The Music & Tech Law Symposium is sponsored by Michelman & Robinson, LLP; Covington & Burling LLP; The Recording Artists Project (RAP) at Harvard Law School; TIDAL; The Baldonado Group, P.C.; Cowan, DeBaets, Abrahams & Sheppard LLP; and Fox Rothschild LLP. The 2023 programming Steering Committee consists of Michael Poster, Esq. (Committee Chair / Michelman & Robinson, LLP); Hector Baldonado, Esq. (The Baldonado Group, P.C.); Lynn Gonzalez, Esq.; Phil Hill, Esq. (Covington & Burling LLP); Adrian J. Perry, Esq. (Covington & Burling LLP); Leron Rogers, Esq. (Fox Rothschild LLP); Rebecca Sergay, Esq. (TIDAL); Scott Sholder, Esq. (Cowan, DeBaets, Abrahams & Sheppard LLP); and Ify White-Thorpe (Harvard Law School).
“The Music & Tech Law Symposium has been a cornerstone of the Mondo.NYC business conference since we began in 2016, and each iteration continues to be better than the last,” said Joanne Abbot Green, Founder, Managing Director, and Executive Producer of Mondo.NYC. “Our Steering Committee continues to do a fantastic job in creating a day of incredibly timely, important, and groundbreaking discussions that are pertinent not only to legal professionals but also to managers artists, songwriters, label execs, music publishers, entrepreneurs, investors, and more.”
“The Mondo.NYC Steering Committee and I cannot wait to dig into the topics of this year’s Music & Tech Law Symposium,” said Michael Poster, Chair of Music Acquisitions & Financing and Partner, Michelman & Robinson LLP. “When putting together this year’s programming, we paid special attention to the most important aspects of the modern music industry, what our clients are encountering the most, and what is on the horizon in the coming year. We’re looking forward to sharing what we’ve learned – as well as what we will learn from the attendees – when we come together on October 13th.”
Mondo.NYC 2023 Music & Tech Law Symposium Panel Agenda & Speakers
8am: Breakfast
9am: Breaking Down the Tour: An Examination of the Artist’s Legal and Business Issues
This panel will explore the intersection of legal and business issues an artist must consider when planning a tour. We will touch on promoter contract negotiations, set design considerations, IP protections, tour accounting essentials, employment matters, and current ticketing practices.
Moderator:
• Rebecca Sergay, Vice President, Commercial Counsel and Business Affairs, TIDAL
Speakers:
• Ciara Reed, Principal Founding Attorney, Simpson and Reed
• Janine Small, Esq., Principal, Janine Small, PLLC
• Veli, Founder, Veli Brand
10am: Piracy & Streaming Fraud in the Digital Music Era
In the modern music industry, billions of dollars are routed through digital service providers each year. As digital music has evolved, one of the most pressing issues facing creators (and their business partners) has shifted from piracy to fraud. Streaming fraud reportedly costs the industry up to $1B annually as fraudsters manipulate DSPs into making wrongful payments. This panel will discuss the breadth and depth of those schemes along with the actions taken by DSPs and other stakeholders to disrupt them, as well as examine the degree to which piracy is still a threat to the industry today.
Moderator:
• Hector Baldonado, Principal Attorney, The Baldonado Group, P.C.
Speakers:
• Kevin Bodenheimer, VP, Business & Legal Affairs, TuneCore
• Morgan Hayduk, Co-CEO & Founder, Beatdapp
11am: The Metaverse, NFTs, Web3 and the Music Industry: Where Are We Now?
In the wake of the initial boom (and bust?) of the NFT market, the Metaverse craze that has yet to fully take hold, and the still emerging Web3 movement, this panel takes a look at where we are now in the music space with respect to these technologies. How are the initial deals playing out? Are industry players still bullish on any of these technologies? What disputes and regulatory issues have arisen from these initial deals? What new risks have emerged? And what opportunities lie ahead with respect to these technologies and their relevance to the music industry of the future? This panel will explore those questions and more, collecting perspectives from deal makers, litigators, and regulatory attorneys for a wide scale view of where the music industry is and where it can go with these technologies.
Moderator:
• Adrian Perry, Partner, Co-Chair of Music Industry Practice, Covington & Burling LLP
Speakers:
• Erika Stallings, Attorney
• Gregg Wildstein, Citrin Cooperman
12pm: Lunch
1pm: Ain’t Nothing Like the Real Thing: Hot Topics in Generative AI in the Music Industry from Neural Networks to Fake Drake
Generative AI has been the hottest topic in the last several months from board rooms to dinner parties. Our panel will discuss this new technology’s impact on the music industry, and will address topics such as copyright, rights of publicity and privacy, contracts and licensing, and overall policy.
