US independent music publishing company the Royalty Network has appointed Daniel Abowd as general counsel, a newly created position.

Abowd rejoins from Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, having previously spent eight years at the Royalty Network across a range of roles, including as director of copyright and new media. In his new role, he will work closely with CEO and founder Frank Liwall to provide legal guidance on a variety of music publishing matters. He will also serve as president, assuming that title from Liwall.

New York-based the Royalty Network has a catalogue of more than 700,000 music compositions, with works featured on albums by the likes of Beyoncé, Ariana Grande, Kendrick Lamar and Drake. It strives to educate songwriters about the intricacies of music publishing and copyright ownership and help clients avoid potentially harmful deals.

Liwall said: “Danny’s drive to succeed and his experience as a litigator give us the ability to better protect the works in our catalogue and allow our team to grow in a fair and balanced manner. Danny understands our company’s mission and the importance that plays in the protection, collection and further utilisation of our catalogue, with the quality and care that we strive to achieve.”

Abowd was at Quinn Emanuel for about a year having spent the previous two years clerking in the US District Court in the Southern District of New York and the US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. He ended his first stint at the Royalty Network in 2021, having originally joined in 2013 as copyright and account administrator before eventually becoming vice president and general manager before his departure.

He said: “I could not be more thrilled to return in this new capacity to the company that, in every professional sense, raised me. The Royalty Network is a unicorn – thriving as a family-run independent for decades in an industry that has undergone several wholesale metamorphoses.

“As the industry continues to evolve, I look forward to helping the Royalty Network family support and protect the songwriters and rightsholders who entrust us with their livelihoods.”

In other music-related in-house moves, UK music licensing business Merlin in July hired Neil Miller as GC from Greenberg Traurig. And in November last year, music back-catalogue buyer Hipgnosis Song Management appointed former BMG lawyer Jonathan Baker as GC.