Join us for Sound Decisions: Protect Your Music. Know The Business., a half-day event for music creators looking to navigate the business side of the music industry with confidence. Hear from legal experts, get practical guidance, and connect with fellow artists and professionals. Stick around after the workshops for a casual reception with drinks and light bites. Free to attend!
Presented in partnership with El Paso International Music Foundation.
Generously hosted by Star City Studio.
Conference Program
1:00 PM - The Business of Music – Entities and Band Agreements
Participants will learn the ins and outs of LLC formation to safeguard their creative businesses and the importance of band or operating agreements. A band or operating agreement is a critical document for bands, as it outlines decision-making and dispute resolution processes, while also ensuring each member’s rights and responsibilities are clearly defined and protected.
1:45 PM - Copyright and Trademark Fundamentals
Participants will receive an overview of copyright and trademark, learning how to protect their works and brands. Special attention will be given to music-specific copyright basics.
2:45 PM - A Presentation by the Mechanical Licensing Collective
A representative from the Mechanical Licensing Collective (MLC) will provide an overview of the organization and step-by-step instructions on how songwriters can collect their digital mechanical royalties. If you are a songwriter and are not connected with the MLC, you are leaving money on the table!
4:00 PM - Producer Agreements 101
Two attorneys will guide participants through a producer agreement, exploring how these deals are structured from an artist’s and producer’s perspective. Participants will have a better understanding of producer fees, the calculation of back-end royalties and the overall negotiation process.
5:00 PM - Reception
Let's meet! Reception with speakers and attendees. Join us for drinks and light bites.
Gwendolyn ("Gwen") Seale is an entertainment lawyer in Austin, Texas, who represents songwriters, artists and sports entertainers. Gwen advises her clients on and negotiates contracts related to their music and entertainment careers and counsels her clients on copyright and trademark matters. In addition to her practice, Gwen is passionate about the intersection of music and technology, having authored articles on topics such as demystifying YouTube’s monetization policies, the innerworkings of the major music aggregator companies, legal issues pertaining to livestreaming music, and issues related to the Copyright Royalty Board proceedings. Gwen regularly presents lectures on copyright and novel entertainment law issues for the State Bar of Texas, The University of Texas, the Austin Bar Association and the Dallas Bar Association, and has spoken on panels for the American Bar Association, Midem and the Music Biz Conference. Gwen is a past Chair of the Entertainment and Sports Law Section of the State Bar of Texas (TESLAW), runs a free weekly legal clinic for songwriters, artists and other creatives, and is actively involved in advocacy efforts for songwriters and artists.
Chris Castle is a lawyer based in Austin where he represents music clients in transactional matters, music-tech starts ups and public policy clients. He writes the MusicTechPolicy and MusicTech.Solutions blogs. His other recent published writings include a study on “streaming remuneration” for musicians commissioned by the World Intellectual Property Organization cowritten with Professor Claudio Feijoo, a variety of comments to the U.S. Copyright Office, the Copyright Royalty Board, and the UK Parliament’s House of Commons Digital, Culture, Media & Sport Committee’s Inquiry into the Economics of Music Streaming. He was selected as one of the Billboard “Top Music Lawyers” for 2024. Prior to founding the firm he was SVP and General Counsel to SNOCAP in San Francisco, of counsel to Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati in Palo Alto and Mitchell Silberberg & Knupp in Los Angeles, SVP Business Affairs at Sony Music in New York, and VP Business Affairs at A&M Records in Hollywood. Chris is an MBA graduate of the UCLA Anderson Graduate School of Management, a JD graduate of the UCLA School of Law and received his BA in political theory, magna cum laude, from UCLA. While in law school he was a member of the UCLA Law Review and was twice elected an Olin Fellow in Law and Economics. He is admitted to the bar in California and Texas. He may be reached at christiancastle.com
Jamie Dominguez is the National Director of Industry Relations at the Mechanical Licensing Collective (The MLC), where she creates and maintains relationships with industry organizations and their stakeholders such as songwriters, publishers, business managers and music industry attorneys. With 25 years of experience in the music industry, Jamie collaborates with creators across all genres and specializes in rights management, music publishing, artist development and education initiatives. Beginning her career in Austin, Texas, Jamie earned a BA in Journalism, Mass Communication and Media Studies from the University of Texas. During college, she gained experience in radio and entertainment PR. After graduating, Jamie moved to New York City to join SESAC, where she spent 19 years growing within the company, identifying, curating and nurturing their extensive roster of songwriters. Jamie’s dedication to building a healthy music industry ecosystem by encouraging fair business practices and empowering creators led her to join Sound Royalties in July 2020 as Regional Director of Business Development & Artist Relations, where she launched the company’s New York presence.
The Mechanical Licensing Collective (The MLC) is a nonprofit organization designated by the U.S. Copyright Office pursuant to the historic Music Modernization Act of 2018. In January 2021, The MLC began administering blanket mechanical licenses to eligible streaming and download services (digital service providers or DSPs) in the United States. The MLC collects the royalties due under those licenses from the DSPs and pay songwriters, composers, lyricists, and music publishers.
The MLC has built a publicly accessible musical works database, as well as The MLC Portal that creators and music publishers can use to submit and maintain their musical works data. These tools will help ensure that creators and music publishers are paid properly.
Funding for this program has been provided by the Texas Bar Foundation. The Texas Bar Foundation solicits charitable contributions and provides funding to enhance the rule of law and the system of justice in Texas, especially for programs that relate to legal assistance for the underserved, the administration of justice, ethics in the legal profession, the encouragement of legal research, publications and forums, and education of the third branch of government.
Building on the work of the film commission, creativELPASO exists to promote, support and develop the Film, Music, Design and Photography industries in El Paso to contribute a positive economic benefit to the city. Thank you creativELPASO for your support.
TALA is generously funded by the National Endowment for the Arts . To find out more about how National Endowment for the Arts grants impact individuals and communities, visit arts.gov.