The Entertainment Law Initiative was established by the Recording Academy® to encourage discussion and debate around legal affairs in the ever-evolving music industry and how they impact creatives and the greater music community. In partnership with the nation’s top entertainment law practitioners and schools, the initiative offers year-round networking and career development events for professionals and cultivates the next generation through connection and educational opportunities for students.
Keep an eye on this page for announcements about upcoming ELI professional and student events, online programs, and other opportunities.
Entertainment Law Initiative Writing Contest
Submissions for 2025 are now open! Deadline is November 8th, 2024!
The annual ELI Writing Contest challenges law students to identify and research a pressing legal issue facing the music industry today and outline a proposed solution in a 3,000-word essay. A nationwide panel of music law experts judge the papers in a blind process to select one winner and two runners-up.
See Official Contest Rules for entry requirements and full prize packages.
You can also check out a Writing Contest Info Session from Fall 2023 featuring past winners. Check it out on our YouTube page here.
2024 Winner & Runners-Up
Winner: Olivia Fortunato, Cardozo School of Law, New York, NY
“Post-Mortem Right Of Publicity And Technological Advancements”
Runner-Up: Matthew Citron, UCLA School of Law, Los Angeles, CA
“BMI’S For-Profit Model And Consent Decree Regulation”
Runner-Up: Emily Cohen, Duke University School of Law, Durham, NC
“A “Perfect Storm” For Reworking The Copyright Test”
2023 Winner & Runners-Up
Winner: Aron Lichtschein, NYU School of Law, New York, NY
“Tickets To Ride: NFTs And The Future of Concert Ticketing”
Runner-Up: Gina Maeng, Georgetown Law School, Washington, D.C.
“Keep Calm And Rock On: A Federal Crowd Management Law For The Live Music Industry”
Runner-Up: Amanda Sharp, University of San Diego School of Law, San Diego, CA
2022 Winner & Runners-Up
Winner: Sona Sulakian, USC Gould School of Law, Los Angeles, CA
“Protecting The Artist: Licensing In An AI-Generated Music Market”
Runner-Up: Chelsea Cohen, LMU Loyola Law School, Los Angeles, CA
“Welcome To The Metaverse: Solving Old-World Licensing In A Whole New Universe”
Runner-Up: Michael Harrigan, Stetson University College of Law, DeLand, FL
2021 Winner & Runners-Up
Winner: Sophia Sofferman, University of Miami School of Law, Coral Gables, FL
“It’s My [Recapture Right], And It’s Now Or Never…”
Runner-Up: Evan Biegel, St. John’s University School of Law, Queens, NY
“Tuning The Role Of Artificial Intelligence In Musical Work Infringement”
Runner-Up: Alberto Vargas, University of Chicago Law School, Chicago, IL
2020 Winner & Runners-Up
Winner: Christopher Chiang, University of California, Los Angeles, CA
Runner-Up: Graham Fenton, University of California, Los Angeles, CA
Runner-Up: John Gilbertson, Drake University Law School, Des Moines, IA
“Play It Again, Sam: The Free-Market Case For Government Intervention In The Music Streaming Sector”
For all inquiries or to be added to the ELI mailing list, please contact ELI@recordingacademy.com
Entertainment Law Initiative GRAMMY® Week Event
The 26th Annual ELI GRAMMY Week Event was held on Friday, Feb. 2, 2024 in Los Angeles at the Beverly Wilshire, A Four Seasons Hotel.
The Recording Academy again congratulates our 2024 ELI Service Award honoree, Michael Kushner, and our 2024 ELI Writing Contest winner and runners up (see below). Also, big thanks to our keynote speaker Michelle Jubelirer, along with other speakers and presenters Julie Greenwald, Laurie Soriano, and Stephanie Yu. See a video recap of the event here.
Inside The 2024 Entertainment Law Initiative Gala
Join us for the 2025 event and other ELI activity! For sponsorship, individual ticket, or ELI Writing Contest or other information please email eli@recordingacademy.com
The Recording Academy thanks our Entertainment Law Initiative sponsors for their generous support of our 2024 event:
| Platinum Plus | Silver |
|---|---|
| First Horizon Music, Sports & Entertainment | American Bar Association (ABA) |
| Pryor Cashman LLP | BMI |
| Counsel LLP | |
| Platinum | Covington & Burling LLP |
| Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP | Eisner, LLP |
| Mitchell Silberberg & Knupp LLP | Global Music Rights |
| Sony Music Entertainment | King Holmes Paterno & Soriano LLP |
| Sony Music Publishing | PeerTracks |
| Spotify | Serling Rooks Hunter McKoy Worob & Averill, LLP |
| Universal Music Group | Sound Royalties |
| Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP | SoundExchange |
| The MLC | |
| Gold | |
| Apple | Bronze |
| Carroll Guido Groffman Cohen Bar & Karalian, LLP | Black Entertainment & Sports Lawyers Association |
| Fox Rothschild LLP | Boyarski Fritz |
| Greenberg Traurig LLP | Concord |
| Jenner and Block | Consilio |
| LaPolt Law PC | Greenspoon Marder LLP |
| Loeb & Loeb LLP | Latham & Watkins LLP |
| Michelman & Robinson LLP | Manatt, Phelps & Phillips LLP |
| Myman Greenspan Fox Rosenberg Mobasser Younger & Light LLP | NBCUniversal |
| Proskauer Rose LLP | Reed Smith LLP |
| Rothenberg, Mohr & Binder, LLP | Sony Pictures Entertainment |
| Sidley Austin | Swanson, Martin & Bell, LLP |
| Warner Music Group | The Zia Firm PLLC |
| Warner Records | Warner Chappell Music |
| Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati |
| 23-24 Entertainment Law Initiative Executive Committee | 23-24 Entertainment Law Initiative Advisory Council |
|---|---|
| Laurie Soriano (Chair) | Ken Abdo |
| Kris Ahrend | Jay Cooper |
| Sandy Crawshaw-Sparks | John Frankenheimer |
| Susan Genco | Jeff Harleston |
| Renee Karalian | Joel Katz |
| Michael Kushner | Chuck Ortner |
| Dina LaPolt | Don Passman |
| Wade Leak | Michael Reinert |
| Angie Martinez | Ron Wilcox |
| Tanya Perara | |
| Julian Petty | |
| Leron Rogers | |
| Henry Root | |
| Bobby Rosenbloum | |
| Julie Swidler | |
| Jeff Walker | |
| Robert Windom | |
| Stephanie Yu |
The annual ELI GRAMMY Week Event gathers professionals and creators alike to celebrate, hear from industry leaders and allies, and acknowledge achievements of music business trailblazers through the ELI Service Award, an accolade presented to a legal professional or entity who has demonstrated commitment to advancing and bettering the music community through service. See below for recaps of past events:
Click the link below to watch ELI’s fall 2022 collaborative panel with GRAMMY U:
How Independent Artists Can Protect Their Work
2019 Entertainment Law Initiative Event With Dina LaPolt, Tina Tchen, Steven Tyler & More