Jon Glass Named General Counsel of Merlin, Leading Legal Affairs and Partnerships
Merlin, the global organisation representing independent record labels and distributors in digital licensing, has appointed Jon Glass as its new general counsel. Glass, who spent 16 years at Warner Music Group most recently as senior vice president and head of digital legal affairs, will be based in New York and report to Merlin chief executive Charlie Lexton. The appointment is significant because Glass will also head Merlin's partnerships team, marking the first time the organisation has unified its legal affairs and partnerships functions under one reporting structure.
The move was announced on Monday 10 August, with Lexton praising Glass as one of the most respected legal executives in the digital music business. Before Warner Music, Glass worked in digital business and legal affairs at Sony Music Entertainment and practised law at firms including Morrison & Foerster; he holds a JD from Northwestern University. He succeeds Neil Miller, who left Merlin in January after two years in the role and has since become a legal director at YouTube Music.
- Merlin names ex-Warner Music executive Jon Glass as general counsel
- Glass will also lead Merlin's partnerships team, a first for the org
- He replaces Neil Miller, who departed in January for YouTube Music
New here? Start with this
Merlin is the London-headquartered body that represents thousands of independent record labels and distributors, negotiating licensing deals with streaming services such as Spotify and YouTube on their behalf so that smaller labels get terms comparable to those secured by the major music companies. It is led by chief executive Charlie Lexton, and its work sits at the intersection of music rights, technology platforms and contract law.
The general counsel role matters because it oversees the legal side of these licensing negotiations, an area central to how independent labels are paid when their music is streamed. Jon Glass takes on the position after a long career in digital music legal affairs, including 16 years at Warner Music Group and earlier spells at Sony Music Entertainment and a private law firm.
The appointment also changes how Merlin is structured, since Glass will oversee both legal affairs and partnerships, functions that were previously separate. He replaces Neil Miller, who held the general counsel role for two years before departing in January.