Some general counsel can strike the right chord in their chosen industry, and that seems to be especially true right now in the music business. “Never has the role of legal advisers in the music business been more crucial,” according to staff at Billboard magazine. From new business models, to copyright issues, the 26 lawyers chosen by Billboard as the top of the industry are being singled out for their legal beats.
Here’s a look at some of the GCs Billboard says are topping the charts at record companies:
- Jeffrey Harleston, general counsel, executive vice president and legal affairs, North America, Universal Music Group: Harleston is the top lawyer at Universal, the world’s largest music company. He’s worked there for 22 years, on issues ranging from a pact between Tori Kelly and Capitol Records to streaming and data deals. He says his biggest career accomplishment is building a legal team that is smart, strong and diverse in race and gender.
- Paul Robinson, executive vice president, general counsel, Warner Music Group: WMG is often the first label group to contract with streaming services, such as SoundCloud and Apple Music, according to Billboard, and this is due to Robinson’s efforts. He says his greatest accomplishment is the Apple Music deal. “Our team worked all through the night [before the service’s June 30 launch] to get that finished,” he says.
- Julie Swidler, executive vice president business affairs, general counsel, Sony Music Entertainment: “New music services can be made or broken by the involvement of Sony Music’s roster, and Swidler has spent the past year finalizing deals with Tidal, Apple Music and YouTube’s forthcoming Music Key,” notes Billboard. She’s also been making weekly trips to Sony Nashville, where she was helping lead the label before the July appointment of a new chairman and CEO.
