Welcome

The Law Firm of Peter M. Thall specializes in all areas of entertainment law, intellectual property and intangible rights with particular emphasis in music, film, theater, television, book publishing merchandising and endorsements, fashion, design and photography.

Between himself and his associates, he has counted among his clients winners and nominees of such prestigious awards as the Academy Award, the Grammy Award, the Tony Award and the top prize at the Cannes Film Festival, the Palme D'Or.

The firm's clientele encompasses a wide variety of artists at the top of their professions, including directors, producers, authors, actors, both popular and classical music performers and recording artists, fashion models, photographers, designers, dancers and theatrical composers, and writers.

The Law Firm¹s expertise extends across the breadth of the communications industry including a broad practice in the area of the Independent Film, repr

esenting producers, actors, directors and all other creative and business elements of that increasingly broadening world based largely in New York and other East Coast and Mid South centers. The Law Offices of Peter M. Thall have recently applied our international expertise and experience to the Internet and the numerous legal and copyright issues that it has unearthed. The firm provides special counseling services to corporations seeking to comply with various global copyright and other intellectual property laws in view of their newly entering the world of the Internet through websites, e-commerce and the like.

In addition to the Internet and the new technologies, the firm's attorneys are well situated to assist its clients in making the adjustments that will be required in the rapidly developing arenas in Central and Eastern Europe as well as in Latin America and in other portions of the world that are experiencing a surge of creative and business growth.

The firm's attorneys frequently lecture at industry and legal seminars regarding their practice areas and have been featured on local, regional and national news and talk shows from the various television networks to cable programs. Its opinions have also frequently been sought by newspapers and magazines seeking comments on current events in the entertainment industry and seeking to uncover and understand trends.

Among the media in which its attorneys have been featured as experts are Variety, Billboard, USA Today, the New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Broadcasting Magazine and Music Business International.

Practice Areas

SELECTED PRACTICE AREAS:

• Music-Recording and Music Publishing
• Theater
• Musical Theater
• International Live Performing
• Endorsements and Sponsorship
• Book Publishing
• Classical Music
• Copyright
• Internet
• Film

REPRESENTATIVE TRANSACTIONS AND FOCUS AREAS INCLUDE:

• Recording Artist Agreements
• Producer Agreements
• Master License Agreement
• Music Publishing and Songwriter-related Agreements
• Songwriter and Music Publishing Agreements including Catalogue Acquisition and Licensing Agreements
• Due Diligence services to evaluate Intellectual Property in Mergers and Acquisitions of entertainment-related Agreements
• Sub-Publishing Agreements Co-Publishing Agreements
• Co-Writer Agreements
• Synchronization Agreements
• Mechanical License AgreementsPrint agreements
• Digital Rights Licensing Agreements for Sound and Visual Reproductions of Music
• Initiating and Defending Against Copyright Infringement and other Intellectual Property Claims
• Sponsorship Agreements
• Copyright, including International Copyright Conventions, the United States Copyright Law, including Compulsory License Provisions, the DMCA, the AHRA, Work for Hire Issues,Copyright Office Searches and Analysis, WIPO, TRIPP
• Neighboring and Moral Rights Agreements
• Joint Venture Agreements
• Licensing Agreements of every type and nature, including those involving the transfer or licensing of Intellectual Property rights in general
• Executive Employment and Compensation Agreements
• Agreements with Performing Rights Societies -United States
• Agreements with Performing Rights Societies-Ex-United States
• Agreements with Mechanical Rights Protection and Licensing Societies
• Artist-related Agreements
• Management Agreements Agreements with Business Managers and Accountants, including Auditors Publicists and Public Relations Agreements
• Neighboring and Moral Rights Agreements
• Agency Agreements
• Touring Agreements including:

• Bus and Truck Agreements
• Jet Plane Leases
• Sound Agreements
• Lighting Agreements
• Stage Construction and Licensing Agreements
• Merchandise Agreements
• Hall Merchandise Agreements
• A F of M Performance Agreements
• Non Union Performance Agreements
• Promoter Agreements

