Russells Solicitors

Here’s how to keep your company legally healthy as it moves forward in its corporate life ⬇️ Mark Sanders (Partner, Russells Solicitors) has five tips: 1. Get familiar with Companies House obligations 2. Be on top of record keeping and documenting corporate actions 3. Develop a governance structure where the directors meet regularly 4. Appoint an account, possibly a tax advisor 5. Develop a ‘legal radar’. To hear about future events so you can receive more specific insights from industry leaders, subscribe to our newsletter. Check out the link in the comments below 🔗 P.S. MTUK members: our final exclusive workshop with Russells is on Thursday 21st November at 1pm, see you there! #MusicIndustry #MusicBusiness #MusicTech #Entrepreneur #Founder #Entrepreneurship #Startup #CompaniesHouse #LegalAdvice

We would like to extend our congratulations to Michael Ball and Alfie Boe who have secured their fourth Official Number 1 album on the Official Charts with “Together At Home”. The duo’s fifth album now adds to their impressive lineup of chart-toppers, which includes 2016’s Together, 2017’s Together Again, and the festive 2020 album Together At Christmas. Their 2019 release, Back Together, reached a peak position of Number 2. Follow the link in comments for more on this.

Here’s what to watch out for if your startup is starting to build its customer base ⬇️ Jamie Brazier (Associate, Russells Solicitors) shares advice on how to future-proof your data collection as your business continues to scale. To hear about future events so you can receive more specific insights from industry leaders, subscribe to our newsletter. Check out the link in the comments below 🔗 P.S. MTUK members: our final exclusive workshop with Russells is today at 1pm, see you there! #MusicIndustry #MusicBusiness #MusicTech #Entrepreneur #Founder #Entrepreneurship #Startup #LegalAdvice

We are delighted to share that Russells Solicitors has been recognised in The Times Best Law Firms 2025!   A big thank you to all of our clients and to our dedicated lawyers and other staff who help them achieve outstanding results. Follow the link in comments to read more about the Guide and to access our profile.

On November 12th, Steven Tregear joined the panel at the Sports X London Summit: The Power Behind Performance, which was held at the Royal Automobile Club. Steven’s session, "Athlete as Entrepreneur: Leveraging Image Rights and NIL for Long-Term Success," explored the powerful intersection of sports, business, and branding. In a rapidly evolving landscape where athletes are increasingly seen as entrepreneurs, Steven shared valuable insights on how they can maximise their image rights and Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) opportunities to build sustainable careers beyond the field. Thank you to Trusted Advisor for organising the event.

Our Dispute Resolution team is hiring! We are looking for a solicitor with at least 4 years PQE wanting to progress their career in a leading media and entertainment law firm. The role will involve working on some of the most interesting and high-profile intellectual property and general commercial disputes in Music, Film, TV & Theatre (amongst other sectors) for Russells' established and expanding client roster. The successful candidate will require excellent technical skills, have a strong understanding of intellectual property law (especially copyright),and work effectively in high performance teams. If this is you, please submit your CV for the attention of Joanne Cocozza by email to: joanne.cocozza@russells.co.uk. #hiring

Here’s what to consider if you’re using third party music rights on your platform ⬇️ Alexander Cole (Partner, Russells) invites you to consider the following variables: 🔵 What music are you using - the publishing and the recording rights or is it more limited? 🔵 Within the copyrights, what controls are being exploited or what rights are being exploited? 🔵 What territories are involved – do you know where people are going to be accessing or listening to this music? 🔵 What is the role of the listener more generally? Are they able to decide for themselves what music they listen to, or is it more limited, or no interactivity whatsoever? 🔵 Is music being consumed in the form in which it was recorded or delivered to the platform or is there a UGC element like YouTube?  🔵 Is the music being used to train AI? To hear about future events so you can receive more specific insights from industry leaders, subscribe to our newsletter. Check out the link in the comments below 🔗 P.S. MTUK members: our final exclusive workshop with Russells is on Thursday 21st November at 1pm, see you there! #MusicIndustry #MusicBusiness #MusicTech #Entrepreneur #Founder #Entrepreneurship #Startup #LegalAdvice #MusicRights

What is a Financial Dispute Resolution Hearing (FDR) in a Divorce? Divorce can be a stressful and emotional process, and when it comes to dividing assets, things can get even more complicated. A Financial Dispute Resolution Hearing (FDR) is an important step in the legal process, but many people are not sure what it involves or how it works.   In Louise Barretto’s latest blog, she explains how it can help resolve financial disagreements. For a detailed explanation, click the link in the comments below.

Here are 5 pointers from our second ‘From Garage Band to Global Brand’ workshop with Russells Solicitors on how music tech startups can build the legal foundations for success. ✅ If you're processing personal data to any degree, make sure you invest in proper data protection compliance regardless of your company’s stage or size; this could well get scrutinised by potential purchasers or investors further down the line. ✅ Stay on top of direct-marketing rules: ensure you have clear opt-outs in every direct-marketing email and transparent privacy documentation covering what users are signing up for - the ICO (the UK data protection regulator) is particularly hot on this. ✅ If you’re using third-party music rights in your business, then you’ll need to make sure you obtain any necessary licences. The exact licences you’ll need will ultimately depend on (among other things):  what music you’re using and how it is being exploited; who controls the relevant rights (there are likely to be multiple rightsholders even for a single song); where in the world that music is being exploited or accessed; and the nature of your service (e.g. is it a curated platform like Spotify, or a UGC platform like YouTube)? ✅Don’t treat your T&Cs as an afterthought; if you’re a consumer facing service, these might be among your most important contracts e.g. establishing the basis on which users can access your service, how you charge them etc.  ✅ Consider building dispute resolution procedures into your contracts early - they can help prevent knee-jerk reactions and costly court battles later. Thanks to Mark Sanders, Alexander Cole, Jamie Brazier, and Henry Priestley for sharing their expertise last week. Members can join us again on 21st November for the third and final part in this workshop series. #MusicTech #MusicBusiness #MusicIndustry #Innovation #Startup #Founder #Entrepreneur #LegalAdvice #Technology

EMPLOYMENT SOLICITOR VACANCY We have a fantastic opportunity for a 2+ PQE Employment Solicitor to join our firm predominantly across the media, entertainment and music industries. You can find out further details from the link in comments. If you are interested in being considered for this role, please submit your CV for the attention of Joanne Cocozza by email to: joanne.cocozza@russells.co.uk.