Shakira and Nickelback.
He serves as co-counsel for Justin Timberlake.
Other clients have included Alicia Keys, Berry Gordy, Martin Lawrence, Dick Clark, Dr. Dre, Justin Timberlake and the Backstreet Boys. Among his clients outside the music world: Forbes, Penthouse, Playboy, investor Ron Perelman, MCI and Mike Tyson.
In recent years Branca has been involved in the sale of some of the music industry's most prestigious publishing catalogs, including Berry Gordy's Jobete Music, Leiber & Stoller, and the Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization.
Branca was also involved in the formation and sale of Interscope Records, the sale of Rhino Records, and represented Rick Rubin and his American Recordings label. He also has served as counsel to numerous music industry investors, including Vivendi, Matsushita and Richard Branson.
Music publishing
In 1985, Branca facilitated one of the most famous music publishing deals in history, the purchase of ATV Music Publishing for Michael Jackson.
In 2008, changes in the tax law that allowed songwriters to pay a small capital gains tax instead of a larger income tax prompted Branca to advise some of his clients that this was the perfect time to sell their music publishing catalogs, thereby establishing new precedents in valuation. Ensuing sales included: Kurt Cobain and Nirvana copyrights; Steve Tyler's Aerosmith publishing catalog of 160 songs to Primary Wave Music Publishing for $50 million; Julian Lennon's share of The Beatles' royalties, and the catalog of the legendary song-writing team of Leiber & Stoller to Sony/ATV, which created a new yardstick by which the worth of catalogs was measured. He also sold Berry Gordy's Jobete Music to EMI, which changed the method and standard by which catalogs were valued.
In 2009, Branca beat out Wall Street investment banking houses to represent the Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization and sold their catalog for an excess of $200 million, despite predictions by the Wall Street Journal and others that the catalog wouldn't fetch more than $150 million.
He also represented Sony Corporation of America in the $2.2 Billion acquisition of EMI Music Publishing and EMI and Sony/ATV in the sale of the Virgin Music catalogue.
In addition, Branca helped songwriters such as Don Henley of The Eagles regain copyrights of their songs, or to help them secure royalties that they've lost, as he did with John Fogerty of Creedence Clearwater Revival.
These deals prompted Marty Bandier, CEO and chairman of Sony/ATV Music Publishing, to call Branca the "number one music publishing lawyer in the country."
Personal life
At Branca's first wedding, Michael Jackson was Best Man and Little Richard Penniman served as minister.
Branca currently lives in the gated community of Beverly Park in Los Angeles, California. His home has been described as a palatial estate that "resembles a vine-covered Italian villa" with such celebrities as Rod Stewart, Brian Wilson, Sylvester Stallone, Eddie Murphy and Denzel Washington living nearby.
He has two sons, John Connor and Dylan Gregory from his second marriage, and a daughter, Jessica, from his first. In March, 2019, Branca married for the third time to model and actress Jenna Hurt, 34, at the Hotel Bel-Air in Los Angeles.
Public service
Branca helped Buddy Arnold form the Musicians Assistance Program, which later merged with MusiCares, which provides help to members of the music industry who need treatment for drug and alcohol addiction, as well as assistance for other financial, medical and personal crises. He currently serves as Chair Emeritus of Musicares. For his support, the Grammy Foundation honored him with its 2012 Service Award. Additionally, he is on the Board of the Grammy Museum, the Board of Trustees of Occidental College and on the Executive Committee of UCLA's Pauley Pavilion Renovation Campaign Committee, the goal of which is to transform the pavilion into a world-class sports and cultural facility for the university and community. Branca is a member of the Advisory Council for the Barack Obama Scholars Program at Occidental College.
Through his work on behalf of Jackson's Estate Branca has become outspoken advocate of protecting the deceased from defamation. At a June, 2019, UCLA Law School panel titled “Truth Be Told? Documentary Films Today,” Branca stated: “The purpose of the First Amendment is supposedly getting at the truth, but the lack of defamation protection for an individual no longer living isn’t helpful in that regard. If copyright protection is life plus 75 years, there’s no reason a defamation suit shouldn’t be life plus 20, 30 or even 40 years.”
Branca is a Distinguished Alumni of Los Angeles City College. He also co-founded Club 42, an integrated youth baseball league honoring Jackie Robinson, a teammate and friend of Branca's uncle, Ralph, on the Brooklyn Dodgers, and Branca serves as a director of the Jackie Robinson Foundation.
In 2020, Branca was named to the Inaugural Board of Advisors for the Dean of the Herb Albert School of Music at UCLA.
Hobbies
Branca is an ardent baseball card collector, and has many rare cards. He also has a noted collection of Italian antiques, and is an ardent basketball and music fan.
Sources
- Website: www.johnbranca.com
- Musicares and Musicians' Assistance Program Merge To Provide Assistance [1]
- The Emotions and Magnificence of John Branca's Card Collection [2]
- John Branca Represents Musicians [3]
- Recording Stars Challenge Record Labels [4]
- Southern California Super Lawyers Magazine – 2005 – Profile of John Branca
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John Branca
