert holds a B.S.E. in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from a prestigious university and an M.Sc. in Computer Science from a well-regarded university.
This expert teaches data analysis in the music industry in a music business program at a well-regarded university and has taught the subject for over 5 years. This expert also co-teaches a course on technological transformation in the music industry.
This expert has deep experience with music rights management data, processes, and technologies, and has written expert reports and testified in litigation and royalty-setting matters involving copyright, streaming media, digital music services, Internet radio performance royalties, sound recording performance royalties, audiovisual content, user-generated content, and digital performance royalty issues. This experience includes matters before federal court, rate court proceedings in the Southern District of New York, Copyright Royalty Board proceedings, and Copyright Board of Canada royalty rate proceedings.
This expert has consulted for digital music streaming services and major music-label groups. This expert is also the coauthor of a recent book on how technology has transformed the music industry and a white paper addressing digital music distribution, copyright, and rights administration in the digital age.
This expert has a background in computer science and understands the technical architectures of streaming services. This expert is also familiar with streaming fraud tactics and techniques for combating streaming fraud.
For many years, this expert has run an annual conference focused on copyright and technology issues. This expert is an experienced expert witness and litigation consultant, with experience in matters involving copyright, digital content, and security technologies in federal court, before the Copyright Royalty Board, and before the PTO. This expert has testified before and advised public policy entities on digital copyright and technology issues across multiple continents.
Start Music Royalties Expert SearchExpert Witness #253709
This music royalties expert has over 35 years of experience in the music industry, beginning with financial statement auditing for a major record label, later running the internal audit department for a major music company, and also serving as a royalty auditor for another prominent music company.
This expert has been retained as an expert witness in numerous litigation matters. In one notable matter involving alleged unlicensed music use in online ski advertising videos, this expert was retained by a major ski resort owner.
Start Music Royalties Expert SearchExpert Witness #261499
This music royalty expert is well versed in all aspects of music licensing, including synchronization fees, usage terms, territorial rights, publishing and master recording rights, royalties and residuals, broadcast and digital distribution, and the execution of final license agreements.
During a tenure of over 15 years as a senior executive music producer at a major advertising agency, this expert oversaw the licensing of substantial music assets. This expert has experience negotiating licensing agreements for television commercials with integrated social media components and has developed a strong understanding of appropriate fee structures and royalty expectations based on usage parameters, as well as the practical realities of negotiating with rights holders.
Start Music Royalties Expert SearchExpert Witness #272694
This music royalties expert has represented recording artists, performers, writers, record labels, compilation labels that license music for fees and royalties, music publishers, music publishing administrators responsible for collecting and reporting on income sources, managers who receive shares of royalties, and other music-industry participants.
This expert has also served as counsel in connection with rights associated with highly prominent musical compositions, providing opportunities to review licenses and royalty reports from sources around the world, including less common royalty streams such as royalties derived from grand rights licenses in stage plays.
Early work in a special markets department at a major music company gave this expert a rounded understanding of music revenue sources. That department exploited sound recordings inside and outside ordinary commercial channels, including licensing recordings for compilation records, synchronization in visual works, premiums connected with other goods or services, bundling with other products, and related uses.
Start Music Royalties Expert SearchExpert Witness #277114
This music industry and licensing/royalties expert focuses on talent representation in the music industry and related issues involving emerging technologies and copyright.
This expert has been involved in matters related to talent services in the entertainment industry, including the negotiation, drafting, and review of recording agreements, publishing agreements, co-branding agreements, merchandising agreements, sponsorship and endorsement agreements, live concert and personal appearance agreements, digital distribution agreements, and composer agreements.
This expert is an experienced witness and has attended depositions, provided litigation counsel with guidance, and assisted with trial preparation.
Start Music Royalties Expert SearchExpert Witness #291102
This music copyright damages expert has over 25 years of experience providing forensic accounting and financial and economic analysis to attorneys. This expert is an active member of a prominent copyright-focused professional society and has previously served on its executive board. Through that involvement, this expert has become well versed in the complex ecosystem of music royalties, including mechanical, performance, and sync royalties, as well as the various divisions among songwriters, performers, publishers, and distributors.
This expert has served as an expert in copyright infringement disputes involving music and other creative works. The analysis has included calculating disgorgement of profits across multiple royalty streams in the music industry. This expert has also performed early case assessments involving alleged infringement of literary and musical works, including matters involving adaptation of written works into songs and disputes concerning sheet music and instrumental-only performers. This expert has also consulted with stakeholders concerning the setting of royalty-related rates by copyright tariff authorities for neighboring rights and private copying.
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