U.S. Music Copyright Attorney Needed to Review BES Licensing & SoundExchange Structure

We are seeking a U.S.-licensed attorney with substantial experience in music copyright and digital music licensing to advise a software company evaluating a business-to-business background-music service for commercial establishments. A mandatory deliverable for this engagement is a formal written legal memorandum or legal opinion prepared and issued by the retained attorney. We are not seeking consultation alone, an informal email summary, or a general research report. The final document should be dated, signed, and provided on the attorney’s or law firm’s letterhead. The public scope is intentionally high level. Detailed information concerning the product, technical architecture, content acquisition, business model, and planned functionality will be provided only after a conflict check and execution of appropriate confidentiality and engagement agreements. We are open to either an hourly or fixed-price arrangement, provided the engagement includes the formal written legal deliverable described below. Proposals will be reviewed on a rolling basis, and we will make every effort to consider each submission. All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply. Scope of work: - Review a confidential legal and technical brief. - Evaluate the proposed service under applicable U.S. copyright law, including 17 U.S.C. §§ 112 and 114 and the Business Establishment Service framework. - Analyze applicable sound-recording, musical-composition, public-performance, reproduction, publishing, and statutory licensing requirements. - Evaluate SoundExchange, performing-rights organization, reporting, payment, recordkeeping, and filing obligations. - Identify any additional direct licenses, agreements, or operational restrictions required before launch. Provide practical guidance regarding permissible customer controls and product functionality. Recommend contractual provisions governing customer use, devices, premises, retransmission, and other relevant restrictions. - Participate in a follow-up discussion with management and technical personnel. Required written legal deliverable: The attorney must prepare and issue a formal written legal memorandum or legal opinion that: - States whether the proposed service is legally supportable under the applicable framework. Provides reasoned conclusions supported by relevant statutes, regulations, and other authority. - Identifies the factual assumptions and limitations underlying each conclusion. - Identifies material legal risks, missing rights, and required corrective actions. - Specifies the licenses, filings, agreements, payments, reports, records, and operational controls required before launch. - Classifies contemplated product functionality as permitted, permitted with limitations, or requiring additional licensing. - Provides practical launch requirements that management, product, and engineering personnel can implement. - Is dated, signed, and issued on attorney or law-firm letterhead as formal attorney work product. Required experience: - Licensed and in good standing in at least one U.S. jurisdiction. - Demonstrable experience with music copyright and digital music services. - Familiarity with SoundExchange, performing-rights organizations, music publishing, statutory licensing, and Copyright Royalty Board regulations. - Ability to translate legal requirements into practical guidance for software, product, and engineering teams. - Clear written communication and willingness to provide concrete, documented conclusions. - Relevant experience advising streaming platforms, background-music providers, SaaS companies, or other technology-enabled music services is strongly preferred. We value direct communication, clearly defined deliverables, documented conclusions, and a collaborative working relationship with both management and technical personnel.