Launched in the UK in 2018, Hipgnosis Song Fund was touted as a groundbreaking opportunity for investors and musicians alike. By buying song catalogs directly from artists, Hipgnosis provided musicians with immediate cash. The Fund offered investors the opportunity own a piece of music history and receive long-term predictable income that wasn't correlated with the stock market. Although the Fund might have looked like an investment in artists and their music, in the US, many investments in artists and their music are securities. Learn how musicians can unwittingly find themselves needing to navigate the complex web of securities laws.
Read MoreA DC landlord recently paid a $700,000 settlement in a source of income discrimination involving housing vouchers. However, rather than discriminating against tenants withe vouchers, DC alleged that the landlord favored those tenants because the vouchers paid higher rent that was permitted under DC's rent control law. This case highlights how rent control eventually can harm the rental housing market by interfering with the natural real estate economic cycle, which addresses both escalating rents and housing shortages by adding rental units to the market. Read the blog to learn more about how rent control can harm housing markets and communities and isn't the best way to address rent increases.
Read MoreIssuers who don't use licensed brokers to sell their securities are best served by complying with the issuer exemption under Rule 3a4-1.
Read MoreEffective December 1, 2025, FinCEN is expanding anti-money laundering reporting beyond a few “high-risk” markets to all entities purchasing residential real estate without financing from a bank or certain institutional mortgage lenders.
Read MoreCabaret cards, music royalty structures, sales quotas, and an American Federation of Musicians strike all started with good intentions but brought with them unintended consequences that transformed their industries that weren’t always positive. However, with proper planning and foresight, policy makers can foresee and prevent unintended consequences.
Read MoreSection 1031 exchange proceeds must be invested in direct property ownership, not in a real estate fund structured as a partnership. Delaware Statutory Trusts can be structured to allow Section 1031 investors to invest in the same property as a real estate fund, but to qualify for Section 1031 exchange, DSTS must comply with signfiicant operational restrictions and remove the flexibility that generally exists with a real estate fund.
Read MoreSection 1031 exchange proceeds must be invested in direct property ownership, not in a real estate fund structured as a partnership. Although a TIC structure is a possible alternative, due to a combination of tax law and mortgage lender requirements, TICs are an alternative only under limited circumstances require careful structuring to comply with both tax and securities laws.
Read MoreCrowdfunding is a popular form of fundraising for musicians and small business because it helps build a following while also raising money. However, it’s important to know when crowdfunding becomes subject to federal securities laws and what to do about it.
Read MoreThe recent $21 Million settlement with Columbia University is one of many cases showing the EEOC's renewed focus on antisemitism and religious discrimination generally. The Columbia University settlement, as well as cases involving Sabbath observance, modesty, and COVID-19 vaccine manadates serve as a cautionary tale to employers that hostility toward an employee's religion can't be justified as a political issue. Rather, the employer must prevent hostile work environments and accommodate the employees' religious beliefs when it is possible to do so without undue hardship.
Read MoreDuring a collaboration, authors may get caught up in the creative process and not consider the legal implications of their work. However, it’s important to decide up front whether they intend to create a joint work or composite work and work with an attorney to document their intention.
Read More