Merlin Names Warner Music's Jon Glass as General Counsel

Merlin, the organisation that negotiates licensing deals on behalf of independent music labels worldwide, has appointed Jon Glass as its new general counsel. Glass will be based in New York and report directly to Merlin CEO Charlie Lexton, the organisation announced in a statement on Monday, August 10. (Billboard)

The role comes with a broader brief than the title suggests. Glass will also lead Merlin's partnerships team, giving the organisation its first single reporting structure spanning both Business & Legal Affairs and Partnerships — two departments that had previously operated under separate oversight. (Billboard)

Glass arrives from Warner Music Group, one of the three major record companies, where he spent 16 years. He joined in 2010 as associate counsel for digital legal affairs (Law.com) and rose to senior vice president and head of digital legal affairs, the position he held most recently. In that role he handled the legal side of Warner's digital licensing — the contracts that govern how music reaches streaming services like Spotify, Apple Music and YouTube. (Billboard)

Before Warner, Glass worked in digital business and legal affairs at Sony Music Entertainment and practiced at law firms including Morrison & Foerster. He was named one of Billboard's Top Music Lawyers in 2021. (SoundExchange)

The appointment fills a gap left by Neil Miller, Merlin's previous general counsel, who departed in January after two years with the organisation. Miller is now a legal director at YouTube Music. (Billboard)

For Merlin's members — independent labels and distributors that rely on the organisation to secure licensing terms with digital platforms — the combined legal and partnerships brief signals a tighter alignment between the people negotiating deals and the people managing the relationships that follow. Glass's sixteen years inside a major label mean he arrives with direct experience of the other side of the negotiating table.