Jason Boyarski

Jason Boyarski
Born
Jason Ryan Boyarski

1974 (age 51–52)
EducationEmory University, Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law
OccupationEntertainment attorney
SpouseRobin Alissa Boyarski (2002-present)
ChildrenJordan Boyarski, Alex Boyarski
Websitewww.boyarskifritz.com

Jason Ryan Boyarski (born 1974) is an American entertainment attorney specializing in the music industry. He is a partner in the New York-based law firm Boyarski Fritz LLP, which he co-founded with entertainment attorney David Fritz. Boyarski is known for representing the estate of Prince.

Education and early career

Jason Ryan Boyarski was born in 1974 to New York city natives, Ellie and Joel Boyarski.[1] He began attending Emory University in Atlanta in 1992. He was a student representative and worked as an intern at Sony Music Entertainment's Atlanta office.[2] Boyarski graduated from Emory in 1996 with a Bachelor of Business Administration.[3] Boyarski then began employment at NBC where he worked as a production assistant for Today Show. Shortly thereafter, Boyarski joined Sony Music's 550 Music label where he worked in the Promotions Department on projects including artists Celine Dion, Ben Folds Five, and Ginuwine.[3]

Boyarski began attending Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law in New York in 1997, graduating in 2000 with a focus on intellectual property law.[4] Boyarski was the Administrative Editor of the Cardozo Law Review where he published a law review note "The Heist of Feist: Protection for Collections of Information and the Possible Federalization of 'Hot News'".[5][6] During law school, Boyarski worked as a law clerk at Epstein, Levinsohn, Bodine, Hurwitz & Weinstein, LLP and also as a summer associate for Weil, Gotshal & Manges.[7]

Career

Boyarski was employed at Weil, Gotshal & Manges as an Associate in the Trade Practices & Regulatory Law Department.[2] He left in 2002 and began working at BMG Music Publishing in New York as an associate director for legal and business affairs. Between 2002 and 2006, Boyarski was promoted to senior director for legal and business affairs by BMG Music Publishing before being promoted to vice president for legal and business affairs in 2006.[8]

Following UMG's acquisition of BMG in late 2006,[9][10] Boyarski remained as the vice president for legal and business affairs for Universal Music Publishing Group[11] until 2008 when he was hired by Warner/Chappell Music as Senior Vice President and GM.[12][13] In 2008, Boyarski also co-founded the marketing agency HeadOverHeels Collective.[14] Boyarski left Warner/Chappell in 2011, soon co-founding the New York-based law firm Boyarski Fritz LLP with entertainment attorney David Fritz in November 2011.[15] The firm specializes in deal-making and transactions.[16][17]

For the estate of Earth Wind & Fire's Maurice White,[18][19][20] Boyarski negotiated the 2026 documentary Earth, Wind & Fire (To Be Celestial vs That's the Weight of the World).[21] Boyarski's client roster has also included Donny Hathaway,[22][20][19] the estate of Frankie Beverly,[23] and Brazilian artist Antonio Carlos Jobim who wrote "The Girl From Ipanema" and who received a new publishing agreement spanning his entire catalog.[22][20][19]

Boyarski has represented recording artists Joan Jett, Lil' Kim,[24] Marc Anthony, Fetty Wap and Bebe Rexha.[25] He represented Jisoo from Blackpink with respect to her solo project for Warner Music[26] and Disney star Hudson Stone for Stone's 2026 recording contract with Hollywood Records.[27] His client roster has also included Kylie Jenner, Tiffany Stringer, Producer of the Year and GRAMMY winner Cirkut,[28] JVKE, [29] Thalia, Meek Mill, LMFAO's Redfoo, Dean Lewis,[24] Kevin Rudolf, EDM stars Aluna and Paul Oakenfold,[24][22][20][30][19] and producer/songwriters Louis Bell,[31] Tainy,[32][33] and Hit-Boy, all of whose catalog sales Boyarski and his firm negotiated.[34]

Boyarski has also represented BMG, Disney Music, AEG, Facebook, ASICS, Alice + Olivia and Hyatt Hotels, as well as Electric Feel Music, NEON16 & NTERTAIN, Audio Up, and Create Music Group.[35][36]

