Key Points in Record Label Contracts, Music Publishing Deals, & Digital Music Performance Licenses (Update)

In this program, attorneys Joel Schoenfeld and Dima Budron from Mitchell Silberberg & Knupp will discuss key points in record label, music publishing, and digital music distribution deals. In addition, they will discuss the recently passed Music Modernization Act. The program will begin with a discussion of key deal points in record label contracts, including items such as royalties, ownership of master recordings, uplift provisions, and group artist issues. Schoenfeld and Budron will then provide a quick overview of the various types of music publishing agreements and essential issues to consider in negotiating music publishing contracts.

The program will also cover the publishing rights associated with blanket music performance licenses for performance online and within mobile applications, wrapping up with a brief look at performance rights societies both at home and abroad.

Finally, it will outline key issues addressed in the recently passed Music Modernization Act which makes significant changes in the way music is treated in the digital marketplace.

Learning Objectives:

1. Review essential terms to consider when negotiating record label, music publishing, and digital music distribution deals
2. Discern the distinction between different types of music publishing agreements
3. Identify the various issues implicated in blanket music performance licenses
4. Discuss performance rights societies that exist both domestically and abroad
5. Examine the key issues addressed in the Music Modernization Act ("MMA") and understand how the MMA changes the way music is treated in the digital marketplace