Joel Katz, Longtime Music Industry Attorney, Dies at 80

Joel Katz, the powerful longtime music attorney whose clients included James Brown, B.B. King, Willie Nelson and the Recording Academy, has died, The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed. He was 80 years old.

Katz spent decades as one of the most high profile attorneys in the music business, negotiating the Recording Academy’s $600 million 10-year agreement between the Recording Academy and CBS for the Grammys (that deal will finally end next year as The Grammys will move to Disney), and he was a prominent figure in the Michael Jackson estate’s $750 million sale of its stake in Sony/ATV Publishing.

Other clients of his had included Big Machine Label Group, Jason Owen and Sandbox Entertainment, BMG, Kenny Chesney, Justin Timberlake, Brad Paisley and many others.

Katz, who lived in Atlanta, was the founding chairman for the entertainment and media practice at major law firm Greenberg Traurig, where he practiced for nearly 25 years from 1998 through 2020. He resigned from the firm in 2021, moving to Barnes and Thornburg. In 2016, Katz was honored with the City of Hope’s Spirit of Life Award, joining other prominent industry figures who’ve been given the honor such as Irving Azoff, Coran Capshaw and Lucian Grainge.

In a statement to The Hollywood Reporter, longtime client Jason Owen, CEO of The Sandbox, said: “The architect is gone, but the blueprint he left behind — of boldness and belief in his clients — will shape this industry forever. Joel was my friend, my champion, and a once-in-a-lifetime force. He believed in me before I believed in myself. I will miss his laugh, his wit and his ability to bill me back for 15 minute conversations. I loved him like family and will miss him every single day.”

Back in 2020, Katz was embroiled in controversy when just prior to her high profile ouster, former Recording Academy CEO Deborah Dugan had accused the attorney of sexually harassing her. The allegation was included in an explosive complaint filed with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission where Dugan also called into question the integrity of the Grammy voting process. Katz had denied the claims.