Press Release
| NMPA and HFA Announce Reorganization of Legal Departments | ||
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Jacqueline Charlesworth Named Senior Vice President and General Counsel of NMPA; Michael Simon Adds HFA General Counsel Stripes New York NY and Washington DC, January 23, 2006 – Today, David Israelite, President and CEO of the National Music Publishers’ Association (NMPA), and Gary Churgin, President and CEO of NMPA subsidiary The Harry Fox Agency (HFA), announced a reorganization of their respective legal departments. Jacqueline Charlesworth, who had been Senior Vice President and General Counsel of HFA, will become Senior Vice President and General Counsel of the NMPA. Charlesworth will remain based in HFA’s New York offices and will report to David Israelite. Michael Simon, currently HFA Senior Vice President of Licensing and Chief of Strategic Development and Marketing, will assume HFA’s General Counsel position in addition to his other responsibilities. His title will be Senior Vice President Business Affairs, General Counsel and Chief Strategic Officer. HFA’s Legal Department will now report to him, in addition to the Business Development, Communications, and Licensing Departments. He will continue to report to Gary Churgin. “This arrangement takes advantage of the natural synergy between the NMPA and HFA, and allows us to make full use of Jacqueline and Michael’s talents,” said Churgin. “While I will miss having Jacqueline directly at HFA, this is a logical progression of her role, and I know we will continue to work together closely. HFA’s Licensing and Business Development departments have always worked very closely with Legal, so this is a natural extension of Michael’s responsibilities and capabilities.” “Jacqueline will bring to the NMPA her understanding of how day-to-day business and licensing concerns impact music publishers’ legal and political strategies,” said David Israelite. “She joins us at a critical time for the publishing industry’s future as we look to establish rates for digital music services.” “I’m pleased to have the opportunity to work more directly with David and his team on these challenging issues,” said Jacqueline Charlesworth. “I’ve greatly enjoyed my tenure at HFA, and I look forward to continuing to work closely with Gary, Michael and the rest of the HFA staff on matters that affect both organizations.” “Jacqueline has certainly left me with big shoes to fill,” said Michael Simon. “By bringing together HFA’s business development, legal, and licensing functions, we hope to further improve our ability to enhance our traditional business while also creating new opportunities for the company and the publishers we represent.” Prior to assuming her position with HFA in late 2001, Charlesworth was an associate in the Litigation Department of Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison, where she represented both the NMPA and HFA with respect to various litigation and licensing matters, including infringement actions, rulemaking proceedings before the Copyright Office and the 2001 agreement with the RIAA that allowed for the launch of online music subscription services. A graduate of Yale Law School and Brown University, Charlesworth clerked for federal judges in the Southern District of New York and on the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals before entering private practice. Before joining HFA in 2001, Simon was the Executive Vice President of Business Affairs and General Counsel for Razorfish, Inc., a public company. Simon also has experience as an artist manager, representing such major label acts as the Honeydogs and the Gigolo Aunts. Prior to that, he was Senior Director of Legal Affairs at Polygram Records, where his responsibilities included negotiating and drafting music industry agreements for the record and publishing companies, including those relating to recording artists, distribution, music publishing, joint ventures and video licensing. In addition, he served as an associate in several law firms specializing in entertainment and intellectual property matters. Simon received his Juris Doctor from the Columbia University School of Law, and he graduated magna cum laude from Amherst College. About the NMPA Founded in 1917, The National Music Publishers’ Association (NMPA) is a trade association representing over 600 American music publishers. The NMPA’s mandate is to protect and advance the interests of music publishers and their songwriter partners in matters relating to the domestic and global protection of music copyrights. Music publishers control the copyrights for the underlying compositions of songs on behalf of the songwriters they represent. The NMPA is the leading trade association in the United States for music publishers, and advocates for their interests, as well as for their songwriter partners, by protecting, upholding, and advancing their valuable copyrights. The Harry Fox Agency, Inc., a subsidiary of the NMPA, is the premier U.S. mechanical rights organization. About HFA Established in 1927 by the National Music Publishers’ Association, HFA represents over 27,000 U.S. music publishers for their mechanical licensing needs, issuing licenses and collecting and distributing royalties. HFA also provides collection and monitoring services to its U.S. publisher clients for music distributed and sold in over 75 territories around the world. For more information about HFA, or to become an affiliate publisher or a licensee, see www.harryfox.com. Media Contact: Laurie Jakobsen, 212-834-0133, ljakobsen@harryfox.com. |
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