AIMP Panel

Place: View Map
House of Blues
8430 Sunset Blvd.
West Hollywood. Valet parking, on site, $7. Call for directions.

From left, Alan Melina, David Lessoff, Henry Root, Greg Sowders and Robert Allen.

Photos by Liz Redwing, courtesy of House of Blues, Sunset.

Additional Speaker Information

David Lessoff is currently Vice President, Business Affairs at New West Records, one of the country’s most respected and successful independent record labels as well as the managing partner in his own legal practice based in Los Angeles, California. Prior to joining New West and forming his own legal practice, David served as a lawyer in Business Affairs at Capitol Records for 9 years, including 8 years as Capitol’s leading new media lawyer.

David's current legal work at New West and his private legal practice involves all aspects of the entertainment industry including artist recording agreements, producer and mixer agreements, film and television licensing and distribution agreements, Internet and technology related projects, advertising, branding and sponsorship agreements, video game production and licensing agreements, DVD development/production agreements, music content licensing and distribution agreements and television broadcast agreements. Last but not least, David also represents music publishers both large and small.

Alan Melina is a senior music executive with 40 years experience in the music business. He has worked with writers and artists who have sold in excess of 750 million records, and has held senior executive positions at both major, multinational music publishing corporations and at smaller independent companies, in both England and the U.S.A. Alan has signed and represented dozens of multi-platinum artists including Lady Gaga, Sade, David Bowie, Dead Or Alive (recently resurrected by Flo Rida) and The Cult.

Currently, Alan is the Managing Partner of the personal management firm New Heights Entertainment, LLC and is Managing Partner of the independent music publishing group New Heat Music. Alan also teaches Music Publishing and Management courses and provides Consultancy Services to an exclusive group of Music Industry Clients and to one Fine Art Client, The Estate of Ernie Barnes and The Company Of Art.

Alan’s producer and writer clients have many hundreds of hits to their credit, including hit singles with Lady Gaga, Justin Bieber, Jay Sean, Cast Of Glee, Enrique Iglesias, Miley Cyrus, Sean Kingston, Kat DeLuna, Kanye West, Jo-Jo, Eminem, Alicia Keys plus multiple #1 albums including recent releases by Lady Gaga and Cast of Glee plus soundtracks to the films Karate Kid, Confessions of a Shopaholic, Bring It On: Fight to the Finish, Hannah Montana, High School Musical 3, Cheetah Girls 3, the Jonas Brothers film Camp Rock, Superhero, Evan Almighty, Pink Panther, Happy Feet, Confessions Of A Shopaholic plus multiple TV themes and TV commercials and literally thousands of TV and Video Game and App licenses. Melina served as National President of the Association Of Independent Music Publishers (AIMP) for 4 years (10 years on the Board).

Greg Sowders is Senior Vice President and Head of A&R, U.S. for Warner/Chappell Music, the award-winning music publishing arm of Warner Music Group Corp. (NYSE: WMG) and one of the world’s largest music publishers. Sowders oversees the company’s A&R department in Los Angeles and New York with the exception of Urban. During his 19 years at Warner/Chappell, Sowders has played a key role in identifying and developing its leading roster of rock and alternative songwriters including Nickelback, Green Day, Disturbed, Ryan Bingham, Rufus Wainwright, Paramore and Lucinda Williams among others.

Henry W. Root is a partner in the entertainment media firm of Lapidus, Root, Franklin & Sacharow, LLP. He has over 25 years of legal and business affairs experience in the music, television and media industries. He began his legal career at MCA Records after several years of working with top internally renowned recording artists as a tour manager and lighting designer. Mr. Root has represented recording artists signed to nearly every major label as well as award-winning songwriters and producers, independent music publishers, record labels and the principal cast members of several reality TV series. Root has also overseen business and legal affairs for the delivery of programming to every major network as well as for distribution on the internet.