Merlin, the independent’s digital music licensing partner, is proud to welcome Neil Miller as its new General Counsel. Miller exemplifies the values and mission of Merlin – building an ethical, sustainable, and indie-centric world – and brings a wealth of industry experience and a passion for working with creative companies.
Miller comes to Merlin with deep roots in the music industry and extensive global experience. Most recently, he served as a Partner at international law firm Greenberg Traurig, LLP, where he advised prominent technology, gaming, social media, and digital entertainment companies on all aspects of music rights and licensing. Prior to that, Miller held several high-profile in-house positions, including at Meta, where he led the international music licensing legal team as Director & Associate General Counsel and at SoundCloud where he served as SVP & General Counsel for six years. His career also includes leadership roles at CBS Interactive and Viacom/MTV, among others.
Charlie Lexton, Merlin COO, said, “I couldn’t be happier to welcome Neil to Merlin in this crucial and strategic role, where he will lead an incredibly talented business affairs team. Merlin is a dynamic organisation operating in a complex and ever changing legal and commercial environment. Neil’s wealth of experience across music and digital entertainment is exactly what we need to meet these challenges. He is highly respected across the industry and brings a valuable blend of long-term thinking, technical skills, and impressive leadership.”
Miller will be based in the UK and, as a key member of Merlin’s executive team, will provide strategic guidance and leadership to Merlin’s already strong Business and Legal Affairs team. His expertise will support new initiatives such as Merlin Connect, an innovative solution for emerging technology platforms to access quality independent music. He will also play a crucial role in helping Merlin engage more holistically with its members, partners, and rights organizations globally.
“I’m delighted to take on the role of General Counsel at Merlin,” said Miller. “As the industry continues to evolve, Merlin’s work on behalf of its independent members is more important than ever. I’m very excited to have this opportunity to support Merlin members by delivering commercially valuable and ever more creative partnerships with digital platforms around the world. The independent sector combines a passion for music with a spirit of innovation and entrepreneurship. It is a privilege to join Merlin and to help deliver on this mission for Merlin’s global membership.”
Jeremy Sirota, Merlin CEO, said: “Neil is an extremely talented executive. His legal and commercial expertise will ensure that Merlin can deliver on its mission of building an ethical, sustainable, and indie-centric world. His leadership skills bring a new dimension to our executive team where he will make a significant contribution across Merlin, our members and partners.”