Jay Cooper, barrister and banleader, is the recipient of hte 2017 SESAC Visionary Award. (Photo: Dan Doperalski / Variety)

The industry’s most musical attorney, jazzman Jay L. Cooper, will receive the SESAC Visionary Award at the music rights organization’s annual dinner gala this evening in Santa Monica.

For more than five decades, Jay Cooper has been recognized as one of the best entertainment lawyers in America, and it is simply an honor to present him with the SESAC Visionary Award,” SESAC Holdings, Inc. Chairman and CEO John Josephson said. “Jay’s endless vision and commitment to the industry over the years has been immeasurable. Not only has he been a strong advocate for the creative rights for all of us in the music industry, but as a musician himself, Jay understands the passion that drives the creative community and the continued importance of protecting intellectual property. His endless vision and commitment to the industry over the years has been immeasurable. ”

Cooper,  a shareholder and founder of the West Coast entertainment practice, of Greenberg Traurig, LLP , focuses on the music industry. A saxophone player, Cooper gigged his way through college and law school. Prior to focusing fulltime on law, Cooper spent six years with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, where his occasional forays representing fellow musicians led him to eventually focus full time on law.

In addition to music, his entertainment practice encompasses motion picture, television, Internet, multi-media and intellectual property issues. He represents individuals and companies on intellectual property matters including recording and publishing agreements for individual artists and composers; actor, director, producer, and writer agreements in film and television; acquisitions and sales of entertainment catalogs; production agreements on behalf of music, television and motion picture companies and all entertainment issues relative to the Internet; and more. Cooper is also the co-founder of the International Association of Entertainment Lawyers; is a former President of the Recording Academy; currently serves as a board member of SoundExchange; and is on the Advisory Board of the New York Philharmonic. In recent years, Cooper has revived his saxophone-playing career and performs with a couple of bands in Los Angeles.

In addition to the Visionary Award, SESAC will honor its noteworthy roster of top film and television composers at the annual awards dinner. The invitation-only event, which takes place at the Casa Del Mar Hotel, will celebrate the composers of music featured in 2016’s biggest films, primetime television shows and cable programs. Categories include network television, cable television, streaming media and advertisements.

The U.S.-based SESAC Holdings administers public performance, mechanical, and other rights. SESAC Holdings is unique in its ability to offer singular licenses for the works of its affiliated writers and publishers that aggregate both performance and mechanical rights in order to drive greater efficiency in licensing for music users, as well as enhanced value for music creators and publishers. Its businesses operate on a sophisticated information technology and data platform to provide timely, efficient royalty collection and distribution.

Jay Cooper and wife Darice. (Photo: Paula Parisi / MaxTheTrax)

SESAC Holdings’ subsidiaries are some of the most well-known companies in music licensing and administration. SESAC Performing Rights is the second oldest and most progressive performing rights organization in the U.S.  SESAC Holdings’ acquisition of the Harry Fox Agency (HFA) accelerated its transition to a “multi-rights” organization with HFA’s deep publisher relations and mechanical licensing history. Following the HFA acquisition, SESAC’s Rumblefish subsidiary was merged with HFA’s Slingshot business unit under the Rumblefish brand. Rumblefish simplifies business for digital services, publishers, labels, artists and apps. Rumblefish’s transparent composition and recording administration, data and royalty management, licensing and network monetization allow clients to focus on their core business. Rights. Simplified. Royalties. Amplified.

SESAC Holdings has offices in New York, Nashville, Los Angeles, Portland, San Francisco, London and Munich.