Keith Hauprich

Keith Hauprich serves in BMG Rights Management (US) LLC’s most senior business and legal affairs role in North America as General Counsel & Executive Vice President, Business & Legal Affairs. His self-imposed mandate is to move Business & Legal Affairs from a cost center to a profit center.

Hauprich has been the driving force behind a number of significant deals, partnerships and initiatives particularly in digital, film and television music publishing, securing the music publishing rights to major players in the entertainment business including Netflix, the world’s leading internet television network and AMC.  He was also responsible for major publishing deals including Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Partners, Ubisoft (Assassin’s Creed franchise) and interactive entertainment company Activision/Blizzard.

Hauprich led BMG as one of the first major music group to sign a strategic alliance with Facebook and more recently closed a strategic alliance with Roblox. He has also closed licensing arrangements with Peloton, Equinox and True Rowing as well as Snap.

Keith also played a key role in BMG’s groundbreaking victory against internet service provider Cox Communications on the basis of contributory copyright infringement where it secured a $25M jury verdict and more than $8.5M in costs and disbursements and later settled out of court. The case set the precedent in the way US law regards the ‘safe harbor’ defense of internet service providers and BMG’s conduct and victory in the case has been widely praised by rights holders.

Prior to BMG’s acquisition of Cherry Lane Music Publishing Company, Inc. in April 2010, Keith was a member of senior management and a corporate officer of Cherry Lane – one of the world’s leading independent music publishers. He was responsible for all legal matters and played a vital role in executing the sale to BMG.

Hauprich currently serves as a board member of the National Music Publishers Association as well as the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers.