Music Row Dealmakers

Send us Fan Mail In this special announcement, Dealmaker Barry Neil Shrum discusses the upcoming conversion to the YouTube Channel Music Row Dealmakers and the new video format. Support the show

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Music Row Dealmakers , hosts Barry Shrum and Dennis Disney discuss the Supreme Court’s seminal 1964 case of New York Times v. Sullivan , which established that a public figure must prove “actual malice” on the part of a publisher to win a defamation claim. Several conservative justices have signaled an interest in revisiting this standard. Barry and Dennis break...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, the Music Row Dealmakers discuss the 18 Million Dollar verdict against their client, the defendant Ryan Upchurch, in the recent case in Middle District Court brought by Robertson and Rodni, relatives of Kylie Rodni. Support the show

Send us Fan Mail The Story of New York's Tin Pan Alley and its role in the evolution of music industry.   The Tin Pan Alley area of New York housed a collection of music publishers and songwriters located on West 28th Street in New York City, between Fifth and Sixth Avenues,  It became the birthplace of the modern music industry, where the concept of the song as a marketable product was devel...

Send us Fan Mail Music Row Dealmakers Barry Neil Shrum and Dennis Disney hotly debate the 9-0 decision by the Supreme Court to overturn the 1 Billion Dollar copyright infringement verdict in Sony Music Entertainment v. Cox Communications, exploring the roots of the conflict and prior Supreme Court opinions, as well as of Betamax and Grokster, as well as the decisions implications on the Digital Mi...

Send us Fan Mail Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, predicts that in the near future all "knowledge" -based careers - what he refers to as "bullshit" jobs - will be replaced by AI.  Recently, an AUSA in the Eastern District of North Carolina, was sanctioned for using AI in the drafting of his brief, where the "hallucinations" of AI created false citations and made up legal pr...

Send us Fan Mail Dealmakers Barry Neil Shrum, Esq. and Dennis Glenn Disney Esq. discuss the 9th Circuit's recent opinion in the Sedlik v. Kat Von D case involving Jeffery Sedlik's famous "Shh" photograph of Miles Davis, which Kat Von D tatooed on the arm of her friend.  In the 9th's opinion, there were two concurring opinions which bemoaned the application of the "int...

Send us Fan Mail Music Row Dealmakers Barry Neil Shrum & Dennis Disney discuss the NO FAKES and the American Music Fairness bills that are currently sitting in committees in the Senate and the House.  Support the show

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, co-host Barry Shrum looks at MRD's future plans for Music Row Dealmaker episodes, new features, and new related podcasts. Support the show

Send us Fan Mail  In this of Music Row Dealmakers, from composing to closing - the first of Season 2 - your hosts Barry Shrum & Dennis Disney discuss whether certain terms of the traditional recording agreement are unconscionable.  The doctrine of unconscionability is a contract law doctrine that states that a contract can be considered invalid if it is "shocking or unfair" in its wo...

Send us Fan Mail For the holidays, Music Row Dealmakers is rebroadcasting one of our most popular episodes on the Godfather of NIL, Mark Roesler, in which Dealmakers Barry Neil Shrum and Dennis Disney discuss how Roesler negotiated his way into representing the estate of James Dean & Marilyn.  They share their experience with deals involving this lesser-known personal and property right. Suppo...

Send us Fan Mail Judiciary Subcommittees consider New Legislation to Amend Copyright Act called the American Music Fairness Act.  Yesterday, December 9, 2025, none other than Kiss’ Gene Simmons testified in support of this legislation at a hearing entitled   "Balancing the Interests of Local Radio, Songwriters, and Performers in the Digital Age," conducted on Capitol Hill in Washington,...

Send us Fan Mail Join us for the 12th episode of Music Row Dealmakers, where Barry and Dennis continue their exploration of the “Holy Grail” of the music industry, the exclusive songwriting agreement, examining some of the more controversial provisions of the traditional recording agreement and discussing how the paradigm shifts in the industry have affected their application.  Support the show

Send us Fan Mail In Episode 11, Mr. Shrum and Mr. Disney discuss how cases like McGraw v. Curb and Williams v. Polygram shape the language of the recording agreement. Support the show

Send us Fan Mail The dealmakers discuss the importance of the contractual relationship between an artist and their personal manager.  Some of these relationships, such as Col. Tom Parker and Elvis Presley, can last longer than most marriages and often involve more complexities.  Barry and Dennis explore some of the most critical and impactful provisions of the personal management agreements, inclu...

Send us Fan Mail The Music Row Dealmakers Barry Neil Shrum and Dennis Disney discuss how the godfather of “NIL” - the modern acronym for rights of publicity - negotiated his way into representing the estate of James Dean & Marilyn.  They share their experience with deals involving this lesser-known personal and property right. Support the show

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, the Dealmakers Barry Neil Shrum and Dennis Glenn Disney explore  The Escapades of Iconic Dealmaker Frank Sinatra, a/k/a “The Chairman of the Board” of Reprise Records .   Sinatra garnered the title of "Chairman" when he established Reprise Records, which was later acquired by Warner Bros.   Support the show

Send us Fan Mail In the early 20th century, Sarnoff led RCA to the pinnacle of the radio industry, and later laid the technological foundations for the recording and television industries, ultimately forming entertainment icons such as RCA Victor, RKO and NBC.  His legal battles against Philo Farnsworth, the inventor the image-dissecting cathode ray tube, are legendary. Support the show

Send us Fan Mail The Story of New York's Tin Pan Alley and its role in the evolution of music industry.   The Tin Pan Alley area of New York housed a collection of music publishers and songwriters located on West 28th Street in New York City, between Fifth and Sixth Avenues,  It became the birthplace of the modern music industry, where the concept of the song as a marketable product was devel...

Send us Fan Mail Dealmakers Barry and Dennis explore CC. Pyles’ famous International Intercontinental Race, a/k/a “The Bunion Derby, and his creation of nationwide “on-the-spot” dealmaking, a precursor to the types of deals made in today's modern and complicated entertainment touring environment. Support the show

Send us Fan Mail Charlie "Cash & Carry" Pyle trains his dealmaking skills on the world of professional tennis, entering a deal with 5x French Wimbledon champion Suzanne Lenglen, establishing the precursor to the ATP and WTA Tennis Tours of the 21st Century. Support the show

Send us Fan Mail In his book Cash and Carry: The Spectacular Rise and Hard Fall of C.C. Pyle, America’s First Sports Agent, biographer Jim Reisler described Pyle as a combination of “the talents of P.T. Barnum, Don King, Col. Tom Parker and Oral Roberts.”  In this episode of Music Row Dealmakers, from composing to closing, Shrum & Disney discuss Pyle's first successful deal with NFL Hall...

Send us Fan Mail Our first iconic dealmaker is Frank Dileo, who was Michael Jackson’s manager through the Thriller and Bay World years and executed some of the most iconic deals in the music business.  Support the show

Send us Fan Mail This pilot episode answers the question "who are the dealmakers?"  In it, your co-hosts, Barry Neil Shrum and Dennis Glenn Disney - of Shrum Disney & Associates in Music City - explain the types of deals they’ve done over their 80 collective years in the business, in particular in the deals in the entertainment and music spaces.  They talk about their experience and...