Don't Forget About the Music

I’m excited and humbled to be one of a number of music industry professionals who contributed to a recent book called Don’t Forget About The Music written by attorney Evita G. Kaigler.

Together with David Barbe, Rico Brooks, Michael “Sha Money” Clervoix, Ray Daniels, Maurice Garland, J. Hatch, Al “Butta” Mclean, Billy O’Connell and Jack Ponti, we offer up advice on how to achieve success in today’s music marketplace.

The book is a guide for artists, producers, songwriters, music business entrepreneurs and executives, providing perspective on the music industry and a concrete plan to build success.

Evita and I first worked together when I handled A&R Administration for Def Jam Recordings, working specifically on her client Big K.R.I.T.’s critically-acclaimed Def Jam debut Live From The Underground.

Pick up a copy and check out the entire plan at www.dontforgetaboutthemusic.com.

Happy Birthday, The Coda

Details of the settlement reached in the case concerning ownership of the song “Happy Birthday To You” were released today with a filing in United States District Court. In the settlement, originally announced in December but which the court has only now been asked to approve, Warner/Chappell agreed to pay $14 million to licensors as well as $4.6 million in legal fees for the other parties in the suit.

The case centered on whether Warner/Chappell ever actually owned the lyrics to the song it acquired during its purchase of Clayton F. Summy Co., in 1988. Since then, it’s been estimated that the song generated about $2 million in yearly income through licensing.

“Happy Birthday To You” was written by Patty Smith Hill and her sister Mildred J. Hill in 1893 and will now officially become public domain, free for anyone to use without further permission.