Industry n' Artists Ink 2/24/11

Kobalt Ups Alperin • Bellamy Brothers “Hold It Against…” Britney • SESAC Signs Mark Carson
>>Kobalt Music Group has upped Rebekah Alperin to Sr. VP of Communications and Marketing Worldwide. Alperin will report to company CEO/Founder Willard Ahdritz. Her duties will now include global PR/media relations, corporate marketing and branding strategy plus social marketing and online communications. For the last seven years, Alperin operated her own firm, Alperin Entertainment, and served as a PR/Marketing consultant to Kobalt, and many other corporate clients.
>>If I Offered To Settle Would You Cash My Check?: The Bellamy Brothers have released a statement through their attorney, Nashville-based Christopher E Schmidt Esq., regarding the Britney Spears hit single “Hold It Against Me.”

While ultimately the statement fails to detail any planned concrete legal action, it repeatedly raises the question of whether the new composition infringes on the song recorded by the duo and written by David Bellamy in 1979, “If I Said You Had A Beautiful Body Would You Hold It Against Me.” Schmidt also notes, “The scale tips substantially in knowing that Dr. Luke not only co-produced Britney’s song with Max Martin, but that Dr. Luke also co-wrote the song with Max Martin and others. This isn’t the first time Max Martin and Dr. Luke have been accused of copyright infringement.” Actually apart from the above indirect accusation, Schmidt does not state in the letter that the new Spears effort is in fact a copyright infringement. He concludes his note saying that the two songs have been submitted, “to a renowned musicologist for evaluation and expert opinion.”
>>SESAC has signed Cauley Music Group songwriter Mark Carson for representation.