Jason has worked extensively within the entertainment industry since the mid 1990s. His experience spans nearly all aspects of the music industry including artist management, record label promotions and operations, performing as a professional musician, and representing various artists, music industry executives, professional athletes and sports teams in his capacity as a lawyer. Jason co-founded the Firm in June 2011.

Jason’s current clients include Grammy, Emmy, Tony, CMA, ACM and Dove Award nominated/winning artists, songwriters and producers, record companies, record label executives, film/tv/Broadway authors and composers, and music publishers in all genres, as well as professional athletes and sports organizations.  He was selected to membership in The Order of Barristers in 2004 for demonstrating exceptional skill in trial & oral advocacy as well as brief writing.  He has been named one of Billboard Magazine’s “Power Players: 30 Under 30” and 50 Attorneys of Note, and has been selected by Super Lawyers since 2012.

Jason’s practice focuses on the representation of clients in the negotiation of various entertainment contracts, film/television and Broadway agreements, protection of intellectual property rights for professional sports entities, and representation in federal copyright and trademark infringement litigation.  Some of his past successful litigation efforts include representation of the Backstreet Boys against Conde Nast during the Lou Pearlman bankruptcy/Ponzi scheme saga, as well as the Albert E. Brumley heirs (author of “I’ll Fly Away”), which resulted in a landmark ruling in their favor in a federal court copyright termination case at trial (2010) and again at retrial (2014) following appeal, which was ultimately affirmed by the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals (2016). In 2018, he secured a successful arbitration panel verdict against ASCAP on behalf of a songwriter after ASCAP wrongfully withheld distributions from the songwriter post-resignation.  He is passionate about vigorously advocating for songwriters, publishers and artists with respect to their intellectual property.

Jason currently focuses a significant portion of his practice representing successful songwriters and publishers in the sale of their music catalogs.  He served as lead counsel for BBR Music Group/Magic Mustang Music in the sale of BBR/Magic Mustang to BMG in 2017, which, at the time, was the largest sale of an independent label/publisher in the Nashville music industry.  In 2022, Jason was featured in MusicRow Magazine’s “My Music Row Story” and was honored with the Paul M. May Meritorious Service Award from Stetson University College of Law. He celebrated the successful opening of one of his client’s critically acclaimed Broadway musical “Shucked” in 2023, which received nine Tony Award nominations.

Jason is a frequent guest speaker on entertainment and legal issues. He is a former adjunct professor at Belmont University’s Curb College of Entertainment & Music Business and adjunct professor of law at Stetson University College of Law in Gulfport, FL. He also serves on Stetson University College of Law’s Board of Overseers and The Charles A. Dana Law Center Foundation’s Board of Directors.

EDUCATION
Belmont University, B.B.A., cum laude
Stetson University College of Law, J.D., cum laude

BAR ADMISSIONS
Florida
Tennessee

COURT ADMISSIONS
United States Supreme Court
U.S. Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit
U.S. District Court, Middle District Florida
U.S. District Court, Southern District Florida
U.S. District Court, Middle District Tennessee

AFFILIATIONS
Florida Bar
Tennessee Bar
Nashville Bar
Academy of Country Music (ACM)
Country Music Association (CMA)
National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS)

REPORTED CASES
McGregor v. InTune Music Grp., 2017 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 186502 (S.D. Fla., Nov. 9, 2017) (dismissing copyright infringement action against multiple international music aggregators/distributors); Adopted by McGregor v. InTune Music Grp., 2017 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 199041 (S.D. Fla., Dec. 1, 2017)
Jackson Brumley, et al v. Albert E. Brumley & Sons, Inc.
Case No. 3:08-1193 (M.D. Tenn, May 18, 2011) (holding that the Brumley heirs possessed the requisite percentage to terminate and had filed a proper Notice of Termination for “I’ll Fly Away”); aff’d Brumley v. Albert E. Brumley & Sons, Inc., 822 F.3d 926 (6th Cir. 2016)
Telos Holdings, Inc. d/b/a Point Classics v. Cascade, GmbH et al.
2009 US Dist. LEXIS 96687 (MD Tenn., Oct. 19, 2009)
Carter/Backstreet Boys, et al v. Condé Nast Publications
983 So.2d 23 (Fla. 5th DCA 2008)

DISTINCTIONS/COMMUNITY SERVICE

Board of Overseers, Stetson University College of Law (2018-present)
    – Board of Overseers, Vice-Chair (2024 to present); Secretary (2022-2024)
    – Executive Committee (2022 to present)
    – Finance Committee (2019 to present); Chairperson (2022 to present)
Board of Directors, The Charles A. Dana Law Center Foundation (2020-present)
    – Chairperson (2023-present)
Leadership Council, GracePointe Church (2018-2023)
    – Chairperson (2018-2020; 2022-2023)
Paul M. May Meritorious Service Award, Stetson University College of Law (2022)
Super Lawyers Mid-South (2012-present)
Top 50 Attorneys of Note in the Music Biz, Billboard (2014)
Billboard’s “Power Players: 30 Under 30” (2007)
Adjunct Professor, Belmont University Curb College of Entertainment & Music Business
Adjunct Professor of Law, Stetson University College of Law
The Order of Barristers (2004)

PUBLICATIONS/MEDIA MENTIONS/AWARDS

Music Asset Sales – Why and When to Do Them (or not!) – Morgan Stanley Global Sports & Entertainment Summit panelist (October 24, 2023)
Country Hitmaker Shane McAnally’s Songwriting and Producing Catalog Acquired by CTM Outlander, Variety (June 8, 2023)
Paul M. May Meritorious Service Award, Stetson University College of Law (June 23, 2022)
My Music Row Story, MusicRow Magazine (June 1, 2022)
A Larger Piece of the Pie: The Legal Landscape Surrounding the Growth of Independent Record Labels and Music Publishers, Nashville Bar panelist (December 6, 2019)
The Epic Story of a Grammy Winner, $204,613 – and a Legal Battle With Ramifications for Songwriters Everywhere, Music Business Worldwide (October 21, 2019)
Know the Deal: The Ins and Outs of Publishing Contracts, AIMP panelist (July 31, 2018)
Who Is Shane McAnally And Why Is He So Mad At ASCAP?, Variety (March 16, 2018)
Shane McAnally’s $1.3M Dispute with ASCAP Heading to Arbitration, Tennessean (March 13, 2018)
Country Hitmaker Shane McAnally’s Dispute with ASCAP Puts ‘Premium Payments’ in Spotlight, Billboard (March 13, 2018)
Evangelicals Split Over Trump’s Personal Life, CNN (March 2, 2017)
Streaming: Silver Lining or Financial Ruin?, Nekst.biz (June 5, 2014)
Publishers Revive the Art of Artist Development, Nekst.biz (April 10, 2014)
Family Spat Over Rights to Gospel Classic Won’t ‘Fly Awaty’, Law360 (August 15, 2013)
The Virtual Estate: Identifying and Protecting a Firm’s Digital Assets, The ElderLaw Report (July/August 2013)
Music and the Courtroom, Country Weekly (May 21, 2012)
‘I’ll Fly Away’ Lawsuit Has Big Stakes, The Tennessean (July 13, 2011)
Working Together To Save The Music, Billboard (October 17, 2009)
Talent on the Rise: 30 Under 30, Billboard (August 25, 2007)
Mogul’s Demise Trips Up Artists, St. Petersburg Times, (July 31, 2007)
Trans-Continental Artists Caught in Limbo, St. Petersburg Times. (July 21, 2007)
Backstreet Boys Still Got It Goin’ On, St. Petersburg Times (May 21, 2007)