Richard Busch Recognized in Billboard Magazine’s 2026 Top Music Lawyers List

Adams & Reese IP litigator Richard Busch has been named to the 2026 Top Music Lawyers list by Billboard Magazine.

Each year, Billboard's editors select attorneys based on nominations from firms and peers, recognizing honorees who serve as key legal resources for artists, songwriters, and executives across the music industry. Busch has previously been recognized as a Top Music Lawyer by the publication, and his recurrence on this list reflects his continued leadership in protecting the rights of artists, songwriters, and industry leaders that shape our music and culture.

“Richard’s continued recognition by Billboard is a reflection of the trust artists, songwriters, producers, and music industry clients place in him to protect their work and legacies,” said Gif Thornton, Managing Partner at Adams & Reese. “His IP work sits at the intersection of entertainment, copyright, and high-stakes litigation, and we are proud to see him honored among the lawyers shaping the future of the music industry.”

Billboard’s 2026 Top Music Lawyers list is featured in the publication’s July issue, alongside an article examining how music lawyers are helping artists, labels, and publishers navigate the next frontier of entertainment law: artificial intelligence. The piece highlights the growing debate over whether generative AI companies may train models on copyrighted songs under the fair use doctrine, as well as the music industry’s mixed response through litigation and licensing deals with several AI platforms. It also underscores concerns from artists and songwriters, who are urging that AI licensing arrangements preserve creator control and be developed with their meaningful involvement. As AI reshapes the music industry, the piece reinforces the importance of experienced attorneys advocating for creators’ rights.

“Being recognized again by Billboard among so many talented music lawyers never ceases to be the ultimate honor,” said Richard Busch. “For me, this work has always been about making sure artists, songwriters, and rights holders have a strong voice when their work, livelihoods, and creative legacies are at stake. As new technologies like artificial intelligence create both opportunity and risk for the industry, it is more important than ever that creators remain at the center of these conversations and that their rights are protected.”

Based in Nashville, Busch is a member of the firm's Global Intellectual Property Practice Group, where he focuses on all types of intellectual property, entertainment, and commercial litigation matters. His work has included significant litigation involving music rights and artists, such as the Ninth Circuit’s landmark decision in F.B.T. Productions, LLC v. Aftermath Records, the $7.4 million jury verdict in the Blurred Lines case, and the precedent-setting Sixth Circuit ruling in Bridgeport Music, Inc. v. Dimension Films.

More recently, Busch has been actively involved in high-profile litigation matters for both artists and music publishers. He secured a Sixth Circuit reversal for the estate of the late Parliament-Funkadelic keyboardist Bernie Worrell in a copyright ownership dispute with George Clinton and represents Salt-N-Pepa in its ongoing appeal against Universal Music Group over rights to its master recordings. Additionally, he represents Eminem’s publisher, Eight Mile Style, in its copyright infringement case against Meta.

Adams & Reese congratulates Busch on this national recognition and his continued leadership in representing artists, creators, rights holders, and music industry clients in complex intellectual property and entertainment disputes. His inclusion on Billboard’s Top Music Lawyers 2026 list underscores the firm’s commitment to providing sophisticated, forward-looking counsel at a time when innovation, technology, and creator rights are reshaping the future of the music industry.