Erin M. Jacobson is an internationally-recognized attorney, experienced deal negotiator, and a seasoned advisor of intellectual property rights who protects musicians, songwriters, music publishers, and a wide variety of other music professionals.
Ms. Jacobson’s clients include Grammy and Emmy Award winners, legacy artists and catalogues, heirs and estates, and independent artists and companies. Ms. Jacobson regularly handles all types of agreements within the music industry, with an emphasis on music publishing and licensing, and catalogue acquisitions. In addition, she is one of the leading attorneys on copyright recapture and termination issues.
Ms. Jacobson also places special emphasis on her work with legacy clients and their catalogues, as her knowledge of both classic music and current industry practices places her in a unique position to protect and revitalize older catalogues.
Ms. Jacobson has been named as one of the “Top Music Lawyers” by Billboard, as well as a Super Lawyers Rising Star and one of the Top Women Attorneys in Southern California. In addition, Ms. Jacobson is a frequent author and speaker, and has been featured in publications including Billboard and Forbes, and on networks such as ABC and the BBC.
She has previously held positions at BUG Music and other music publishing companies, as well as several boutique music law firms where she handled many music transactional matters. Before pursuing law, she worked in the publicity department of Capitol Records, as Director of Promotions for AO Recordings, and with Rick Dees on The Weekly Top 40 Countdown.
Ms. Jacobson is the author of the book, Don’t Get Screwed! How to Protect Yourself as an Independent Musician. She also founded and owns Indie Artist Resource, the independent musician’s resource for legal and business protection. Indie Artist Resource offers templates for agreements most needed by independent musicians, as well as a variety of educational materials to empower independent musicians to make informed decisions about their careers.
Her favorite part of being an attorney is working with and counseling her talented clients. When not working, she enjoys live music, designing jewelry, and painting.
Bar Admissions
- State Bar of California
- California State Superior Courts
- United States District Court, Central District of California
Practice Areas
- Music
- Please see Services for more information
- Copyright
- Registration
- Termination
- Assignment
- Management
- Trademark
- Search
- Registration
Professional Affiliations
- Association of Independent Music Publishers (AIMP), Board of Directors, 2016 – 2022
- California Copyright Conference, Board of Directors, 2016-2019
Honors and Awards
- Top Music Lawyers List, Billboard, 2020-Present
- Super Lawyers Rising Star, 2018, 2019
- Top Women Attorneys in Southern California, SuperLawyers, 2018, 2019
Education
- Southwestern Law School
- Juris Doctor
- Course emphasis in music, copyright, and entertainment law
- Affiliations and Activities:
- Student Liaison – ABA Forum Committee on Entertainment and Sports Industries Law
- President – Entertainment and Sports Law Society
- Student Liaison – Beverly Hills Bar Association
- Contributing Writer – The Commentator
- Member – Intellectual Property Law Society
- University of Southern California
- B.A. in Psychology, Minor in Music Industry
- Honors:
- cum laude
- Dean’s List
- Affiliations and Activities:
- Disc Jockey – KSCR (with station’s highest-rated weekly radio show)
- Contributing Writer – Bandwidth
- Member – Audio Engineering Society