{"id":1004,"date":"2019-03-12T19:06:47","date_gmt":"2019-03-12T19:06:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/clinics.law.harvard.edu\/tlc\/?p=1004"},"modified":"2019-03-12T19:06:47","modified_gmt":"2019-03-12T19:06:47","slug":"making-it-big-behind-the-scenes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/clinics.law.harvard.edu\/tlc\/making-it-big-behind-the-scenes\/","title":{"rendered":"Making it big behind the scenes"},"content":{"rendered":"

[Originally Published by the Harvard\u00a0Gazette March 11, 2019<\/a>]<\/p>\n

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Linda Cole (from left), Brian Price, and Gaia Mattiace meet as part of the Law School’s Recording Artists Project, a student-run group that provides legal assistance to budding artists. Kris Snibbe\/Harvard Staff Photographer<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Law School students follow dream careers in showbiz<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n
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BY<\/span>\u00a0Liz Mineo
\n<\/strong>Harvard Staff Writer<\/span><\/p>\n

DATE\u00a0<\/span>

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[dropcap]G[\/dropcap]rowing up in South Florida, Rebecca Rechtszaid dreamed of becoming a professional singer, but after a case of pneumonia wrecked her vocal range in college, she settled for the next-best thing.<\/p>\n

She couldn\u2019t be an artist, but she could become a lawyer for artists.<\/p>\n

\u201cI figured I\u2019d go to law school and I\u2019d try to help musicians because even if I didn\u2019t have my own voice, I could help them find theirs,\u201d said Rechtszaid, J.D. \u201919. \u201cThere hasn\u2019t been a day when I\u2019ve questioned my choice.\u201d<\/p>\n

That seems to be the case with hundreds of students who have signed up for entertainment law courses and clinics at Harvard Law School (HLS) over the past 20 years. The phenomenon underscores a trend among law students to veer from the conventional paths of corporate law or litigation and look to work in creative industries. The trend, also noticeable at other law schools around the country, has spurred growth in the niche field of entertainment law.<\/p>\n

These students are driven by a passion for music, the arts, and showbiz, said HLS Clinical Professor of Law Brian Price, who supervises the\u00a0Entertainment Law Clinic<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s an exciting career for a music lover,\u201d said Price at his office, where a wall is covered by a corkboard neatly filled with business cards from agents, managers, artists, and alumni.<\/p>\n

Although entertainment attorneys work behind the scenes, they can have a bigger influence on artists\u2019 careers than agents or managers, said Price. They review artists\u2019 agreements, publishing deals, endorsements, and licensing and merchandising contracts, making sure their clients\u2019 interests are protected. In the end, beneath the glitz, it\u2019s all about business.<\/p>\n

\u201cArtists are becoming savvier and want to be involved in the business aspects of their careers,\u201d said Price. \u201cWhen they ask for legal advice, they want to know their legal rights, and how to make good deals and find ways to make more money.\u201d<\/p>\n

In 1998, Price founded the\u00a0Recording Artists Project<\/a>\u00a0(RAP), a student-run group that provides legal assistance to budding artists, prompted by two students who told him of their longing to work in the music industry. Price is faculty adviser for the group.<\/p>\n

Most HLS graduates end up working in business or corporate law, though some alumni have had successful careers in the entertainment industry. Among them are Bruce Ramer \u201958, who represents clients like George Clooney and Clint Eastwood; Bert Fields \u201952, who represented Michael Jackson; and legendary music lawyer Clive Davis \u201956, who signed many luminaries like Whitney Houston, and boasts his own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Donald Passman, J.D. \u201970, has represented celebrities like Janet Jackson, Stevie Wonder, and Pink and wrote the bestseller \u201cAll You Need to Know About the Music Business\u201d; and Aaron Rosenberg, J.D. \u201902, counts John Legend, Jennifer Lopez, and Justin Bieber among his clients.<\/p>\n

For future entertainment lawyers, the goal is often to find a job in Hollywood and experience the glamour and thrill of working with artists, but streaming and other technological changes have added new career options in entertainment law.<\/p>\n

