Milbank LLP Chairman and Litigation & Arbitration partner Scott A. Edelman and Litigation & Arbitration partner Atara Miller have again been named to Billboard’s Top Music Lawyers list in the Talent and Litigation category. The annual list features the top legal counselors who are on the front lines of the music industry’s legal battles and deals.
Mr. Edelman and Ms. Miller were recognized for their successful representation of Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI), one of three national performance rights organizations, in a five-week trial against Live Nation, AEG and other major concert promoters that increased the fees paid to BMI’s affiliated songwriters, composers and music publishers by more than 130%.
This matter is the latest in a string of high-profile victories Mr. Edelman and Ms. Miller have secured on behalf of BMI. Other notable matters include obtaining a trial victory and historic copyright ruling for BMI against Pandora Media, Inc., and successfully challenging the Department of Justice’s interpretation of BMI’s antitrust Consent Decree.
Billboard also highlighted Mr. Edelman’s successful representation of Edward Kosinski, an individual accused of criminally possessing allegedly stolen handwritten lyrics to songs from the Eagles’ 1976 album “Hotel California.” In July 2022, the Manhattan DA charged Edward Kosinski, the owner of an online auction and collectibles website, and two other defendants, with criminal possession of allegedly stolen property and conspiracy. On March 6, 2024, the Manhattan DA voluntarily dropped the criminal charges midway through the trial, following Mr. Kosinski’s motion to dismiss the case based on newly produced evidence.
Read Mr. Edelman and Ms. Miller’s full Billboard Top Music Lawyers 2024 profile here (subscription is required).
