Mondo.NYC Speaker
Clara Kim
EVP & Chief Legal and Business Affairs Officer, ASCAP
Clara Kim is EVP & Chief Legal and Business Affairs Officer of ASCAP, one of the largest performance rights organizations in the world, representing more than one million songwriters, composers and publishers and more than 20 million works. Clara is a key driver of groundbreaking licensing deals on behalf of ASCAP members with major audio and audio-visual streaming services such as Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon, Netflix, Hulu and MAX, major television media groups such as Disney/ABC, NBC/Universal and Paramount/CBS, and with the local television and radio industries. She also plays a major role in deals securing and retaining ASCAP members such Tate McRae, Kacey Musgraves, Jay Z, Justin Tranter, Jack White, Neil Young and more. Clara has oversight of the Business and Legal Affairs team in protecting ASCAP’s legal and business interests globally and is responsible for ASCAP’s compliance with the Consent Decree entered into with the U.S. Department of Justice, as well as antitrust laws generally. She is instrumental in negotiations for ASCAP with music and industry stakeholders and is a leader in ASCAP’s efforts with Capitol Hill lawmakers to protect the copyrights of music creators and the market value of public performance rights with respect to Artificial Intelligence (AI) and other matters.
Clara has been named one of Billboard’s Top Music Lawyers for ten consecutive years since 2016 and has been among the top entertainment lawyers featured in Variety’s Music Legal Elite and Legal Impact Report. In 2023, she was named as one of the top 25 LGBTQ+ movers and shakers in the music industry and in 2021, she was recognized by Variety as one of 10 AAPI executives making an impact in the music industry. Prior to ASCAP, Clara held senior roles with Viacom International Inc. (now known as Paramount Global), Discovery Communications Inc, and National Geographic Channels US and International. She received her J.D. from New York University School of Law.
Mondo 2025 Panels
Going Direct? Pros, Cons and Pitfalls
Friday, October 17, 2025, 9:00 AM
With the bundling of music and non-musical content, new subscription tiers, audio rich bells, synchronized video whistles and enhanced experiences, the DSPs are changing the economic realities of the current licensing system and lowering payouts to publishers and writers. Instead of fighting for higher mechanical rates, rights holders are trying to win back the rates they once thought were too low. Warner, Kobalt, Universal, AMRA, and Sony have recently announced direct deals with Spotify and additional announcements are imminent. Direct deals promise greater control, clearer visibility, and faster royalty payments but how will they benefit songwriters? What will the roles of the MLC and the PROs be and how can creators and rightsholders hold the DSPs accountable? This panel will explore how these direct deals will work in the long and short run, what the bottom-line result will be for songwriters, what the role of trade organizations and industry advocates will play in the wake of these deals, and how complex and divergent licensing frameworks might turn the tide. Will the effect of these deals rise the tide and lift all boats or sink the ship ahead of Phonograph V negotiations?