During this year’s Women In Music Awards, we inducted trailblazing industry executives (including one posthumous award) into the Roll Of Honour, in association with TikTok.
They join a huge list of previous honourees, including some of the leading names from across the business like Kanya King, Sarah Stennett, Emma Banks, Christine Osazuwa, Rebecca Allen, Stacey Tang, and Mary Anne Hobbs, who have been selected since the awards began in 2014. The Roll Of Honour aims to shine a spotlight on the variety of individuals who are leading the charge in the music industry and consistently using their platforms to support women, or focus on empowerment and gender disparity.
Following the Women In Music Awards ceremony, Music Week is running Q&A interviews with all of this year’s Roll Of Honour inductees.
Proper Music Group’s legal & business affairs director Erika Brennan is an experienced music business lawyer and mentor whose leadership has helped empower professional women at all levels of the industry.
Throughout her career, she has undertaken roles including head of business & commercial affairs at Union Square Music and SVP Legal & Business Affairs at BMG UK, whilst at Proper, she sits on the senior leadership team, overseeing the company’s distribution and music business agreements, as well as playing a key role in its wider commercial operations. Her expertise spans masters, distribution, publishing, and catalogue acquisition and exploitation. She has been instrumental in the business’s continued success and the development of partnerships with numerous labels including FUGA, Blue Raincoat and Universal Music Group, as well as deals including last year’s £100 million opening of the UK’s largest warehouse for physical music and video. The impact of her work at Proper to support the future of UK physical distribution can be felt across the recordings sector.
Throughout her work, Brennan has championed equality and opportunity for women in the music business. She runs her own unofficial mentorship scheme that has offered guidance to numerous women, whether starting out or hoping to level up their careers.
As well as being a highly-respected professional across the industry, Brennan also qualified as a solicitor in the Media And Entertainment Department of a City firm before taking an in-house role as director of legal & business affairs at VCI Group PLC. She then co-founded The Brennan Lambeth Partnership before establishing Brennan & Co, a boutique music business law firm representing artists, managers, labels, publishers, writers and distributors.
How do you feel about joining the Music Week Women In Music Roll Of Honour this year?
“When I look back over the list of women who have been inducted into the Roll Of Honour since it began, I’m extremely proud and humbled to be part of such an exceptional group. It’s incredibly heartening to see such a diverse list from so many different areas of the business. I would like to think that no matter which genre or industry sector you work in, the Roll Of Honour makes it possible for the music business to recognise the achievements of women.”
How do you look back on your early years getting into the industry?
“With a degree of surprise! My fate was sealed when I temped as a receptionist at a West End music business law firm – I was instantly completely enthralled by the nature of the work and the clients, who came from all walks of the industry. I later qualified as a solicitor in the media department of a City Firm and made my first move in-house shortly after. Looking back, it was a pretty brave move at the time, but there was never any doubt in my mind that it was an exciting opportunity that I had to pursue.”
Did you have a mentor at that stage?
“From my very first job to now, I’ve been extremely lucky to have the guidance of a number of incredibly wise (and patient!) individuals. Without the support of Tony Morris – who I trained with at the City Firm in the early years – encouraging me to follow a legal career in the music business, my path would have been very different. Throughout my career, I’ve also sought the advice of people who I trusted and who knew me not only in terms of my strengths and weaknesses, but also my goals and aspirations. I can’t stress enough how invaluable that advice has been and how important it is for all women to have access to guidance when times are challenging.
“I’ve also been lucky enough to work alongside some incredibly impressive colleagues, including former Union Square/BMG executive Peter Stack and Proper Group’s very own Drew Hill. It's important to realise throughout your career that mentorship can take various forms and doesn’t always have to be structured.”
The music landscape has evolved a lot in the past 10 or 15 years. How do lawyers like yourself help companies to stay on top of the changing industry and consumption patterns?
“It’s so important to generally keep abreast of trends and developments in the music business and to avoid dismissing anything which doesn’t immediately appear relevant to the industry you work in. Chances are, it will be at some stage, no matter how unconnected something may appear at the time. At Proper, for example, we were quick to see changing consumption patterns and realise the value of superfans. We focused additional operational and legal resources into the D2C area of the business given that dealing with consumers, rather than B2B, requires a different skill set from a legal perspective.
