Milbank LLP Chairman and Litigation & Arbitration partner Scott A. Edelman and Litigation & Arbitration partner Atara Miller have been named to Billboard’s Top Music Lawyers 2023 list in the Talent and Litigation category. The annual list features top legal counselors who are essential resources for their music industry clients.
Mr. Edelman and Ms. Miller were recognized for their successful representation of Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI), one of three national performance rights organizations, in a five-week trial against Live Nation, AEG and other major concert promoters that increased the fees paid to BMI’s affiliated songwriters, composers, and music publishers by more than 130%. “The prior rates were first negotiated in the mid-1990s and were never adjusted to reflect the dramatic growth of live concerts over the last decade,” Ms. Miller noted. “Live concerts are now a hugely important part of the music industry and incredibly profitable. Songwriters should get their fair share of the profits.”
This matter is the latest in a string of high-profile victories Mr. Edelman and Ms. Miller have secured on behalf of BMI. Other notable matters include obtaining a trial victory and historic copyright ruling for BMI against Pandora Media, Inc., and successfully challenging the Department of Justice’s interpretation of BMI’s antitrust Consent Decree.
Read Mr. Edelman and Ms. Miller’s full Billboard Top Music Lawyers 2023 profile here (subscription is required).
