Music


The entertainment business is about passion and commitment. We practice law with a passion for creativity and a commitment to our clients’ success.

We work with music creators in all genres, nationally and internationally, and on all music exploitation platforms. Our clients include GRAMMY® Award winners, gold and platinum recording artists, songwriters, producers and recorded music rights owners. 

 Representative Services:  
  • Recording contracts
  • Music publishing agreements
  • Producer, mixer, engineer agreements
  • Endorsement and sponsorship deals
  • Touring and live performance transactions
  • Band agreements
  • Music licensing agreements
  • Copyright
  • Trademark
  • IP evaluations and due diligence
  • Litigation, involving entertainment industry issues including transactions, copyrights, trademarks and business disputes
  • Arbitration, mediation and other dispute resolution methods
  • Business law for entertainment companies, including business structures, financing and securities law 


Ken Abdo's quote in the New York Times article on August 15, 2011 ignited national and international interest in the topic of termination of copyright transfers. 

  • - Listen to the Ken Abdo interview on the nationally syndicated Public Radio International show, The Takeaway.
  • - Listen to the Ken Abdo interview on BBC Radio's Today show.
  • - Check out the interview of Tim Matson by award-winning journalist and Toronto talk radio host Arlene Bynon.   


Ken Abdo describes his entertainment practice from Lommen Abdo's Vimeo page.


We would be pleased to answer any questions you may have about the services of our music attorneys.  Any questions may be directed to:

In Minnesota:
Ken Abdo at 612-336-9316 or ken@lommen.com

In New York:
Bob Donnelly at 212-683-8775 or bobdonnelly@lommen.com

or any of the attorneys in this practice area pictured below.
 
 

Additional Information:

A group of music industry attorneys, including Bob Donnelly, got together to play a friendly game of baseball on a late summer afternoon. Read The East Hampton Star article, “Insiders on the Outfield: A champion of recording artists plays ball, talks shop in Amagansett.”

Estate Planning for the Entertainer or Athlete - Appearing in the American Bar Association's "Entertainment & Sports Lawyer," by Tim Matson, Lommen Abdo intellectual property attorney, and Scott Nelson, estate planning attorney.

Ken Abdo and Tim Matson presented a national webinar for the ABA which was broadcast from the Lommen Abdo office on "Statutory Terminations of Copyright Transfers under the U.S. Copyright Act as applicable to Sound Recordings." The 90-minute presentation addressed the statutory authority which allows recording artists to recover copyrights transferred to recording companies under older recording agreements. In this effort, Ken and Tim have been working with iconic music hit-makers such as Kool and the Gang and many others.

Ken Abdo knows music from the performing side. He knows it from the business side. And he knows it from the legal side. These days, Abdo is girding for a legal battle with the recording industry over a 1976 amendment to federal copyright law that allows artists to reclaim their work after 35 years and do with it as they please. The process legally is called "termination of transfer of copyright" and Abdo filed the first such notice with the U.S. Copyright Office on behalf of Greenberg. Abdo and Greenberg will know in 2013 whether the retrieval of "Funkytown's" copyright will go smoothly or require litigation. Read the rest of the Star Tribune article, "A Second Bite at the Apple."

John Simson interviewed Ivan Barius, Songwriter/Producer, Karma Productions at the Future of Music Coalition Policy Summit 2011 at Georgetown University in Washington, DC.  Watch the interview.

Read John Simson's Billboard Bulletin guest post entitled "Artist Revenue Stream Survey -- The Importance of Being Data."

Termination of Copyright Transfers in Music Receives National and International Interest - Ken Abdo's quote in the New York Times article on August 15, 2011 ignited national and international interest in the topic of termination of copyright transfers.

From Playroom to Pop Stardom - Ken Abdo was interviewed for this April 13, 2011 Star Tribune article concerning young artists.

Listen to the interview of Ken Abdo by Beet Street in Fort Collins, Colorado.