“The shifts in the way music catalogues are viewed, valued, exploited and protected over the last ten years is something any music lawyer working with rights should follow. The role of an in-house lawyer, in my view, is more commercial than it’s ever been and the need to be aware of the wider commercial landscape is vital to be able to maximise and protect catalogue.
“In my view, the rise of AI is perhaps the most significant development to impact music rights in recent years and will require a unified approach supported by the implementation of industry backed legislation. Music lawyers will play a key role because whilst AI brings obvious benefits to various industry sectors, the potential damage to catalogue must be thoroughly addressed and without delay.”
How did your expertise help to navigate the company's move to its physical warehouse last year, the largest for music and video in the country? Are you excited about the growth opportunity for physical music?
“I think that my background working for labels, and latterly for Proper Group, gave me a good understanding of the operational requirements of the move which was vital for creating the legal framework. I don’t believe that you should ever shy away from areas of law which may be new to you or just very challenging, but I do think that it’s important to seek advice at the right time and from the right experts. There were numerous legal areas to address over the course of the move which were handled through a combination of in-house expertise and specialist external advice. Building the right team was integral to making the move a success. With the new warehouse now in place, I’m excited about the growth opportunities that physical music brings – physical album sales across all formats increased by 3.2% year-on-year to 8,044,760 units over the first half of 2024, and with the Bicester facility’s handling capacity now meeting demand, we’re incredibly well placed to support that growth.”
Do you think the role of lawyers is fully appreciated in the music industry? How does their work underpin successful partnerships between artists, labels and distributors?
“Now there’s a question! There have definitely been times in my career where I’ve felt that lawyers are not fully appreciated, despite making significant contributions to successful deals. However, I’m pleased to say this isn’t something that I regularly encounter. Lawyers have a tough job, we play a key role in facilitating good outcomes to difficult situations, as well as acting as gatekeepers in opting for the right call over the popular decision. To be of value, it’s important that a lawyer not only understands the ins and outs of a company, but also the business of its clients. Relationships are key, both when times are good and challenging, and it’s those relationships which underpin successful partnerships – from the inception of a deal through to its conclusion, whether that’s in relation to a catalogue acquisition or a distribution deal.”
You run an unofficial mentorship scheme, what's your approach to helping women develop their careers?
“Firstly and most importantly, it’s about understanding the person as well as their goals or challenges. It’s important to try and help equip someone to make a decision, rather than make it for them. If you aren’t best placed to assist, my stance has always been to find a trusted colleague to offer that guidance, whilst keeping a watchful eye. I also believe in being realistic and straightforward when giving advice, as well as maintaining long-term relationships with the women who I have mentored over the years.”
What’s your biggest achievement so far?
“During my time at Union Square Music, I was really proud of the success we had in catalogue acquisition and exploitation. I was lucky enough to work on deals relating to catalogues such as Stiff, ZTT, Slade, Madness and Gilbert O’Sullivan and I consider my role in that side of the business as one of my biggest achievements. Also, more recently playing a role in advising on the complex move of the distribution business to Bicester deserves a special mention.”
What advice would you offer young women about enjoying a successful career in music?
“Be determined and don’t be afraid of change. If your career isn’t quite going according to plan, take time to reevaluate and speak to someone who can offer you balanced and impartial advice. Also, never be worried about asking sensible questions – that is a sign of strength, not weakness. Building strong foundations is the key to future success.”
What’s the best advice you’ve ever had?
“There are three pieces of advice that have stayed with me. The first is to be succinct, there isn’t any value in losing a well-made point in superfluous language, which is also a fast way to lose your audience. The second is picking your battles, and the third is to try and be kind, even when challenging.”
Is there a young woman you'd like to shout out who you think is a rising star in the industry?
“Erin Kelly of Name PR. She has an impressive ability to grasp complex industry topics quickly, both with enthusiasm and focus on what is needed when providing support.”
Similarly, is there a young woman artist whose music you're enjoying right now?
“It’s got to be Olivia Dean. She’s a huge talent, both as an artist and songwriter, and I love the exceptional soul-pop on her debut album, Messy.”
Finally, what’s your biggest lesson from 2024 so far?
“Never be frightened to move out of your comfort zone.”
