Head of Weil’s Intellectual Property & Media practice Benjamin Marks and IP/Media partner Todd Larson were named among Billboard’s 2022 Top Music Lawyers list – the second consecutive year each received this honor.

Billboard highlighted that “Marks and Larson are on the front lines of the battle over royalty rates,” and recognized their continued work advising Sirius XM and Pandora Media in numerous royalty rate-setting proceedings before the Copyright Royalty Board. The profile called out Benjamin’s successful work leading Pandora’s successful D.C. Circuit appeal that vacated the CRB’s rate determination for the statutory license for mechanical rights for on-demand streaming services (Phonorecords III). It also highlighted how, in Web V, following a complex six-week trial before the CRB, Benjamin and Todd secured favorable royalty rates for radio-style webcasting for Pandora and Sirius XM, which were well below those proposed by the recorded music industry advocates.

Billboard also noted that Benjamin and Todd believe that podcasting will be “the next frontier in the battleground for the ears and dollars of music fans.”

The Top Music Lawyers list comprises leading music attorneys selected annually by Billboard’s editors. For the full list, please visit Billboard.