Bold Journey Magazine Interviews Cedar Boschan

I enjoyed recently being interviewed by Bold Journey magazine, because it gave me time to reflect on one of the key skills needed to be a top forensic accountant: communication. 

I truly appreciate the mentors and consultants who helped me on my journey to be a better communicator, especially Fred Wolinsky, CPA, Jennifer Wilson, and David Zyla.

If you are interested in joining my team at Boschan Corp., or engaging our firm, you will find that we accord greater emphasis on communication than other accounting firms.  Click here to apply.

To all readers: What communication techniques, tactics and skills do you think are under-or-over-rated when it comes to accounting services?

Looking for my Successor as Treasurer/CFO of Roar As One

Are you interested in a volunteer opportunity to make a difference in people's lives by using your accounting skills? At Roar As One, we have a role with a low time commitment in exchange for great board service and CFO experience serving 501 (c) (3) nonprofit. If you are interested, please contact Huyen Nguyen at Boschan Corp. at 424-248-8866.

My 9-Year-Old on NFTs

My 9-year-old saw I was reading an article about #NFTs and she said, "NFTs are stupid. You can just screen shot it."

— Cedar Boschan (@auditrix) November 19, 2021

Cedar Boschan Quoted in Rolling Stone

“I’m not surprised it took a long time, and I’m glad she hung in there,” says Cedar Boschan, the head of a firm that regularly audits labels over royalty payments. “I’m glad [Sony] turned on the faucet; that’s what’s really important.”  

Click here to read the article.

Cedar Boschan on Rising Pressure to Improve Creators' Royalties

Rolling Stone and Billboard recently interviewed me regarding Sony's "Legacy Artist Royalty Plan."  You can read about it here.

On the heels of Sony's announcement, the United Kingdom's Members of Parliament have found cause for a "'complete reset of streaming' that 'enshrines in law rights to a fair share of the earnings,'" which you can read about here.

Given concerns of inflation in the US, and the rising social pressure to fairly compensate creators, do you think the CRB will be more apt to consider our comments on the proposed mechanical rate freeze?

Are you going to comment on such settlement for the CRB to consider? (Click here for instructions on how to register to comment, although the mobile interface was a bit different for me.)

2016 Year in Review - Tech & Game News

Professionally speaking, in 2016, I found articles about in-app purchases, the value of interactive game deals, pricing of bundles and discounting to be most relevant news to my practice of auditing game publishers and distributors, while right of publicity cases like this and this were most relevant to my forensic accounting work.

Further, followers of my tech feed on Twitter - especially game developer CFOs and attorneys - were most engaged by the following news in 2016, especially news reported by Gamasutra and VentureBeat:

• Sony kicked off the year in January by trying to trademark "Let's Play" and upsetting the Internet (per VentureBeat)
• In February, a Studio was sued for some video game tattoos (per Kotaku) and a Steam developer engagingly wrote about why his game is worth $20 (per Gamasutra)
• Gamasutra and VentureBeat pieces on an indie dev's crowdfunding fail and Disney's mobile games business, as well as a Polygon post on an old mobile game that earns $100 million in China every month engaged Twitter & LinkedIn during March
• A judge in April found Amazon liable for in-app charges racked up by kids (per VentureBeat) while, per Gamespot, a former Grand Theft Auto exec sued Take-Two Interactive for $150M in royalties (his case was allowed to proceed this week)
• In May, a Lexology  post on Canada's Quebec Superior Court's case, Seggie v. Roofdog Games Inc., titled "Who is the Author of Videogame Software for Copyright Purposes?
• NewZoo in June released its free "2016 Global Games Market Report," which included the following takeaways:
• China is now the global leader in video game revenues, but Latin America is growing the fastest
• Mainstream media companies want in in the esports action
• Virtual reality is not changing the business that much
• Gamers wish "to collect collect, create, show off [virtual items], and ultimately earn money from doing so"
• Handheld is down, but mobile is up
• Projection that the game market will grow from $92 billion in 2015 to $119 billion in 2019 (Note: according to a more recent report from SuperData Research, the game market hit $91 billion in 2016, so estimates vary.)
• Nintendo released Pokémon Go in July and pieces about its profit model and rollercoaster valuation were popular: while App Annie marveled that it was making $10 million every day without cannibalizing other games, an expert blogger on Gamasutra investigated the answer to the question: "Can Pokémon Go Monetise?"  Nintendo's stock rose $9 billion on the success of Pokémon Go, then corrected. Mashable reported, "Nintendo admits it's not making much money off 'Pokémon Go', loses $6.7 billion in market value."
  
