Donald S. Passman

Partner

Gang, Tyre, Ramer & Brown

When Donald Passman entered Harvard Law School, he had planned on becoming a tax lawyer. The closest he had been to the music business had been as a guitarist in a college band. Never did he think he would one day be one of the top attorneys in the music business, representing the likes of Janet Jackson, R.E.M., Mariah Carey, Quincy Jones, Tina Turner and Randy Newman.

“I didn’t even know there was such a thing as entertainment lawyers,” said Passman, 52. “When I found that out, I jumped at the opportunity to do something that would be fun.”

After leaving law school, Passman joined the Los Angeles law firm of Gang, Tyre, Ramer & Brown, where began to specialize in negotiating contracts for artists.

“Passman is in a very elite group. He is one of the top three or four attorneys in the business,” said Dennis Lavinthal, publisher and owner of Hits magazine, which follows the music business. “He has a reputation for avoiding conflicts of interest; he will only represent one side in a deal. In this business these days, that is unusual.”

Passman is unusual in other ways, too. When he is not helping artists to cut deals, he likes to be on the performing end as a magician. He is a member of the Magic Castle and occasionally performs for friends.

But music is still his first love, and in his spare time, Passman still keeps up his guitar playing.

Passman himself says the music industry has changed greatly since he started out 26 years ago.

“New artist deals have gotten much more expensive. The record companies are now chasing the artists,” he said. “But the industry is also becoming more hit-driven. Once an artist attains hit status, it’s becoming harder and harder to stay there. You can sell 10 million albums the first time and then disappear with the release of your next album.”

Passman also has experience in the publishing world. In 1991, he wrote “All You Need to Know About the Music Business,” which is now in its 20th printing.

Howard Fine