Representation of Prince's estate

After musician Prince died,[37] Boyarski was hired by the bank and Special Administrator of Prince's estate, Bemer Trust, to help negotiate a deal with Universal Music Publishing Group for the rights to Prince's music publishing catalog.[38] Boyarski finalized a deal with Universal Music Publishing Group in October 2016 which was valued at thirty million dollars.[39] Prince had withdrawn from the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers in 2014,[40] which left his catalog without any performance rights society.[41] In January 2017, Boyarski reached an agreement with Irving Azoff's Global Music Rights for performance-rights.[42][43] In the same month, a Minnesotan judge ruled that Comerica Bank would begin overseeing Prince's estate[44] and under Comerica, Boyarski began to focus on Prince's other intellectual property rights and became the overall entertainment attorney for the estate.[41] He brokered a deal in June 2018 with Sony Music that made 23 catalog albums available on streaming services.[45] In 2020, Boyarski negotiated a deal with SiriusXM to create a limited-time channel devoted exclusively to Prince's music.[46]

Awards and honors

Boyarski was named one of America's Top Lawyers by Forbes in 2024 and 2025,[47][48] one of the magazine's "Best-in-State Lawyers" for 2025,[49] and one of Billboard's Top Music Lawyers every year from 2018 through 2026.[50][45][51][46][52][53][54][55][56] He was named a "Power Lawyer" and one of Music's Top 15 Dealmakers by The Hollywood Reporter,[57][58] a Top Entertainment or Music Attorney by Variety multiple times,[59][60][61] and a top lawyer by Super Lawyers magazine.[62] Boyarski's law firm has been named multiple times by Hits as one of "Music's Hottest Law Firms"[22][19] and was profiled by Hits in 2025.[63] Billboard published a story highlighting Boyarski's career and commemorating the firm's 10th Anniversary in 2021.[20] Forbes also listed Boyarski as one of seven key alumni from Emory University.[64]

Personal life

Boyarski married Robin Alissa Katz at the Essex House in New York City in 2002.[65] He lives in Brookville, New York and has two children.[66][67]