  Also in July, Blizzard sued an Overwatch cheat-maker per Gamespot.
• In August, I spoke at the Beverly Hills Bar Association about legal issues with superstar experts in the game business.  

  

  Beverly Hills Bar Association Panel at Lawry's Prime RibL-R: Ivy Kagan Bierman, Roy Rosenthal, Keith Boesky & Cedar Boschan (Jim Charne not pictured)

  
  

  

  Beverly Hills Bar Association Panel at Lawry's Prime RibL-R: Jim Charne pictured on the screen, Ivy Kagan Bierman, Roy Rosenthal, Keith Boesky & Cedar Boschan

  Click here to watch our discussion for 1 hour of specialized CLE credit (although the panelists listed on the linked site are incorrect)
• The biggest news among my September news feed followers was Lindsay Lohan losing her Grand Theft Auto V right of publicity lawsuit (per Kotaku)
• Nielsen in October released a report, covered by VentureBeat: "Mobile games live and die on how fast developers can crank out new content"
• By November, followers were most interested reading about the video game voice actors strike (this article per Gamasutra), which continues as of the date hereof.
• So far this month (December 2016), Twitter followers are most interested in more articles from Gamasutra: a post recycled from June - What does $1 million buy in game development?  Also, in case you missed it, YouTuber Pewdiepie trolled us all and deleted his "alternate" channel.

There were many shares of information that did not engage readers, so I did not mention them.  What was the most interesting games earnings news story not mentioned here, especially those that pertain to royalties and/or damages?

Calendar: Wednesday, December 9, 2015: Talk on Royalty & Participation Audits

The Beverly Hills Bar Association will present on Wednesday, December 9, 2015 a program on royalty and profit participation audits:

Our founder, auditor and forensic accountant Cedar Boschan, will lead top accounting and legal audit professionals in discussion about:

• Drafting accounting, objection and audit provisions in contracts
• Making the call to audit, hiring an auditor and issuing audit and objection notices
• Working closely with accountants to smoothly complete audits
• Negotiating tolling agreements, settlements and, at times, litigating

Forensic accountant and royalty auditor Cedar Boschan Moderates Panel at Lawry's

The panelists will discuss these and other elements of modern royalty and profit participation audits to empower attorneys in attendance to optimize settlements for your clients.  
Speakers include an auditor and a litigator who mutually represent plaintiffs including Richard Dreyfuss in a current case against Walt Disney Pictures, as well as an executive from MGM:

• Neville Johnson, Esq.; Partner at Johnson & Johnson LLP
• Edward Slizewski, Esq.; Senior Vice President at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc.
• David Robinson, CPA; Owner at Robinson & Company
• Moderator: Cedar Boschan; Founder, Boschan Corp.

Attorneys who attend the lunch at Lawry's The Prime Rib in Beverly Hills (or who watch the program online) may receive 1.5 hours of MCLE credit.

Registration is now open - click here to register!

LA Calendar: October 17, 2015

The University of Southern California's Gould School of Law and The Beverly Hills Bar Association will present the 2015 Institute on Entertainment Law and Business on Saturday, October 17.

Mailer from USC's 2015 Institute on Entertainment Law and Business

Our founder Cedar Boschan will speak during the afternoon at The Institute about the search for revenue stability in the evolving music market.  Ms. Boschan earned her bachelor of science in music industry from USC's Thornton Music School in 1999, where her instructors included fellow panelist, attorney and author Todd Brabec, as shown in the Institute's new mailer, pictured below:

USC 2015 Institute on Entertainment Law and Business Music Industry Speakers Include: Cedar Boschan, Todd Brabec, Esq., Kent Liu, Esq., and Tess Taylor

Attorneys who attend the Institute may receive 6.25 hours of MCLE credit, including 1 hour of legal ethics credit.  CPAs may receive up to 5.5 hours of CPE credit.

Registration is now open - click here to register!

Top Three: E3 Edition

Below are the Top 3 #E3 items shared in our @RoyaltyExpert Twitter feed:

Cedar Boschan and Evan Van Zelfden @gamelawpro at the Video Game Bar Association #VGBA #E3 cocktail reception sponsored by @LathamWatkins

• A day of surprises at the start of #E3 | VentureBeat

• EA: "We have to start building new #IP that might feel like a big risk today" | gamesindustry.biz

We extend an invitation for those of you visiting the next E3 event in Los Angeles:

Los Angeles Calendar: June 25, 2015 Music Publishing Valuation Panel

The Association of Independent Music Publishers will present music valuation panel discussion on June 25 at Lawry's in Beverly Hills, California.
Registration is now open - click here to register!

