By Jason Pollak
I recently had the pleasure of interviewing entertainment lawyer Steve Gordon. He has over 20 years of experience as a lawyer in the entertainment field and currently runs and operates his own high profile law firm in NYC. However, no success story is complete without humble beginnings. While still in law school, at NYU, Mr. Gordon battled high profile cases that dealt with the right of privacy versus the first amendment, later co-wrote a book on entertainment law, battled on behalf of gay rights and also worked for the famous Dino De Laurentiis in Hollywood. That sounds like a great career for some people, however, that barely scratches the surface of Mr. Gordon’s illustrious career.
After paying his dues at these firms, Mr. Gordon went on to work for SESAC, which is now one of the biggest performing rights firms in the world. From there he went on to represent Atlantic-Elektra records, which eventually opened the doors to a dream job at Sony Records where he was Director of Business Affairs. During this time, Tommy Mottola and Sony was at it’s peak. They were moving millions of copies of Michael Jackson, Mariah Carey and Pearl Jam records. Business was booming. However, due to the new age of technology, the dream ride took a right at the fork in the road. Not to be deterred, Mr. Gordon developed a keen sense of music and technology, which allowed him to continue his passion of law and music. Without even a hiccup, Mr. Gordon went on to start his own successful entertainment firm where he is now his own boss.
With a unique love for music and the natural ability to adapt to an ever changing world, Mr. Gordon now deals with companies such as MTV, Time Life Films, Soul Train Holdings and other big name music labels. He currently specializes in, but is not limited to, music licensing, music clearance, television production and negotiating artist contracts. His masterful understanding of music, business and technology has even led him to author his own book “The Future of the Music Business”.
Be sure to read the interview below as we discuss his career from beginning to end. From Supreme Court to Sony Records to Steve Jobs, Mr. Gordon’s tale is one of fancy and fact. If you ever wondered where the music world is heading in the next 10 years and what in fact goes on behind the big closed doors at record labels, now is your chance to find out!
Keep reading for the full interview after the jump.
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