References

  1. ↑ "WEDDINGS; Robin Katz, Jason Boyarski". The New York Times. 2002-04-28. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2017-08-31.
  2. 1 2 "Top Rated New York, NY Entertainment & Sports Attorney | Jason Boyarski | Super Lawyers". Super Lawyers. Retrieved 2017-08-31.
  3. 1 2 "Boyarski Fritz". Boyarski Fritz. Retrieved 2017-08-31.
  4. ↑ "Nine Cardozo Alumni Make Billboard Magazine's 2022 Top Music Lawyers List | Cardozo Law". cardozo.yu.edu. Retrieved 2024-03-27.
  5. ↑ "NOTE: THE HEIST OF FEIST: PROTECTION FOR COLLECTIONS OF INFORMATION AND THE POSSIBLE FEDERALIZATION OF "HOT NEWS" *". litigation-essentials.lexisnexis.com. Archived from the original on 2017-09-06. Retrieved 2017-09-01.
  6. ↑ Studer, Matthias U. (2001-09-01). "The Quest for Legal Protection of Databases in the Digital Age". The Journal of World Intellectual Property. 4 (5): 653–702. doi:10.1111/j.1747-1796.2001.tb00132.x. ISSN 1747-1796.
  7. ↑ "Boyarski Fritz". Boyarski Fritz. Retrieved 2017-08-31.
  8. ↑ "MusicDish e-Journal - BMG Music Publishing Promotes Jason Boyarski". www.musicdish.com. Archived from the original on November 14, 2006. Retrieved 2017-08-31.
  9. ↑ Hau, Louis (2006-09-05). "Vivendi Buys BMG Publishing". Forbes. Retrieved 2017-08-31.
  10. ↑ Tribune, Doreen Carvajal International Herald (2006-09-06). "Vivendi Agrees to Buy BMG Music Group". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2017-08-31.
  11. ↑ "UNIVERSAL MUSIC PUBLISHING GROUP (UMPG) ANNOUNCES ADDITIONAL SENIOR APPOINTMENTS FOLLOWING BMG MUSIC ACQUISITION - UMG". UMG. 2007-08-21. Archived from the original on 2017-09-06. Retrieved 2017-08-31.
  12. ↑ "SXSW 2017 Schedule". schedule.sxsw.com. Archived from the original on 2017-09-06. Retrieved 2017-08-31.
  13. ↑ GmbH, finanzen.net. "Jason Boyarski Scheduled to Speak on Music Panel at SXSW 2017". markets.businessinsider.com. Retrieved 2017-08-31.
  14. ↑ "AIMP : Events - PMA - What's The Value Of Music?". www.aimp.org. Retrieved 2017-08-31.
  15. ↑ "Ticket Summit Speaker Bio: David Fritz, Boyarski Fritz LLP | TicketNews". www.ticketnews.com. 2017-07-09. Retrieved 2017-08-31.
  16. ↑ "6 Blunders That Can Wreck a Business Deal". Inc.com. 2014-04-22. Retrieved 2017-08-31.
  17. ↑ "Jason Boyarski Scheduled to Speak on Music Panel at SXSW 2017". marketwired. March 16, 2017.
  18. ↑ Elias Leight (2026-06-20). "The Business Deal That Tore Apart Earth, Wind & Fire". tovima.com. Retrieved 2026-07-20.
  19. 1 2 3 4 5 "MUSIC'S HOTTEST LAW FIRMS: BOYARSKI FRITZ, LLP". HITS Daily Double. Retrieved 2024-03-27.
  20. 1 2 3 4 5 Donahue, Bill (2021-11-22). "How Entertainment Law Firm Boyarski Fritz Rode Music's Tech Boom To Success". Billboard. Retrieved 2024-03-27.
  21. ↑ Bill Donahue; Thom Duffy (2026-04-21). "Billboard's 2025 Top Music Lawyers Revealed". Billboard. Retrieved 2026-07-20.
  22. 1 2 3 4 "MUSIC'S HOTTEST FIRMS: BOYARSKI FRITZ LLP". HITS Daily Double. Retrieved 2024-03-27.
  23. ↑ "Boyarski Fritz LLP". HITS Daily Double. 2026-07-16. Retrieved 2026-07-20.
  24. 1 2 3 "MUSIC'S HOTTEST LAW FIRMS: BOYARSKI FRITZ, LLP". HITS Daily Double. 2023-06-06. Retrieved 2026-07-20.
  25. ↑ "FULL SHOW: Bebe Rexha Is Here!!". On Air with Ryan Seacrest. 2026-02-20. Retrieved 2026-07-20.
  26. ↑ "The Blackpink-Industrial Complex". HITS Daily Double. 2025-02-21. Retrieved 2026-07-20.
  27. ↑ "Hudson Stone Set As Newest Hollywood Records Artist". HITS Daily Double. 2026-03-31. Retrieved 2026-07-20.
  28. ↑ Longwell, Todd; Mayfield, Geoff (2024-10-09). "Variety's 2024 Music Legal Elite Report Covers Top Attorneys Who Rock Showbiz". Variety. Retrieved 2026-07-20.
  29. ↑ Isabella Gomez Sarmiento (2025-10-01). "Taylor Swift popularized fighting for masters. Are more artists getting ownership?". NPR. Retrieved 2026-07-20.
  30. ↑ "Jason Boyarski". Forbes. Retrieved 2024-03-27.
  31. ↑ Angermiller, Michele Amabile (2021-01-13). "Post Malone Collaborator Louis Bell Sells Catalog to Universal Music Publishing Group". Variety. Retrieved 2024-01-18.
  32. ↑ Lopez, Julyssa (2022-03-10). "Tainy Sells His Pre-2021 Catalog for Reported $25 Million". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2026-07-20.
  33. ↑ "2022 BMI Latin Awards". BMI.com. Retrieved 2023-08-11.
  34. ↑ "Alex Stolls elevated to Partner at music and entertainment law firm Boyarski Fritz". Music Business Worldwide. 2025-05-08. Retrieved 2026-07-20.
  35. ↑ "MUSIC'S HOTTEST LAW FIRMS: BOYARSKI FRITZ, LLP". HITS Daily Double. Retrieved 2023-08-11.
  36. ↑ Donahue, Bill (2021-11-22). "How Entertainment Law Firm Boyarski Fritz Rode Music's Tech Boom To Success". Billboard. Retrieved 2023-08-11.
  37. ↑ "Prince death: Singer died of fentanyl painkiller overdose". BBC News. 2016-06-03. Retrieved 2017-08-31.