Final Regs Issued on Treating Musical Works as Capital Assets - The IRS issued final regulations on February 4, 2011 governing how to elect to treat the sale or exchange of a musical work or copyright in a musical work as a sale or exchange of a capital asset (TD 9514).

3rd Annual Entertainment & Sports Law Symposium reaches new level with national speakers. Lommen Abdo presented its 3rd Annual Entertainment & Sports Law Symposium for industry professionals in sports, music, interactive, film and other entertainment businesses on Friday, November 12, 2010 on the 50th floor of the IDS Center in Minneapolis.

Though opening night is delayed until early 2011, Lommen Abdo client Reeve Carney readies for his lead role as Spiderman in Broadways most expensive play ever.  Check out the article and photos on Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark in Vogue.

Read Bob Donnelly's Billboard Magazine article, "Buyer Beware: Why Artists Should Do a 180 on "360" Deals."

Ken Abdo was interviewed for an article on the MinnPost.com news blog on the Performance Right Act. Read the article: "As stations bombard us with ads against the 'radio tax,' here's the other side of the story."

The Second Annual Entertainment & Sports Law Symposium was held on November 12, 2009.  Lommen Abdo attorneys, partnering with Minnesota Law & Politics® and the GRAMMY Foundation®, spoke to attorneys and industry professionals about substantive legal and business issues addressed in the practice of entertainment and sports law.

View this Billy McLaughlin video about his determination to learn to play guitar left handed when he became unable to play right handed.

An article which appeared in the March 15, 2008 Boston Globe covering the SXSW Music Festival.  Ken Abdo was quoted in the article.

An article on Ken Abdo which was published in the American Bar Association’s Forum in the Entertainment and Sports Industries quarterly publication.
 
 
 
 
 

Attorneys (Alphabetical Order)

Kenneth J. Abdo - Minneapolis, Minnesota, Minnesota Attorney

Kenneth J. Abdo

ken@lommen.com
612-336-9316
Minneapolis, Minnesota, Minnesota Attorney

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Paul J. Bezilla - Minneapolis, Minnesota, Minnesota Attorney

Paul J. Bezilla

paul@lommen.com
612-336-9344
Minneapolis, Minnesota, Minnesota Attorney

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Bob Donnelly - New York, New York, New York, New York Attorney

Bob Donnelly

bobdonnelly@lommen.com
212-683-8775
New York, New York, New York, New York Attorney

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Bryan R. Feldhaus - Minneapolis, Minnesota, Minnesota Attorney

Bryan R. Feldhaus

bryan@lommen.com
612-336-4389
Minneapolis, Minnesota, Minnesota Attorney

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Timothy C. Matson - Minneapolis, Minnesota, Minnesota Attorney

Timothy C. Matson

tim@lommen.com
612-336-9331
Minneapolis, Minnesota, Minnesota Attorney

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Barry A. O'Neil - Minneapolis, Minnesota, Minnesota Attorney

Barry A. O'Neil

barry@lommen.com
612-336-9342
Minneapolis, Minnesota, Minnesota Attorney

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Gregory B. Perleberg - Minneapolis, Minnesota, Minnesota Attorney

Gregory B. Perleberg

greg@lommen.com
612-336-9320
Minneapolis, Minnesota, Minnesota Attorney

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John L. Simson (Of Counsel) - Washington, D.C. Attorney

John L. Simson (Of Counsel)

johnsimson@lommen.com
202-460-9252
Washington, D.C. Attorney

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Paralegals (Alphabetical Order)

Theresa E. Abdo Whelan - Minneapolis, Minnesota, Minnesota Paralegal

Theresa E. Abdo Whelan

theresa@lommen.com
612-336-1277
Minneapolis, Minnesota, Minnesota Paralegal

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Christie Rothenberg Healey - Minneapolis, Minnesota, Minnesota Paralegal

Christie Rothenberg Healey

christie@lommen.com
612-336-1269
Minneapolis, Minnesota, Minnesota Paralegal

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