AI Issue 6 2017

30 Acquisition International - June 2017 John Branca is a partner and head of the music department at Ziffren Brittenham LLP, the largest entertainment law firm in the world. He is also a proud winner of the Leading Adviser of the Year 2017 – USA award. We invited him to profile his remarkable work as the number one music publishing lawyer in USA. ounded in 1978, Ziffren Brittenham LLP specialises in negotiating, structuring and executing transactions in the entertainment and media industries, as well as providing strategic planning and consulting services. Ziffren Brittenham has long been considered the premier firm in its field and a leader in understanding and managing the rapidly evolving dynamics in the media and entertainment industries. The firm’s practice encompasses all facets of the industry and represents many talented and successful motion picture, television, sports, live stage, digital, literary and music artists, as well as financiers, production companies and programming services. Named Attorney of the Year 2016 by Billboard magazine, John Branca is recognised as one of the nation’s preeminent music industry entertainment and corporate attorneys. He also serves as co- executor of The Estate of Michael Jackson, jointly managing what the CBS news magazine ‘60 Minutes’, described as “the most remarkable financial and image resurrection in pop culture history.” Over the last 35 years, Branca has represented an unprecedented 30 inductees into the Rock N’ Roll Hall of Fame, earning a reputation for negotiating ground-breaking recording, touring and publishing deals on behalf of artists. Several of Branca’s deals have set the template for the music industry. In addition, Branca has helped artists make significant gains in their efforts to reclaim copyrights and secure royalties, representing The Beach Boys, The Doors, John Fogerty, Don Henley and others. He was called “the number one music publishing lawyer in the country” by Sony/ATV Chairman Martin Bandier. Branca also structured the sale of some of music’s most endearing publishing companies and song catalogues. A major part of Branca’s practice involves serving as a corporate, business and strategic advisor to companies and investors in the music industry. Branca has also served as an advisor about the acquisition and sale of major music companies and assets. Company: ZIFFREN BRITTENHAM LLP Name: John Branca Email: MichelleN@ ZiffrenLaw.com Web: ziffrenlaw.com Address: 1801 Century Park West Los Angeles, CA 90067 USA Phone: +1 (310) 552 6519 The Number One Music Publishing Lawyer in USA F 1705AI66 As the head of the music department at Ziffren Brittenham, Branca’s clients include Simon Cowell, Barry Gibb, The Bee Gees, Rick Rubin, Enrique Iglesias and Carlos Santana. He also oversees a team that works with Beyoncé, Justin Timberlake, Blake Shelton and Selena Gomez, among others. “We’re very involved as business and strategic advisers with our clients - to help them maximise their income - establish a business plan and help grow it,” says Branca. It was Branca who encouraged a young Michael Jackson to buy ATV Music in 1985, then a 4,000- song collection that controlled the rights to the Lennon-McCartney catalogue, as well as songs by Bruce Springsteen, Elvis Presley, Little Richard and The Rolling Stones among others. Paul McCartney could have taken ownership of his songs, but deemed the price of $47.5 million too steep. Jackson and Branca did not. They were right. Jackson put up $15 million and borrowed the balance of $32.5 million. When Sony and ATV merged in 1995, Jackson received $110 million for his 50% stake in the new entity, more than doubling his initial investment then. In 2016, Michael’s remaining stake in Sony/ATV was acquired from his estate by Sony for $750 million, making headlines around the world as the biggest deal in record business history and creating a seven-time return for Jackson. And that’s not - counting the steady annual pay-outs that totalled nearly $400 million. “Michael’s return on the Sony/ ATV investment,” says Branca, “averaged more than 30% per annum from inception in 1985 to sale.” Additionally, Branca specialises in artist re-branding and has helped numerous artists extend and expand their careers through corporate sponsorships, cross-platform projects, demographic outreach and business and investment planning. As co-executor of the Michael Jackson Estate, Mr. Branca has introduced Michael Jackson to a new generation of fans and an expanded demographic base through the release of ‘This is It’, the biggest- grossing concert film in history; two Cirque du Soleil shows, including ‘IMMORTAL’ and a permanent