• Celebrity Endorsement Agreements
• Sponsorship Agreements
• Exclusive Merchandise Agreements including Touring and Retail
• Theatrical Rights-related Agreements
• Theatrical Rights Acquisition Agreements
• Co- and Associate Producer Agreements for Theatrical Productions
• Cast Album Agreements
• Partnership Agreements
• Internet-related Agreements
• Internet Performing Rights Agreements
• Internet Mechanical Rights Agreements
• Internet Webcast Agreements
• Internet Synchronization Agreements
• Internet Music Rights Clearances
• Internet Domain Name Dispute Negotiations and Resolutions
• Book Publishing-related Agreements
• Book Publishing Agreements
• Photographer Agreements including licensing and book publishing
• Photograph Protection and Compliance with Photographer¹s rights worldwide
• Author/Agency Agreements
• Classical Music-related Agreements
• Classical Music Agreements of every type and nature including Recording Agreements
• Musical composition commission agreements
• Music Publishing Agreements
• Sponsorship Agreements
• Talent Engagement Agreements
• Film-related Agreements
• Film Financing Agreements including Securities Agreements and filings
• Film Production Agreements of every type and nature including Film distribution Agreements
• Actor Agreements

Peter M. Thall

Peter M. Thall is a veteran of more than 30 years of practicing law with a speciality in music law. Mr. Thall has represented many of the world's greatest artists from Simon & Garfunkel to Barry Manilow, Hall & Oates, The Average White Band, ABBA, The Cars, Foreigner, Pat Benatar and innumerable other bands, producers of such contemporary artists as Billy Joel, Weezer, Hole, Nada Serf, D Generation, Will Smith, Boyzone and Hansen and singer/songwriters from Ric Ocasek and James Taylor to the author of Disney's Pocahontas, The Hunchback of Notre Dame and Dreamworks' recent The Prince of Egypt.

Crossing over into the classical music area, Mr. Thall represents a wide variety of instrumentalists and opera singers, some of whom top the lists of their discipline's all-time stars. Performing a somewhat different function, he recently took charge of the media responsibilities of The Papal Concert to Commemorate the Holocaust, broadcast to more than 52 countries live from the Vatican, which NBC News called one of the great success stories of the 20th Century. He was the Associate Producer of the highly acclaimed PBS Special based on the event.

Among his areas of expertise are:

Copyright Law; Executive Employment Agreements and Compensation agreements; Acquisitions and Mergers in the music publishing and recording fields; providing corporations with Copyright Compliance Services in their Internet-related businesses.

Memberships:

Copyright Society of the United States of America
International Association of Entertainment Lawyers
Association of Independent Music Publishers
Songwriter's Guild of America
Association of the Bar of the City of New York
Former member of the Entertainment and Sports Law Committee of the Association of the Bar of the City of New York
Member: Entertainment Law Initiative (ELI)-National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS)

Community Activities:

Board Member: The New York Festival of Song
Patron: The New York City Opera
Member: Metropolitan Opera Guild

Author of:

"The World Bank, The IMF and The Internet"
"An American at Midem: Reflecting on IP Afterlife"
"Music Companies Must Act Global, Think Local"
"East/ West Trade Must Go Both Ways"
"ARTISTS AS CAPITAL: Eastern Europe Primed to Join Global Entertainment Scene"
"Equality: A Goal For Human Rights Activists, But For Sound Business Enthusiasts Too" - Monday Memo (Broadcasting Magazine)
"Global Players Aim To Keep a Personal Touch" (Music Business International)
"Strategy: Management Development: A Prescription For Achieving Business Results in Central and Eastern Europe"
"What They Will Never Tell You About the Music Business"; Watson-Guptill-Billboard Books (publication date: Spring, 2002)

Education:

B.A. Columbia College, Class of 1964
L.L.B. The National Law Center: The George Washington University School of Law, Class of 1967

Admitted to Practice:

Connecticut: August, 1967
New York: April, 1968

Natasha Azava

Ms. Azava joined the Law Offices of Peter M. Thall as an Attorney at Law in April, 2008. Prior to joining the Law Offices of Peter M. Thall, Ms. Azava was an associate at Winslett, Studnicky, McCormick & Bomser LLP.

