Merlin has tapped Jon Glass, a longtime digital legal executive at Warner Music Group (WMG), as its new general counsel.
Glass will be based in New York and report to Merlin CEO Charlie Lexton. In a statement announcing Glass’ appointment on Monday (Aug. 10), Lexton said he’s “delighted to welcome Jon to Merlin.”
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“Jon is one of the most respected legal executives in the digital music business,” said Lexton. “He brings an exceptional combination of legal expertise and commercial judgement with a highly developed understanding of the opportunities and complexities facing Merlin.”
In addition to running business and legal affairs for Merlin, Glass will also serve as head of the partnerships team for the global indie music licensing organization. This marks the first time Merlin has had a single reporting structure for both departments.
“As the digital playing field continues to evolve, we need to ensure we are coordinated in the way we think about the relationships we build with our partners,” added Lexton in his statement. “Bringing our Business & Legal Affairs and Partnerships teams together under Jon’s leadership is designed to do exactly that and will help us deliver even greater value for our members.”
In his own statement, Glass said, “I want to thank Charlie for this opportunity. Merlin has built an extraordinary reputation across the industry, and I’m excited to be joining at such an important time for independent music.”
“Over the course of my career, I’ve watched the digital business develop from downloads to streaming, social platforms, and now AI services,” added Glass. “I’m looking forward to putting that experience to work for Merlin, its members, and the independent artists those members represent, and working alongside the team here on the organisation’s future legal and partnerships strategy.”
Glass spent the last 16 years at WMG, where he was most recently senior vp and head of digital legal affairs. Before that, he worked in digital business and legal affairs at Sony Music Entertainment and practiced at several law firms, including Morrison & Foerster. He holds a J.D. from Northwestern University.
Merlin’s previous general counsel, Neil Miller, departed in January after two years with the organization. Miller is now a legal director at YouTube Music.
