Mondo.NYC Speaker
Monika A. Tashman
Partner, Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP
Monika Tashman is a Manatt Entertainment partner in the firm’s New York City office. With a broad-based practice spanning over 25 years in the music and entertainment industries, she advises and provides creative, pragmatic solutions for clients at the intersection of entertainment and innovation—from entrepreneurial artists and innovative record labels to emerging entertainment-focused companies and experiential music production companies. Monika’s practice focuses on transformative deals—those that strategically expand organizations, business models and brands. She is a creative problem-solver, unflinching advocate for her clients and strategic consultant that specializes in negotiating “smart” contracts that stand the test of time, especially in the face of evolving business models. Monika brings a fresh energy to each engagement, always seeking to integrate, streamline and modernize the often siloed ways of approaching law and business. She guides clients through tough business decisions and legal challenges to maximize monetization and find new growth opportunities and revenue streams. Monika prides herself on doing purpose-driven work and being on the cutting edge of dealmaking. With experience in live music, recorded music, publishing, emerging entertainment companies, literary and film, her clients include multiplatform talent as well as boundary-pushing entertainment companies. Monika is actively involved in the emerging companies and technologies startup space. She guides content creators and new media companies not only through complex legal issues but also through new business growth opportunities, providing strategic advice on innovative brand development to help them succeed in the digital world. She is also a certified executive coach, advising clients on business strategies and leadership growth. As a result of her multidisciplinary background in both the legal and nonlegal sectors of entertainment, Monika is uniquely positioned to advise her clients from the perspectives of various stakeholders, giving her clients the competitive edge they need. She has been featured in several industry publications, including Billboard and Variety, and in national news publications such as USA Today and The New York Times. She is active in the GRAMMY Music Education Coalition and is a member of the Advisory Board for Women in Music. Named to Billboard’s 2019 Women in Music Top Executives list, Monika is a widely respected thought leader on music business and diversity in the industry and an in-demand speaker at industry conferences.
CLE: Rites of Passage: Licensing Rights for Emerging Platforms
10/14/22, 8:00 PM
As gaming platforms, the metaverse, new social networks, and other innovative technologies gain prevalence, it is essential that these companies license all required music rights on a global scale and that rightsholders are able to collect the resulting payments. This panel will take a deep dive into the current global licensing landscape, exploring the challenges that technology companies face when launching new platforms and apps, best practices in licensing, opportunities for improvement in the market, direct licensing vs. CMOs, and issues with cross-border royalty collections. (Mondo attendees are welcome to attend all CLE panels.)
CLE: Policy Shifts and their Ripple Effects
10/14/22, 2:00 PM
In the past year there were a number of significant developments to music-related policies and commercial standards. Why do these changes matter and what will be their economic and business impact? This panel will analyze these recent developments and their potential effects on monetization, legal agreements, and business practices. Topics will include the increase in the statutory mechanical royalty rate, the Free Artists from Industry Restrictions bill pending in California, the implementation of Article 17 in Europe, the proposed SMART Act, major labels forgiving unrecouped royalty balances for legacy artists, and BMG's removal of controlled composition clauses. (Mondo attendees are welcome to attend all CLE panels.)
Better, Stronger and Recouping Faster: The Super Powers of the Audit
10/15/21, 8:00 PM
There are few rights in any contract that have the power, the might, or the righteousness of the audit. It has the power to expose human errors, bad business practices, and outdated customs. It can accelerate income, facilitate communication, and expose systemic problems. Audits are essential to good business hygiene and to getting artists paid what they are due, but they are especially important if you are contemplating an asset sale and want to maximize a catalog’s valuation. This roundtable discussion will include when and how to initiate an audit, what to expect during the process, and how you can ensure you are harnessing its full potential to improve your business and its bottom line.
CLE: Riddles, Risks and the Road Back to Live: Legal Issues in Live Entertainment
10/16/20, 8:00 PM
What is the only thing that the medical experts, government officials, big thinkers, entrepreneurs, and most of the general public can agree on? That an indoor live show will be the signal that things have returned to pre-pandemic normal. The riddle that we will puzzle out is how do we get there and what will it take? We will explore COVID-19 transmission risks and liability associated with live events, the success or failure of the latest mitigation and containment efforts, the challenges of routing tours through ever shifting government mandates, shutdowns, and hotspots, the privacy issues associated with various risk mitigation measures, the changing economics for all stake holders, the use of technology in venues and the evolving role of virtual reality, and the possibilities and pitfalls of re-imagining the venue, the performance and the live experience.