Entertainment Transactions
There’s no business like show business. Made helps empower our individual and business clients’ success. Backed by a full-service firm, we bring an impressive depth of experience to counseling, transactional and litigation matters.
Our network of relationships spans nearly every sector of the entertainment industry, including music, film, TV, digital media, theater, literary and fashion. We work with artists, creators, influencers, executives and businesses.
We’re industry insiders. Clients benefit from the real world experience of attorneys who have produced and financed projects, structured artist agreements for major record companies, handled licensing deals for major brands and worked as in-house counsel for Hollywood movie studios.
Whether helping to finance a project, market a new project or guiding the steps of emerging brands, Made attorneys deliver the resources and experience of a law firm with a coast-to-coast network. That’s comprehensive representation.
Overview
Instrumental to the music industry
In this new and constantly evolving age of entertainment, Made’s music practice combines commercial and strategic savvy, legal experience, and decades of industry leadership to promote and protect clients’ interests and to drive highly negotiated, boundary-pushing deals.
Made’s music team has been at the forefront of the major trends shaping the industry for more than 10 years.
Our lawyers represent rock, alternative, electronic, urban/hip-hop and country music songwriters and recording legends, as well as their estates. We draft and negotiate recording, publishing, management, distribution, touring, merchandising, licensing and partnership agreements, as well as devise strategies to help our clients protect their intellectual property rights and maximize value. Our lawyers are particularly knowledgeable about legal issues surrounding the content streaming industry.
In addition to our vibrant talent group, we also represent record and publishing companies, production companies, concert promotion companies and music industry executives and managers in connection with licensing and merchandising, corporate sponsorship, financing, copyright litigation, mergers and acquisitions, tax, real estate, privacy, Federal Trade Commission, and labor matters. We advise emerging companies in the music space on company formation, financing, partnerships and more.
Recognized leaders
Made is among the top entertainment law practices. Our lawyers are widely recognized for their legal prowess —our music practice is international in scope, representing a broad range of high-profile clients.
What we do
Catalysts for change and innovation, our team is always ahead of the curve when it comes to the entertainment issues of the day. In addition to being sought after for top-tier legal counsel, we serve our clients as counselors and coaches.
We assist clients with the following:
- Joint ventures and strategic partnerships
- Copyright law and analysis for the digital age
- Intellectual property protection
- Recording agreements
- Copyright termination rights
- Digital service provider negotiations
- Catalogue sales
- Publishing agreements
- Distribution agreements
- Touring agreements
- Management agreements
- Merchandising agreements
- Neighboring rights agreements
- Master public performance rights agreements
- Licensing agreements
- Partnership agreements
- Producer agreements
- Sponsorship agreements
- Royalty audit and SoundExchange audit
- Artist and estate representation
- Employment, labor and workplace conduct
- Brand building, management and maximization
- Advocacy for creators’ rights and industry initiatives
Holistic representation
The democratization of technology and social media has presented an opportunity for artists to engage with the public in a variety of ways that move beyond their music. Due to this exposure, we are seeing more artists use their influence to promote pressing social and political issues, with many of them launching companies, nonprofits and other initiatives. We actively represent clients’ interests in connection with their broader business, social or philanthropic objectives, and brands.
Development
- Development agreements
- Representation agreements
- Shopping and attachment agreements
- Collaboration agreements
- Fundraising and securities law compliance
- Above-the-line agreements
- Talent agreements
- Music service agreements
- Artist management agreements
- Copyright clearance (including fair use matters)
- Script and format acquisition
- Startup ventures
- Hosting bids
- Real estate, leasing, zoning and land use, construction, acquisition and financing for sports complexes and facilities
- Intellectual property acquisition
- Recording and music publishing agreements
- Broadcast rights negotiations and agreements
- Naming rights agreements
- Contract negotiation for domestic and international athletics
Production
- Production legal services
- Production financing agreements
- Business formation, incorporation, partnerships
- Comprehensive content creation, production, and distribution deals
- Producer agreements
- Co-production agreements
- Products integration agreements
- Film and television production counsel
- Nondisclosure and non-compete agreements
- Licensing, confidentiality and other business agreements
- Executive employment agreements
Distribution
- Producers’ sales representation
- Distribution agreements
- Content licenses
- Intellectual property protection, copyright
- Brand awareness, cultivation, integration and promotion
- Broadcast rights negotiations and agreements
- Sponsorship agreements
- Endorsement opportunities
- Television syndication agreements
- Corporate sponsorships and partnerships
- Video production agreements
- Merchandising and licensing agreements
- Artist performance agreements
- Sale or acquisition of entertainment-based assets
- Acquisition of publishing catalogs and master recordings
- Stock acquisitions, stock and asset sales