Peer Lecture: Director of U.S. Copyright Office

The Ralph S. Peer Lecture on April 1, 2024, featured Shira Perlmutter, Register of Copyrights and director of the U.S. Copyright Office, in conversation with David Israelite.

As part of the Ralph S. Peer Lecture Series, the Music Business program at NYU Steinhardt brought together leaders in music publishing to discuss creative ownership, copyrights, and the emerging technologies that are shaping the arts industry.

Shira Perlmutter with David Israelite speaking to the audience

The conversation between Shira Perlmutter, Register of Copyrights and director of the U.S. Copyright Office, and David Israelite, president and CEO of the National Music Publishers Association and music adjunct faculty, highlighted Perlmutter’s work throughout her tenure, including incorporating economic data analysis and updating technologies that the public uses to interface with the Copyright Office. She also discussed her unique background – which spans academia, the private sector, and international affairs – and how a vast range of experiences can help individuals balance the needs of businesses, creators, and government.

Perlmutter said that it’s a strength for policymakers to be “able to understand how the process works [in all environments], and to know that when you're making policy you're not doing it from an academic, abstract point of view – that you know that it has real-world consequences and are able to understand them. Something could look beautiful on paper and just not work in the real world.”

Six featured guests stand around the poster for the Ralph S. Peer Lecture series: Larry Miller, Dean Jack H. Knott, Ralph Peer II, Mary Megan Peer, David Israelite, and Shira Perlmutter — Left to right: Clinical Professor and Director of Music Business Program Larry Miller; Dean Jack H. Knott; Executive Chair of peermusic Ralph Peer, II; CEO of peermusic Mary Megan Peer; President and CEO of the National Music Publishers’ Association and Music Adjunct Professor David Israelite; Director of the U.S. Copyright Office and Register of Copyrights Shira Perlmutter

Students, staff, faculty, and community members gathered in the Paulson Center’s ensemble rehearsal and performance space. The event also featured remarks from two pioneering leaders of peermusic, the largest independent music publisher in the world: Ralph Peer, II, executive chair and son of Ralph S. Peer – the namesake of the Peer Lecture Series – and Mary Megan Peer, CEO and granddaughter of Ralph S. Peer.

“He had what I call ‘open ears,’” said Ralph, speaking on his father’s legacy. “He never limited himself to one genre. He was listening for talent, quality, and novelty.”

In his opening remarks, Jack H. Knott, Steinhardt Gale and Ira Drukier Dean, thanked the Peer family for “making this valuable contribution to our students and the industry by fostering a dialogue on issues affecting music publishing.” He also thanked Larry Miller, clinical professor and director of the Music Business program, who helped create the Peer Lecture Series and was recently nominated by the Music Business Association for the Educator of the Year Award.

The Ralph S. Peer Lecture Series launched in October 2019 to support students seeking a career in the music industry and to create dialogue in the creative industry.

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