The firm is pleased to announce that Lisa Alter and Katie Baron have been named to Variety’s 2022 “Legal Impact Report.” This annual list profiles the top entertainment and media lawyers in the world, and it highlights their groundbreaking work in the music, film, television, and digital industries.
Lisa Alter and Katie Baron were selected again to Billboard’s prestigious “Top Music Lawyers” list, which profiles the savviest legal counselors in the music industry. This year’s report recognized Lisa and Katie’s major clients and achievements from the past year, which include advising leading music publisher Primary Wave in several major catalog deals, as well as acting as music counsel to HYBE on its merger with Scooter Braun’s Ithaca Holdings.
Katie Baron, partner at Alter, Kendrick & Baron, LLP, will be speaking on the panel “Why Million Dollar Music Catalog Sales Matter To You” at the upcoming SXSW Conference in Austin, Texas on March 17, 2022. The panel will explore why music catalog acquisitions are becoming commonplace, how these deals work, and what this “cashing out” means for the future of new as well as mid-level songwriters and recording artists.
Lisa Alter recently spoke with Newsy about Kidz Bop, the brand known for child-friendly recreations of over 900 popular songs from prominent artists including Britney Spears, Elton John, and Lil Nas X. In the segment, Lisa explains that Kidz Bop is able to legally recreate and alter popular songs because they do not claim to be the original artists of their work, and they also pay all required fees to the original copyright holders of the songs.
Primary Wave Music has acquired music rights from the estates of Layne Staley and Mike Starr of the legendary grunge band, Alice In Chains. The deal will see the publisher acquire a stake in Layne Staley’s and Mike Starr’s music publishing catalog, as well as master royalty income stream. Some of the royalties acquired include Man In the Box, Rooster, and No Excuses, as well as their hit recording Would? which was released in 1992 and appeared in the film Singles, and on the Singles soundtrack.
BMG has acquired the music interests of iconic American blues singer-songwriter and guitarist John Lee Hooker from his estate. The agreement includes his entire publishing catalog (Boom Boom, One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer, Boogie Chillen, among others), co-acquired with BMG’s longstanding partner Fujipacific Music. The deal also includes John Lee Hooker’s entire recorded and performance royalty income, as well as a selection of Hooker’s recorded catalog spanning Alone, Vol. 1 (1980) through Black Night Is Falling (2020), acquired solely by BMG.
AKB founder, Lisa Alter, spoke with The Tennessean on the craze surrounding the buying and selling of music catalogues that has escalated throughout 2021 and is continuing into 2022. Lisa spoke on a number of different aspects that can and will affect the structure of music transactions.
Lisa Alter recently sat down with acclaimed music journalist Larry LeBlanc at CelebrityAccess for “In the Hot Seat with Larry LeBlanc.” In the interview, Lisa discusses a number of topics, including her experience closing major deals during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the trend of prominent musicians selling their music catalogs, guiding clients in an increasingly competitive market, and musicians’ rights in light of new social media platforms.
KKR Credit Advisors is selling asset-backed securities supported by publishing and sound recording royalties, as well as recoupment of artist advances, for a portfolio of songs valued at more than $1.1 billion, according to a presale report from Kroll Bond Rating Agency. The diverse catalog of 65,000 songs underlying the transaction, including hits from The Weekend, Stevie Nicks, and Maroon 5, was owned by Kobalt Capital Limited and administered by Kobalt Music Publishing, an independent music-rights company. The offering is being led by Credit Suisse and KKR.
Primary Wave Music has expanded its partnership with long-running British group and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees Def Leppard. The deal will see the company acquire an additional stake in the band’s music publishing catalog as well as master royalty income stream. Many of the band’s biggest hits are included in deal, such as Pour Some Sugar on Me, Rock of Ages and Photograph.
The firm is pleased to announce that Lisa Alter has again been named to Billboard’s annual “Power List." Each year, this coveted list profiles and recognizes the significant achievements of the most powerful music executives shaping the industry today.
Lisa Alter was asked by Newsy to share her thoughts regarding the high number of prominent musicians who have recently sold their music catalogs for millions of dollars. Lisa shares insight on why so many artists are choosing to sell their catalogs now, what happens to the music that is sold, and if we are likely to see this trend continue.
