Midweek Music Update: Wednesday 12 November 2025
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Overview
We have unparalleled knowledge and a great depth of experience that we can draw upon in offering strategic and commercial advice on a wide range of activities, from contract drafting and negotiation services to undertaking advisory work and dispute resolution across the whole music industry.
Our client base is wide-ranging. It includes major record companies, international publishers, artists, bands and DJs, writers and composers, managers, producers, mixers, merchandisers, collecting societies, trade associations, digital businesses, agents, promoters and studios. We advise new artists and entrepreneurs as well as playing a part in some of the most sophisticated transactions and complex disputes in the business.
The experience of our music lawyers and the availability of other specialists within the firm gives us the unique ability to assemble at short notice dedicated multidisciplinary teams for each specific job.
Expertise
Our areas of expertise include the following:
- Recorded music
- Publishing
- Management
- Agency
- Touring and live
- Merchandising and licensing
- Sponsorship and endorsement
- Band relations
- Digital licensing
- Neighbouring rights
- Collecting societies
- Acquisitions
- Clearances
- Music for film & TV
- Corporate arrangements
- Disputes / infringements
- Reputation protection
KEY CONTACT
KEY CONTACTS
Our lawyers have in-depth music expertise and deliver high-quality, pragmatic and commercial advice.
Euan Lawson
Partner
Euan Lawson
Partner
Every lawyer I have worked with has been friendly, approachable and willing to listen.
They were incredibly understanding of our unique needs and collaborated in a very flexible way. I would describe the team as very approachable and capable – they took time to listen to our requirements and made recommendations accordingly.
High standards, good, transparent communication between team members, excellent understanding of the issues, plus a can-do attitude. Part of the firm’s culture is an awareness of cost, and the farming out of work to the most reasonably-priced resource.
Simkins is unquestionably one of the leading specialist teams in this sector. They have extensive experience and a detailed understanding of this field and the music industry generally. There are few firms who can match them.
The Simkins music team has almost unrivalled sector expertise - there is nothing they don't know about music law! They have a stellar client list, ranging from emerging talent to global icons, and from self-releasing artists and composers to the major record labels and publishers and the UK music collective management organisations. They are able to provide high-quality, pragmatic, commercial advice on the knottiest of issues.
They are very experienced in the unique nature of the music industry as well as being exceptional advisers on underlying law. This meeting of the legal and practical distinguishes them.