Ms. Azava’s practice focuses on entertainment, production, licensing, copyright, and trademark matters.

Education:
Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, J.D., 2006; Notes Editor of Public Law, Policy, and Ethics Journal Colgate University, B.A., 2003, magna cum laude, Political Science and Economics.

Professional Activities and Affiliations:
Member, Intellectual Property Law Section of the New York State Bar Association
Member, Entertainment, Arts and Sports Law Section of the New York State Bar Association
Member, New York City Bar Association

Publications: Video on Demand: Defining Licensing Rights, Entertainment, Arts and Sports Law Journal, NYSBA (Summer 2007)
Second Circuit Addresses Evidentiary Issues in Trademark Infringement Litigation, Bright Ideas, NYSBA (Spring 2008)

Bar Admissions: New York, 2007 New Jersey, 2007

Publications

What They’ll Never Tell You About the Music Business: The Myths, the Lies (& a Few Truths) [Billboard Books.2006] reveals what most savvy music executives already know - - and hope that readers never find out!

This insider guide discloses the hidden dynamics and often unfortunate consequences of what really happens when a deal is prepared, contracts are signed, and promises are made – and alerts musicians, attorneys, songwriters, and anyone else interested in the music business to the potent dangers lurking beneath the surface of this incredibly competitive industry.

Two dozen chapters in this Revised and Updated Edition cover virtually every aspect of the music industry, including Recording Agreements, Record Royalties, Personal Management, Music Publishing, Music Marketing and Promotion, Merchandising, Touring, Copyright Infringement, the complex area dealing with Termination of Copyrights, Music Publishing Catalogue valuation, Royalty Opportunities You Were Never Told About, and Current Issues regarding Copyright rights and Copyright abuses.

Whether you are an aspiring artist or an established superstar, a personal manager or a major-label executive, an entertainment industry attorney or a business manager, investor or just a long-time music lover—you need to know what this book has to tell you.

The information in this invaluable reference is all explained clearly and concisely with no legal jargon.

For anyone involved in the music business, here is your source of inside information.

You’ll learn:

• About current international initiatives for establishing a worldwide electronic system of copyright registration and management
• How many musicians have seized do-it-yourself Internet opportunities to create successful business models - - and how to decide whether that model is right for you
• How the Internet has affected every aspect of the music business, from copyright and royalty issues to censorship
• How satellite radio, digital jukeboxes, and video games are affecting the music market
  
• The ways in which new coalitions in the industry continue to transform the relationships among artists, record and publishing companies, and the music-loving public
• How artists can maximize their chances for long-term financial health
• How the royalty pie is sliced - - and who gets the pieces
• What snares and pitfalls to avoid when signing an employment contract
• Why old-time payola practices may be a thing of the past
• Why a lot of boilerplate contract provisions no longer apply in a world of instant downloads
• Why reports of the death of the market for classical music have been greatly exaggerated
• About the changing face of urban music

And much more:

“This book gives you the real deal on the way the music business really works, whether you’re new to the game or even if you think you’re a veteran - - from contracts to touring, good and bad money decisions, and even creating a team no artists should do without.” - Sean Paul, Atlantic Recording Artist.

“A clear contender for the one indispensable work on the topic, this book delivers the goods. There is no one involved in the music business who will not learn and benefit from this ambitious work.” - The New York State Bar Association

“Intelligent and accessible - - rich in references, but easily understandable.” - David Geffen

“An indispensable compass to guide you through the trials, traumas, and occasional triumphs you will encounter in that most unusual “life work” called the music business” - Bruce Lundvall, President and CEO of The Blue Note Label Group of EMI Records

“This book is like a map, showing how to avoid the danger zones in the music business” - Ric Ocasek, Record producer, former lead singer and songwriter, The Cars

An absolute must for anyone interested in the music business. This is by far the most informative book on the business of music I have read to date, and it’s one that I’ll refer back to regularly - BIG HEC, rapper, producer and video magazine publisher.

Contact Us

Peter M. Thall - Attorney at Law
Natasha Azava - Attorney at Law
Carol Gigante - Office Manager
Tel: 212-245-6221
Fax: 212-245-6406

Address: 10 West End Avenue; New York, NY 10023