The American journalist and cultural gadfly Hunter S. Thompson once described the music business as “a cruel and shallow money trench, a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free, and good men die like dogs. There’s also a negative side.” That’s anything but a ringing endorsement, to be certain. As a writer for Rolling Stone, Thompson echoed the sentiments of artists that resented the power of the record companies and distrusted the kingmaker-businessmen (“suits”) that accompanied them.

Originally published in Law360 - October 15th, 2018.