John Benedict | Serena Benedict

Assisted By Sebastian Davey

John Benedict

John Benedict has been actively engaged in the music and entertainment industries for over 20 years. After a formal commercial training in the law firm of Paisner & Co he started his professional career in the industry in 1980 in a group of companies specialising in music, films and video (Arcade, Gem Records and GTO Films) he quickly learnt the art of deal making in the buying and selling of rights, and the exploitation of these rights.

Whilst at Polygram Films and Polygram Music Video John continued to pioneer the development of contracts dealing with new industry issues relating to the production, acquisition and distribution of music. He went on to be Director of Business Affairs at Chrysalis and MCA Records, following which he set up Benedicts as a specialist entertainment legal practice.

He was Managing Director of China Records until its sale to Warners and is co-founder of the specialist multimedia music companies Just Music and Just Publishing. He joined Denton Wilde Sapte (DWS) as a Consultant at the beginning of 2001 and whilst remaining a Consultant at DWS, he relocated to West London where he re-established Benedicts, representing talent, corporate and independent clients.

John sits on the AIM Rights Committee and also runs a legal surgery for AIM and its members under the pseudonym of Dr John and is the author of the AIM Guide to Survival and Success in the Music Business as well as being a regular contributor to various industry publications, including MusicAlly. He has chaired a number of conferences, most recently including part of “Music and Technology: Visions For the Future” conference at the RSA and a number of conferences at In The City and at Denton Wilde Sapte.

In 2004 he was nominated and elected a Fellow of the Royal Society for Arts (FRSA) for his services to the arts.

He has extensive hands-on knowledge of both the workings and people in the music industry. He has legal expertise in all aspects of the music industry – both in the physical world and online – and all the related aspects of intellectual property.

He has wide ranging experience of transactions over the years including just some of the following recent transactions:-

Large and small independent record labels:

Advising on:

Large and small independent production companies:

Advising on:

Large and small independent music publishers:

Advising on:

Talent

ARTISTS
Advising on:

MANAGEMENT
Advising on:

Digital Music Service Providers:

Advising on:

Digital Facilitators / Aggregators:

Advising on:

Film / TV Production Company:

Advising on:

Video Production:

General:

Association of Independent Music (AIM)

On Rights Committee advising on:

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