Ross J. Charap

Ross J. Charap is an intellectual property attorney and copyright professional with a focus on the music industry for decades assisting clients with copyright transactions, licensing, and litigation.

He has built his practice on representing some of the most legendary musicians, songwriters, singers, lyricists, composers, record producers, and independent music publishers in the business. Ross assists his notable clientele in recapturing U.S. copyrights and licensing, selling, or purchasing valuable music assets. These transactions require industry-specific knowledge in order to accurately perform asset valuation, due diligence, negotiations, and drafting of agreements.

Over his career, Ross has closed transactions for assets worth over a total of $1 billion. His work has also earned him recognition as a Billboard Top Music Lawyer from 2022 to present. He was originally recognized by Billboard for his work with Mick Jagger and Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones in helping to safeguard their entitlement to performing rights and mechanical royalites after exercising their termination rights. Ross was also instrumental in persuading the US Copyright Office to enact policy changes to ensure that the Mechanical Licensing Collective paid post-termination royalties to songwriters, resulting in many millions being paid out to songwriters like Jagger and Richards.

Ross previously served as in-house counsel for the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) for 25 years where he met and worked with many legendary songwriters and publishers. Indeed, after he went into private practice, some of his most notable clients, including prominent families and heirs from the Motown era, writers of the Great American Songbook, and members of the Songwriters Hall of Fame, asked him to represent them based on their ASCAP relationship with him.

Throughout his career, he has represented or currently represents: Harold Arlen and E.Y. “Yip” Harburg – “Over The Rainbow”; Mitchell Parish – writer of “Stardust” and “Moonlight Serenade”; Leroy Anderson – composer of “Sleigh Ride”; Rube Bloom – composer of “Fools Rush In” and “Give Me The Simple Life”; Mitch Leigh and Joe Darion – "The Impossible Dream”; Sam Lewis – writer of “My Mammy”, “Five Foot Two Eyes Of Blue (Has Anybody Seen My Gal?)”, and Ross’s personal favorite “How You Gonna Keep ‘Em Down On The Farm After They’ve Seen Paree?” written in 1919; Sylvia Moy – writer of “Uptight” and “My Cherie Amour” for and with Stevie Wonder; Jessye Norman – famed international opera diva; and Larry Smith, Sr. – known as the “Quincy Jones of Hip Hop” who wrote for Kurtis Blow and Whodini and who discovered, produced, and wrote for Run-DMC for their first two albums.

After leaving ASCAP and entering private practice in 1999, Ross was asked to do copyright enforcement work for The Harry Fox Agency (HFA), a music rights and royalties company founded by the National Music Publishers Association (NMPA). Ross went on to collaborate with the NMPA on anti-piracy efforts aimed at removing copyrighted lyrics from unlicensed websites and negotiating licenses for these lyrics’ use. These efforts created a new stream of royalty income which has generated hundreds of millions of dollars in additional revenue for music publishers and their songwriters over the past 20 years.

Prior to joining Barton, Ross was a Partner in the New York office of ArentFox Schiff LLP.