Face The Music: Morris Averill

Name: Morris Averill

Position: Senior Lawyer, Arts Law Centre of Australia

How did you first become involved in the music business? As a media lawyer I started doing music synchronisation and master use licenses for films. That lead to negotiating with composers for their services and the music publishing and also the sound-track album deals.

What's your area of expertise and what experience do you have? Copyright, performer's rights, moral rights of performers and songwriters. At the Arts Law Centre I provide advice to songwriters and musicians and help our subscriber members get advice on contracts and other music business issues.

What topics will you be mostly talking about at Face The Music? How songwriters, bands and performers can access the information they need for a successful career in the music business, so that music lawyers are part of the solution and not the source of the problem.

What do you hope to personally take away from Face The Music? Finding out how indie artists and recording labels are using the internet and learning what strategies songwriters, bands and performers are using to survive in the digital age.

What's one question about the music industry you'd love to have the answer to? If Neil Young says the internet is the new radio, does social media increase the willingness of consumers to pay for music downloads? Or just encourage consumers to see touring bands and buy the T-shirt?