Take Kike Aluko, J.D. \u201919, who will move to Atlanta to join the national law firm Greenberg Traurig, LLP, and work on music licensing deals, trademark protection, and artist representation. Aluko, who interned at a record label in the mid-2000s, is struck by the recent changes in the industry.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt has grown a lot and is more diverse than a decade ago when there was no streaming or Spotify,\u201d she said. \u201cThere are so many different avenues for people to pursue their passion rather than going to a record label.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kirkland Alexander Lynch, J.D. \u201914, works as a business affairs strategist for the Stevie Wonder\u2019s organization, including Stevland Morris Productions, LLC, Wonder Productions, Inc., among others. He oversees the legal aspects of anything related to shows and business deals, and travels around the world with the organization.<\/p>\n

It is a dream job for Lynch, who abandoned his plans to work in finance after being inspired by a classmate who wanted to become a sports lawyer. \u201cHe made me think that I should pursue my true passion, which was music,\u201d said Lynch from Los Angeles. \u201cAnd I saw a path for me when I interned at Sony Music Entertainment in New York during my second year at the Law School.\u201d<\/p>\n

But it was while taking the Entertainment Law Clinic with Price that Lynch started learning the ropes of entertainment law. He helped a rapper from Dorchester and an indie group based in Union Square with partnerships and band agreements. Last year, Lynch launched\u00a0his own media management and consulting company, Kirkland Alexander Enterprises Inc.<\/p>\n

As members of RAP, students draft, review, and negotiate recording contracts and artists\u2019 and managers\u2019 agreements for musicians and other entertainers. One of the group\u2019s most famous clients is renowned jazz bassist and singer Esperanza Spalding, now a professor of the practice in Harvard\u2019s Music Department, who was counseled on the negotiation of her first record deal.<\/p>\n

Breaking into the music and entertainment worlds is hard, but HLS\u2019s strong alumni network helps young attorneys build connections that pay off. That happened to Ethan Schiffres, J.D. \u201910, who reached out to Passman, whose firm is Gang, Tyre, Ramer, Brown & Passman Inc., and kept in touch with him. When Schiffres graduated, he was offered a job as a music associate. Today he\u2019s a partner at the firm, where he reviews legal contracts for endorsements, touring, publishing deals, and trademark litigation.<\/p>\n

Schiffres credits the Entertainment Law Clinic with providing hands-on experience and contacts with alumni willing to help the younger generation of lawyers. His biggest piece of advice is to network.<\/p>\n

\u201cEntertainment law is sexier than corporate law,\u201d he said, \u201cbut it also involves hard work, passion for music and entertainment, but it really is about networking.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rechtszaid agreed.<\/p>\n

\u201cConnections are everything,\u201d she said. \u201cIt takes a lot to muster the courage to reach [out] to somebody you don\u2019t know, but it\u2019s worth it.\u201d<\/p>\n

As the president of RAP, Rechtszaid wrote emails to the manager of Chance the Rapper and Passman last year asking them to visit Harvard to talk to HLS students. They both came.<\/p>\n

Rechtszaid\u2019s dream clients are Lady Gaga, the indie rock band Dorothy, and the Bronx hip-hop artist and Instagram personality Cardi B. \u201cCardi B is so talented and funny,\u201d Rechtszaid said. \u201cI want to be her best friend.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

[Originally Published by the Harvard\u00a0Gazette March 11, 2019] Law School students follow dream careers in showbiz BY\u00a0Liz Mineo Harvard Staff Writer DATE\u00a0March 11, 2019 [dropcap]G[\/dropcap]rowing up in South Florida, Rebecca […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":159,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[38,20,39,11],"class_list":["post-1004","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","tag-clinic-alumni","tag-entertainment-law","tag-entertainment-law-clinic","tag-recording-artists-project"],"featured_image_src":null,"featured_image_src_square":null,"author_info":{"display_name":"ahorn","author_link":"https:\/\/clinics.law.harvard.edu\/tlc\/author\/ahorn\/"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/clinics.law.harvard.edu\/tlc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1004","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/clinics.law.harvard.edu\/tlc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/clinics.law.harvard.edu\/tlc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/clinics.law.harvard.edu\/tlc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/159"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/clinics.law.harvard.edu\/tlc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1004"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/clinics.law.harvard.edu\/tlc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1004\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/clinics.law.harvard.edu\/tlc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1004"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/clinics.law.harvard.edu\/tlc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1004"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/clinics.law.harvard.edu\/tlc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1004"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}