  38. ↑ Aswad, Jem (2017-04-14). "Universal May Try to Nullify Recorded-Music Deal With Prince Estate". Variety. Retrieved 2017-08-31.
  39. ↑ Karp, Hannah (2017-04-14). "Winner of Rights to Prince's Music Fears It Was Shortchanged". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 2017-08-31.
  40. ↑ "Prince Calls for Artist Freedom, Ties Fight to Black America's History of Struggle". NBC News. Retrieved 2017-08-31.
  41. 1 2 "Lessons From Prince's Lawyer: Know What Your Work Is Worth". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2017-08-31.
  42. ↑ "Prince Estate Signs Deal With Azoff for Songwriting Royalties". Bloomberg.com. 2017-01-11. Retrieved 2017-08-31.
  43. ↑ "Prince Estate Taps Azoff's Global Music Rights to Oversee Artist's Entire Catalog". Billboard. Retrieved 2017-08-31.
  44. ↑ "Comerica Bank to oversee Prince's estate, estimated at $200M". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2017-08-31.
  45. 1 2 "Revealed: Billboard's 2018 Top Music Lawyers Led By Universal's Jeffrey Harleston". Billboard. Retrieved 2018-11-09.
  46. 1 2 "Revealed: Billboard's 2020 Top Music Lawyers". Billboard. 2020-07-27. Retrieved 2020-09-08.
  47. ↑ Jackson, Liane. "America's Top 200 Lawyers 2024". Forbes. Retrieved 2026-07-20.
  48. ↑ "Jason Boyarski". Forbes. Retrieved 2026-07-27.
  49. ↑ Jackson, Liane (2025-06-25). "America's Best-in-State Lawyers". Forbes. Retrieved 2026-07-27.
  50. ↑ Bill Donahue; Thom Duffy (2024-04-01). "Billboard's 2024 Top Music Lawyers Revealed b". Billboard. Retrieved 2026-07-27.
  51. ↑ "Revealed: Billboard's 2019 Top Music Lawyers Led by BTS Counsel Debbie White of Loeb & Loeb". Billboard. 2019-08-26. Retrieved 2020-09-08.
  52. ↑ Billboard Staff (2021-04-05). "Revealed: Billboard's 2021 Top Music Lawyers". Billboard. Retrieved 2023-08-08.
  53. ↑ Billboard Staff (2022-03-28). "Revealed: Billboard's 2022 Top Music Lawyers". Billboard. Retrieved 2023-08-08.
  54. ↑ Donahue, Bill; Duffy, Thom (2023-04-03). "Billboard's 2023 Top Music Lawyers Revealed". Billboard. Retrieved 2023-08-08.
  55. ↑ Donahue, Bill; Duffy, Thom (2025-04-21). "Billboard's 2025 Top Music Lawyers Revealed". Billboard. Retrieved 2026-07-20.
  56. ↑ Duffy, Thom (2026-07-20). "Billboard's 2026 Top Music Lawyers Revealed". Billboard. Retrieved 2026-07-20.
  57. ↑ Billboard, Pamela Chelin, Mesfin Fekadu, Geoff Mayfield; Chelin, Pamela; Fekadu, Mesfin; Billboard, Geoff Mayfield (2023-04-12). "Power Lawyers: Meet the Top Music Attorneys of 2023". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2023-08-07.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  58. ↑ Rosenbaum, Claudia (2025-10-01). "Behind the Music? These 57 Top Power Lawyers". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2026-07-27.
  59. ↑ Trakin, Peter Caranicas, Nick Clement, Paula Hendrickson, Karen Idelson, Todd Longwell, Robert Marich, Geoff Mayfield, Ethan Shanfeld, Roy; Caranicas, Peter; Clement, Nick; Hendrickson, Paula; Idelson, Karen; Longwell, Todd; Marich, Robert; Mayfield, Geoff; Shanfeld, Ethan (2022-04-20). "Variety's Legal Impact Report 2022: Top Attorneys Winning Cases and Making Deals in Hollywood". Variety. Retrieved 2023-08-07.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  60. ↑ Hendrickson, Peter Caranicas, Robert Marich, Todd Longwell, Dean Budnick, Geoff Mayfield, Lily Moayeri, Paula; Caranicas, Peter; Marich, Robert; Longwell, Todd; Budnick, Dean; Mayfield, Geoff; Moayeri, Lily; Hendrickson, Paula (2023-04-19). "Variety's Legal Impact Report 2023: Meet Hollywood's Top Entertainment Dealmakers and Litigators". Variety. Retrieved 2023-08-07.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  61. ↑ Asward, Jem; Horowitz, Steven J.; Wass, Mike (2026-07-24). "Music's Legal Elite 2026: Meet the Attorneys Who Help the Stars Shine". Variety. Retrieved 2026-07-24.
  62. ↑ "Top Rated New York, NY Entertainment & Sports Attorney | Jason Boyarski | Super Lawyers". Super Lawyers. Retrieved 2018-11-09.
  63. ↑ "Lawyers Special 2025: Boyarski Fritz LLP". Hits Daily Double. 2025-07-16. Retrieved 2026-07-27.
  64. ↑ "Emory University". Forbes. Retrieved 2026-07-20.
  65. ↑ "WEDDINGS; Robin Katz, Jason Boyarski". The New York Times. 2002-04-28. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2017-09-02.
  66. ↑ "Jason Boyarski | Boyarski Fritz LLP". boyarskifritzllp. Retrieved 2023-04-25.
  67. ↑ "Jason Boyarski on Instagram: "Spring break part deux, Jordan's 13th Birthday in Paris! Happy birthday to @jordanboyarski_ the heart, energy and soul of our family. I could not be more proud of the young non-binary child you are! Love you."". Instagram. Retrieved 2023-04-25.
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