AIMP Catalog Valuation Panel:  Beyond the MultipleThursday, June 25 at 11:30 amLawry's Restaurant in Beverly Hills, CaliforniaTickets & Information: Click Here

Join the AIMP for lunch as speakers delve beyond the multiple to reveal how parties from buyers to banks price music assets.  Music valuation expert and AIMP Treasurer Cedar Boschan will moderate this highly informative discussion among world class valuation experts, so mark your calendars for June 25.
Speakers:

Jason Somerville, Managing Partner, EIG

Josh Gruss, CEO, Round Hill Music

Dan Coleman, Managing Partner, Modern Works Music Publishing

Derek Crownover, Esq., Partner & Entertainment Law Practice Leader, Dickinson Wright 

Cedar Boschan, Founder, Boschan Corp

Mark Your Calendar: Cinco de Mayo

The Recording Academy and California Lawyers for the Arts will present a music industry panel discussion May 5 at The GRAMMY Museum in Downtown, Los Angeles:

The Legal Landscape for Compensating Content CreatorsTuesday, May 5 at 6:00 pmThe GRAMMY Museum in Los Angeles, CaliforniaTickets & Information: Click Here

The below experts will discuss why music revenue and royalties are at all time lows, the history of music distribution, how content creators (and artists) are paid, the applicable laws and legislation, and the present and future landscape for creating and selling music.
Panelists:

• Jay Cooper, Esq., Greenberg Traurig LLP
• Dina LaPolt, Esq., LaPolt Law PC
• Cedar Boschan, Boschan Corp. & Auditrix, Inc.
• Edwin McPherson, Esq., McPherson Rane LLP

Moderator:

• Keith Cooper, Esq., de la Peña & Holiday LLP

The GRAMMY Museum will be open at 6:00 p.m. for attendees to view the exhibitions. The program runs from 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

The museum entrance is on Figueroa, between The Farm of Beverly Hills and Flemings.

Paid parking is available in nearby public lots.
Click here for more details.

Top Tweets YTD from the Auditrix 2015 Twitter Feed

Below are the popular tweets from the Auditrix twitter feed, which focuses on music economics and royalties, during 2015 YTD:

• Duff McKagan on royalty audit of Geffen: "Well, they didn't pay us on something like 6 million records."
• YouTube Music Key Drew Criticism from Indies
• Apple spent up to $50 million for a music data company 
• Swedish songwriters called for more clarity and fairness over digital royalty distribution
• Sly Stone testified in royalties lawsuit against his former manager and won   
• Katy Perry's lawyers demanded takedown of 3D printable Left Shark and filed a trademark claim for Left Shark
• Federal District Courts "have been improperly applying a quantitative and not qualitative #copyright analysis... "
• Elvis Presley Turns 80: What Is the King's Legacy Worth?
• Sony's Lynton said: No Plans to Sell Music Publishing Business
• The Best Time to Release Your Album: A Month by Month Guide
• The U.S. Copyright Office Embraced Big Shake-Up to Music Licensing Regime 

Best Unfinished Twitter Conversation with Glenn Peoples @ Billboard and John Strohm @ Loeb

• Jas Prince Sued Birdman For Drake Royalties
• Tony Braxton's Ex-Husband Auctioned Off Royalties To Pay Back Child Support
• Kiplingers: Shouldn't Music Streaming Sites Pay Higher Royalties?
• Medium: Why Do All Records Sound the Same? 

April 2012 Events of Interest

April 4, 2012 @ USC - I am looking forward to serving as a panelist at USC's "Launching Your Career -- an event providing direct access to the music profession’s most successful"

Panelists include:

• Cedar Boschan ’99, Partner at Hurewitz, Boschan & Co. LLP
• Laura Connelly, Director of Presentations for the Los Angeles Philharmonic Association
• Julia Cser ’01, Executive and Artistic Director of the Maestro Foundation
• Gregg Field, Producer and Recording Artist at Concord Records
• Gordon Goodwin, Performing Artist with Wingood Music Productions, Inc.
• Garry Kief, President/CEO of STILETTO Entertainment
• Bear McCreary ’02, Composer
• Don Passman, Music Attorney
• Adrian Spence, Artistic Director, Camerata Pacifica
• Chad Smith, Vice President of Artistic Planning for the Los Angeles Philharmonic
• Association
• Moderator: Gail Eichenthal, Program Director for KUSC

April 17, 2012 @ Lawry's - The Assoc. of Independent Music Publishers (AIMP) presents David Israelite - President and CEO of NMPA

April 24, 2012 @ Sportsmen's Lodge - The California Copyright Conference presents "OH CANADA: It's Not The 51st State When It Comes To Managing Your Music Rights" where agents of both English and French-speaking repertoire will discuss exploitation and revenue collection in Canada.

