MUSIC'S HOTTEST LAW FIRMS: GRANDERSON DES ROCHERS, LLP

Damien Granderson, Founding Partner and Chair of Music Practice

Granderson is at the forefront of the industry for his dynamic and strategic approach to advising individual and corporate clients for long-term success. He has negotiated and structured some of the most innovative and cutting-edge transactions in entertainment and media on behalf of his clients, who include high-profile and emerging artists and labels such as Quality Control Music, J Balvin, A$AP Rocky, J. Cole, Wizkid, Snoh Aalegra, Raye, and Queen Naija.

Recently, Granderson represented Quality Control in its monumental deal with Scooter Braun’s HYBE America, an unprecedented acquisition reported to be in excess of $300 million (cash and stock). He also handled the JV agreement for QC’s Solid Foundation Management and SoundCloud, which provides the former with access to data and resources to accelerate artist development and discovery. In addition, Granderson handled A$AP Rocky’s Amazon Music livestream agreement with the NFL’s Thursday Night Football and the launch of his whisky, Mercer + Prince; Nicki Minaj’s deal with Amazon, which brought her Queen Radio to the streamer’s new Amp app, her endorsement with Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II and performance agreements for the MTV VMAs, Essence Festival, Wireless Festival and OVO Fest Young Money Reunion; J. Cole’s collaboration agreement with NBA 2k; and J Balvin’s endorsements with Brand Jordan/Tiffany & Co. and his performances at the VMAs and NFL Kickoff Concert.

On behalf of director-producer-singer-songwriter Jeymes Samuel (aka The Bullitts), Granderson handled soundtrack agreements with Netflix for the critically acclaimed feature film The Harder They Fall. For client Bell Biv DeVoe, Granderson handled the New Edition: The Culture Tour agreement with the Black Music Collective.

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Guy Blake, Founding and Managing Partner, Chair of Music Publishing Practice

Renowned music-industry attorney Blake has been developing a unique practice, representing music legends such as Harvey Mason Jr. and Bernie Taupin, in addition to lending his unparalleled expertise to the GDR teams repping Nicki Minaj, J. Cole, J Balvin, Wizkid and A$AP Rocky, as well as entertainment companies Quality Control, Primary Wave, SoundCloud, Dreamville and Issa Rae’s Raedio LLC. Blake has handled numerous publishing deals and catalog acquisitions for the likes of Timbaland and Lil Dicky, in addition to independent companies. Prior to launching GDR, Blake served as a partner at Davis Shapiro Lewit Grabel Leven Granderson & Blake, LLP and as SVP of legal & business affairs at Warner Chappell Music.

Elizabeth Moody, Senior Partner and Chair of New Media Practice

A pioneer in the digital media world, Moody has been spearheading digital music and video initiatives since the post-Napster era, both as outside counsel and as an in-house business executive at companies like YouTube and Pandora. Today, Moody remains positioned at the intersection of technology and music rights and continues to advise her clients toward new and innovative business models and licensing deals. She’s music counsel for the gaming company Roblox, which recently collaborated with Sir Elton John on his immersive virtual-concert experience, Beyond the Yellow Brick Road. Moody works with connected-fitness and VR-based fitness companies as well as metaverse-virtual-concerts startup Wave XR and was closely involved with its recent deal with Calvin Harris for his virtual concert The Calvin Harris Experience, available on Pico and TikTok. Additional clients include the blockchain-based music-streaming service Audius, music-generative AI company Infinite Album, generative AI startup Boomy and gaming company Styngr.

Colin Morrissey, Founding Partner

Morrissey has built an incredibly impressive client roster, which includes SoFaygo, Mike Dimes, rapper/model/skateboarder Sage Elsesser and label and management company SinceThe80s. Morrissey handled SoFaygo’s recording agreement with Travis Scott’s Cactus Jack Records and his publishing deal with BMG. He negotiated a new label venture for SinceThe80s with Epic Records, major-label recording agreements for Elsesser and Dimes and a co-promotion agreement with Live Nation for client Mary J. Blige’s Strength of a Woman festival. Morrissey is also an invaluable member of the GDR teams handling high-profile artists A$AP Rocky, J. Cole and Young Thug, and label clients including Quality Control, SoundCloud and Paper Route Empire. Beyond his legal practice, Morrissey devotes much of his time to mentoring GDR’s associates, training the firm’s next generation of young lawyers. He began his career in the music business at Warner Music Group, followed by nearly 10 years in the New York office of Davis Shapiro Lewit Grabel Leven Granderson & Blake, LLP.

Corey Martin, Managing Partner and Chair of Entertainment Finance Practice

A thought leader at the center of entertainment, media, and corporate finance, Martin guides the firm’s clients as they navigate complex mergers and acquisitions, licensing, JV and financing transactions. In his role as chair of the firm’s Entertainment Finance Practice, Martin oversees all corporate transactional matters on behalf of music-industry luminaries. During the past year, he played a major role in the firm’s representation of Quality Control in its landmark deal to merge with South Korean music giant HYBE. He also served as counsel to MACRO, the award-winning multiplatform media company that amplifies under-represented voices, in its series C financing deal led by BlackRock. Martin began his legal career at Shearman & Sterling, LLP, where he practiced corporate law in the Mergers & Acquisitions Practice Group. Martin later joined Loeb & Loeb, LLP as a partner in the Private Equity Practice Group, and subsequently joined Davis Shapiro Lewit Grabel Leven Granderson & Blake, LLP as a partner and chair of the Corporate Practice Group.