HHR Advises Jonny Shipes in Dispute Concerning Sale of Cinematic Music Group

Nov. 17, 2023 - The firm advised music entrepreneur and producer Jonathan Shapiro, aka Jonny Shipes, in a dispute arising from the sale of Cinematic Music Group, his label and management company, to Interscope Geffen A&M (IGA) in an eight-figure deal. In tandem with this, HHR represented Shipes in forming and funding his new full-service entertainment company GoodTalk.

In the transaction, Shipes sold the entirety of Cinematic’s catalogue, including contracts with artists Joey Bada$$, Sean Kingston and Smoke DZA, to IGA. Shipes’ new venture, GoodTalk, will house multiple divisions under its umbrella, including a new record label and talent management.

Shipes and GoodTalk will work with both Geffen Records and Virgin Music in signing and developing musical artists as a part of the deal.

“Jonny has built a singular aesthetic through Cinematic, and we’re looking forward to working closely with him and his team as they launch GoodTalk,” said John Janick, chairman and CEO of Interscope Geffen A&M.

“Jonny has had decades of experience in identifying and nurturing artists who have contributed in important ways to popular culture. We’re excited to be working with him on this new chapter,” said Tom March, president of Geffen Records.

The deal generated press coverage in Billboard and VIBE.

Jonny Shipes is a music entrepreneur and producer from New York City. Before founding Cinematic in 2007, he managed several artists including Foxy Brown, T-Pain and Cam’Ron.

IGA is an American umbrella label owned by Universal Music Group. It consists of record labels Interscope Records and Geffen Records; Virgin Music is also a subsidiary.

The HHR team included Dan Weiner, Gerold Niggemann, Sabrina Silverberg and Lynn Russo.