Music Rights: A Global View - April 20, 2010 Panel Discussion at The California Copyright Conference

Teri Nelson Carpenter and I will co-moderate on April 20, 2010 a panel of top music executives from France, The Netherlands and Canada. We will discuss:

• Pan-European Licensing
• Legislation
• Neighboring Rights
• Emerging Markets

The panel of your international music business partners will feature:

• Claude Gaillard - Deputy Director, Member Relations - SACEM
• Christian Sarrazin - Vice President - Industry Relations and Strategic Intelligence - SOCAN
• Wim van Limpt - International Account Manager Member Services BUMA/STEMRA
• Gino Olivieri - President, Premier Muzik International Corporation NEIGHBORING RIGHTS / ROYALTY RECOVERY

DETAILS:

Tuesday, April 20, 2010
6:15 PM Check-In * 6:30 PM Cocktails * 7:00 PM Dinner

COURTYARD BY MARRIOTT, 15433 Ventura Blvd, Sherman Oaks, CA 91403 (Near Sepulveda & Ventura Blvd., just west of the 405 freeway)
Parking entrance on Orion Avenue
Free parking with validation. For map and directions, Click Here

Appetizer: California Mixed Green Salad
Entrée: Chicken Marsala, Beef Stroganoff or Vegetarian Pasta
Dessert: Chef's Choice

CCC Members $40 per person / Non-members $50 per person

RESERVE YOUR SEAT NOW - RESERVATIONS ACCEPTED UNTIL
10:00 AM FRIDAY, April 16, 2010

Please help us make this an enjoyable experience for everyone by using the reservation system. A failure to reserve by the deadline may result in not receiving your preferred choice of dinner entree.

Register online with your credit card at www.theccc.org

Or use our voicemail system (818-379-3312)
Dinners payable at the door by cash or check only. No credit cards.

Cedar Boschan to Give Royalty Rate Update at California Copyright Conference - October 13

I will discuss on October 13, 2009 Copyright Royalty Board actions and potential legislation at the California Copyright Conference's annual "Legal Update" panel.

My fellow panelists are some of the best in the West, so don't miss it:

KENNETH D. FREUNDLICH, ESQ., Freundlich Law
DINA LAPOLT, ESQ., LaPolt Law
MICHAEL PERLSTEIN, ESQ., Fishbach, Perlstein, Lieberman & Almond
PATRICK ROSS, Copyright Alliance

Moderator:
STEVEN WINOGRADSKY, ESQ., Winogradsky/Sobel

This event is usually a very well attended meeting, so please make your reservations early. One (1) hour of MCLE credit is available to California attorneys.

Register at the California Copyright Conference Web site or see more details pasted below:

_____________________________________________

Annual "LEGAL UPDATE" Panel
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
6:15 PM Check-In * 6:30 PM Cocktails * 7:00 PM Dinner
COURTYARD BY MARRIOTT, 15433 Ventura Blvd, Sherman Oaks, CA 91403 (Near Sepulveda & Ventura Blvd., just west of the 405 freeway)
Parking entrance on Orion Avenue
Free parking with validation.

Appetizer: California Mixed Green Salad Salad
Entrée: Chicken Marsala, Beef Stir-fry or Vegetarian Pasta
Dessert: Chef's Choice

CCC Members $40 per person / Non-members $50 per person

RESERVE YOUR SEAT NOW - RESERVATIONS ACCEPTED UNTIL
10:00 AM FRIDAY, Oct 9, 2009

Please help us make this an enjoyable experience for everyone by using the reservation system. A failure to reserve by the deadline may result in not receiving your preferred choice of dinner entree.

Register online with your credit card at www.theccc.org
Or use our voicemail system (818-379-3312)
Dinners payable at the door by cash or check only. No credit cards.

To join the California Copyright Conference or to renew your membership, please visit the website for more info: http://www.theccc.org/join.php