The Atlanta Lawyer November 2016 | Page 14

FEATURE ARTICLE Music Industry: A Look Under The Hood music industry have been tumultuous, with change driven primarily by techBrenton Hund Turner Broadcasting System, Inc nology companies. Napster changed everything in 1998 with its peer-topeer (P2P) music sharing First I was a musician; then I was a platform. Napster was dismantled lawyer; and now I’m a music lawyer and head up Turner’s Music shortly thereafter in 2001 in a lawGroup. My wife, Stacy, says life can suit filed by Metallica. Apple made a sometimes feel like “long days and splash in 2001 with the introduction short years” and I concur, both as of the iPod and iTunes. In the early a dad of two children under four, 2000s the recording industry sued Liam and Wyatt, and as a lawyer thousands of music fans for P2P music sharing, an idea that many building a career. believe did damage and not much good. In 2005 Pandora launched a service that would become the first successful music recommendation technology, only to spark controversy over digital royalties later. Spotify launched in 2008 with a goal to kill music piracy, though the industry would continue to be critical of small streaming royalties and cannibalization of download and physical revenue. Digital download sales surpassed physical record sales in 2012, and in 2016 streaming sales have (to the surprise of many) surpassed digital download sales. Today the music industry contin- Over the past two decades the music industry has changed quickly and dramatically. When a relatively stable industry is disrupted, lawyers and business people scramble. And where there is disruption there is opportunity. Those who figure out how to adapt can capitalize. For example, every time Turner-owned music is played in the background of a television program there is a royalty paid to Turner when it is properly reported. Using new audio recognition technology to automatically identify and report music performed on those programs not only increases revenues, but also satisfies contractual reporting obligations with less manual effort and keeps the company ahead of the quickly changing curve. As a spotlight on music and music law, below are a few reflections on the industry, my background, and my personal involvement in music over the last 20 years. Tumult in the Music Industry The past couple of decades in the 14 November 2016 Brenton Hund performing at the Atlanta Bar Foundation's Law Jam 2012: Third Annual Battle of the Atlanta Lawyers' Bands on Saturday, June 9, 2012. Brenton served as Stage Director and performed a solo acoustic set.