Moderator:
• Phil Hill, Special Counsel, Music Industry Practice, Covington & Burling LLP
Speakers:
• Dr. Kimberly Fessel, Founder, Dr. Kim Data
• Chris Horton, SVP Strategic Technology, Universal Music Group
• Shannon Sorensen, SVP, Legal and Business Affairs, National Music Publishers’ Association
2pm: Thinking Out Loud: A Panel Discussion of Recent Music Litigations
The last year brought a number of high-profile litigations and decisions involving superstars like Ed Sheeran, Post Malone, Dua Lipa, Childish Gambino, and Eminem, to name a few. In this panel, we will discuss recent developments, including in the fields of copyright infringement, rights of publicity, licensing, and contracts, and ramifications for the music industry going forward.
Moderator:
• Scott Sholder, Partner, Cowan, DeBaets, Abrahams & Sheppard LLP
Speakers:
• Andrew Goldsmith, Pryor Cashman
• Nicole Haff, Counsel, Music & Entertainment, Commercial & Business Litigation, Michelman & Robinson
• Brian Maida, Pryor Cashman
3pm: Fractional Music Interests: Opportunities & Challenges
An increasing number of companies are offering sales of fractional music rights, or micro-slices of rights in a composition or recording. These offerings are designed to provide liquidity to creators while simultaneously allowing fans to participate in real ownership of an artist’s work. However, these offerings also come with complex legal challenges under both securities law and copyright law. This panel will discuss these legal issues, and how some of the companies in this space are addressing them.
• Moderator: Michael Poster, Chair of Music Acquisitions & Financing and Partner, Michelman & Robinson
Speakers:
• Sam Hendel, Chairman, JKBX
• Scott Shipman, Chief Legal Officer, JKBX
• Peter Sinclair, CEO & Co-Founder, beatBread
• Lisa Weiss, Partner, Chatillon Weiss PLLC
4pm: Ethical Considerations for Lawyers Navigating Sticky Situations
Seasoned practitioners and ethics experts discuss the real life thorny ethical issues entertainment attorneys often grapple with while representing A-list talent. The discussion will include such topics as an attorney’s legal and moral obligation to assist troubled clients having mental or drug related issues and what obligation an attorney may have to help clients save and protect their assets through estate planning and other mechanisms.
Moderator:
• Lynn Gonzalez, Attorney
Speakers:
• Bob Celestin, The Law Offices of Robert A. Celestin
• Leron Rogers, Partner, Fox Rothschild LLP
• Sharon Tapper, Executive Director, Music Managers Forum-US
Continuing Legal Education Credits approved for this program include:
● New York: Total of 7.0 NY PP credits offered for the entire program.
● California: Total of 6.25 hours of CA general credit cumulatively for the entire program (CA rounds down to the nearest quarter hour).
● Pennsylvania: Total of 6.0 hours of PA substantive credit for the entire program (PA rounds down to the nearest half hour).
Registration for Mondo.NYC and the Music & Tech Law Symposium is open now, with discounted rates available until September 19. Registration for this event only with CLE credit is currently $425.00 (regularly $449), and a full 4-day Mondo badge with CLE credit is $649.00 (regularly $699). All regular Mondo conference attendees are welcome to attend Music & Tech Law Symposium panels, whether full conference badge or single-day admission.
The full Mondo.NYC 2023 agenda includes over 50 panels on October 10-13. In addition to the Music & Tech Law Symposium program, Mondo.NYC will also feature programming focusing on topics including the state of the industry, music supervision, management, music tech, gaming, policy, finance, investment, music creation and production, touring, and more. Other Mondo.NYC 2023 tracks include The Guild of Music Supervisors Education Event & Film Festival, Future of Music Creation & Production, and AI & the AI Hub, as well as sponsored tracks and panels such as SoundExchange Presents: The Music Tech Generation, the RIAA Presents.., Covington & Burling LLP presents Getting Physical With Music Tech, and more.
About Mondo.NYC:
Mondo.NYC is an international festival and global business summit of and for music and tech industry insiders and innovators, emerging artists, and their fans. Mondo connects fans and creators in a shared mission of empowering artists and advancing ideas in an ever-changing music business and technology landscape. Founded in 2016 by Joanne Abbot Green and Bobby Haber, the event and its year-round content programming have brought together thousands of industry professionals, artists, and fans both in-person and online.
Please note all Mondo.NYC 2023 events are subject to change without notice.
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Laurie Jakobsen
Jaybird Communications
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