The Present and Future of Music Law

The music business is a multifaceted, transnational industry that operates within complex and rapidly changing political, economic, cultural and technological contexts. The mode and manner of how music is created, obtained, consumed and exploited is evolving rapidly. It is based on relationships that can be both complimentary and at times confrontational, and around roles that interact, overlap and sometimes merge, reflecting the competing and coinciding interests of creative artists and music industry professionals. It falls to music law and legal practice to provide the underpinning framework to enable these complex relationships to flourish, to provide a means to resolve disputes, and to facilitate commerce in a challenging and dynamic business environment.
The Present and Future of Music Law presents thirteen case studies written by experts in their fields, examining a range of key topics at the points where music law and the post-digital music industry intersect, offering a timely exploration of the current landscape and insights into the future shape of the interface between music business and music law.

Ann Harrison is a Consultant at SSB Solicitors Limited, a leading boutique law firm that specializes in music law, wider entertainment law, sponsorship and branding. She is a highly experienced lawyer who is well known across the UK music industry and regarded as expert in all aspects of music business contracts, copyright, protection of IP rights, et al. Ann is author of Music: The Business (8th Edition, 2021), the key textbook on all music business further education courses in the UK. She is a guest Lecturer at many UK higher education institutions and recipient of an Honorary Doctorate for services to music and education from the University of Central Lancashire, UK. Ann is recognised as a Leading Practitioner in the Chambers and Partners 2021 Legal Services Guide.
Tony Rigg is a Music Industry Advisor, Practitioner, Business Consultant, and Educator affiliated with the University of Central Lancashire, UK, where he leads the Master of Arts Programme in Music Industry Management. He has occupied senior management roles in market-leading organizations including Operations Director for Ministry of Sound, overseen the management of more than one hundred music venues and delivered thousands of music events. As an artist/ producer he has a chart pedigree with tracks featured on chart-topping and gold-selling albums. Notable publications include Popular Music in the Post-digital Age: Politics, Economy, Culture and Technology (2018), The Future of Live Music (2020) and The Evolution of Electronic Dance Music (2021), which he co-edited with Ewa Mazierska and Les Gillon and The Present and Future of Music Law (2021), which he co-edited with Ann Harrison.

Foreword: Music Law: Music and the Law Peter Hook, Joy Division, New Order, University of Central Lancashire, UK Reflections by Tony Rigg, University of Central Lancashire, UK Introduction: Music Law: Unravelling Complexities Ann Harrison, Partner SSB Solicitors Ltd, University of Central Lancashire, UK and Tony Rigg, University of Central Lancashire, UK Part I: Tensions Between the Rights of Copyright Owners and the Freedom to Create. 1. Copyright, Royalties and Industrial Decline Richard Osborne, Middlesex University, UK 2. Sampling Practice: The Threat of Copyright Management to Its Future (and Past) Justin Morey, Leeds Beckett University, UK 3. Emerging Frontiers: Platform regulation of mashups in and beyond an EU context Alan Hui, University of Oslo, Norway 4. Music Copyright, Creators and Fans: Enemies or Friends in the Digital Domain? Paul Oliver, Edinburgh Napier University, UK and Stefan Lalchev, University of West London, UK 5. Piracy Past, Present and Future & How the Recording Industry Can Disrupt, Mitigate and Innovate in Troubled Waters James Brandes, Digital Copyright Consultancy, UK Part II: Responding to the Needs of Music Business 6.Mediation and Arbitration: An Alternative Forum for Transnational Dispute Resolution in the Music Industries Metka Potocnik, University of Wolverhampton, UK 7. The Acoustic Trademark Katarzyna Krupa-Lipinska, Nicolaus Copernicus University, Poland 8. The Derivative Works Right and the Creative Epistemologies of the Other: Working towards a Legal Framework for Remix Lesley Model, University of Sussex, UK 9. The U.S. Compulsory License; A Lesson in Technological Development and Legislation Shaping the Music Market Ralph W Peer, Peermusic, USA Part III: The Developing Commercial Landscape 10. Blockchain: Hero or Hindrance for the Music Industry from a Legal Perspective Charlotte O'Mara, Partner Gunnercooke, UK 11.Greening the Live Music Industry Teresa Moore, A Greener Festival, UK 12. Branding and Endorsement: The Growing Importance of Branding and the Developing Legal Framework Emma Harding, Music Lawyer SSB Solicitors Ltd, UK 13. The Artist Manager Relationship Jules O'Riordan, a.k.a. Judge Jules, DJ, Producer and Partner Sound Advice LLP, UK and Leslie Gillon, University of Central Lancashire, UK