Rory Wellever
Partner
Areas of Focus
- Music
- Media, Entertainment & Sports
- Intellectual Property
- Mergers & Acquisitions
- Cybersecurity, Privacy & Data Protection
- Advises on a broad array of media, entertainment & sports matters.
- Leverages deep entertainment industry experience to counsel clients on issues spanning music, film, television, literature, marketing and advertising.
- Head of the firm’s music practice.
Rory is a partner in the media, entertainment & sports practice and leads the firm’s music practice. He advises clients at the intersection of intellectual property, media, technology and commercial transactions, including mergers & acquisitions, outsourcing, joint development, licensing (B2B and B2C) and data privacy matters.
Drawing on his entertainment industry experience, Rory counsels clients on new and emerging media and on entertainment and publishing matters across music, film, television, literature, marketing and advertising. Rory has a deep focus on the music industry, advising investors, platforms, publishers and rights holders on high‑value catalog acquisitions, financings and strategic partnerships across the global music ecosystem.
Rory holds a Certified Information Privacy Professional/United States (CIPP/US) credential given by the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP). He advises clients regarding the collection, use, transfer and monetization of data, including in online, internet of things (IoT) and cross-border arrangements.
- Advised Blackstone, a leading alternative investment manager, in its $1.6 billion acquisition of Hipgnosis Songs Fund and a catalog of more than 45,000 songs by artists such as the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Journey and Shakira, and in its asset-backed securitization of such assets.
- Advised Universal Music Group in its $240 million investment in Chord Music Partners, a portfolio of music assets.
- Advised Blackstone in its transformative partnership with Hipgnosis Song Management to deliver c.$1 billion to acquire and manage song catalogues, with follow-on catalogue purchases from iconic artists including Kenny Chesney, Leonard Cohen, Erika Ender, Justin Timberlake, TMS, Nelly Furtado and Justin Bieber.
- Advised Providence Equity Partners in its investment in Wasserman, a sports, music and culture agency.
- Advised Waud Capital Partners-backed TeamSnap in its acquisition of MOJO Sports, a provider of a youth sports media platform.
- Advised TeamSnap Holdings LP in its strategic acquisition of LeagueSide, an online platform connecting brands with target communities through local and youth sports leagues.
- Advised DistroKid, the world’s leading distributor of independent music and portfolio company of Silversmith Capital Partners, in its substantial investment from Insight Partners.
- Advised an entertainment company with the transfer of its music publishing portfolio to a fund.
- Advised Charter Communications (NASDAQ: CHTR) in its $900 million joint venture with Comcast Corp. (NASDAQ:CMCSA) to develop and offer a next-generation streaming platform on a variety of branded 4K streaming devices and smart TVs.
EducationJ.D., University of Michigan, magna cum laude, 2011
B.A., Michigan State University, 2005
J.D., University of Michigan, magna cum laude, 2011
B.A., Michigan State University, 2005
Bar AdmissionsIllinois
Illinois
- Variety, Music Legal Elite, 2025.
- The Hollywood Reporter, Top Music Lawyers, 2025.
- The Legal 500 US, Media & Entertainment: Transactional, 2022–2024.
- The Recording Academy, Professional Member.
- CIPP/US, International Associate of Privacy Professionals.
- Arts, Comms & Entertainment Section, State Bar of Michigan.
- Information Technology Section, State Bar of Michigan.
