Shane Nix
Partner, Tax
Shane Nix, a partner in the Firm's Tax Department and the Entertainment Transactions Practice, counsels companies and individuals on various business transactions, with an emphasis on transactional tax matters relating to the acquisition, disposition, and restructuring of businesses, corporations, and partnerships. Shane's practice primarily focuses on the entertainment industry and is comprised of a wide array of clients including songwriters, recording artists, record labels, actors, actresses, producers, directors, athletes, public personalities, influencers, novelists, comic book creators, and other celebrities. A trusted advisor to the entertainment industry, Shane was named among Billboard's Top Music Lawyers in 2022-2024; and Variety's Dealmakers Impact Report in 2022 and 2023.
Prior experience in Silicon Valley and a strong understanding of complex copyright and business issues enables him to serve as a bridge for clients between entertainment and technology as the two industries converge.
Shane often acts as general outside tax counsel to business management firms and entertainment law firms, and periodically services as an adjunct professor at the University of California Irvine teaching entertainment industry taxation.
Experience
- Chambers USA, Tax (Band 4), California: Southern, 2024
- Legal 500 U.S., Recommended Lawyer
- Tax - US Taxes: Non-Contentious, 2023-2024
- Media, Technology and Telecoms - Media and Entertainment: Transactional, 2024
- Best Lawyers in America, Tax Law, 2023-2025
- Billboard, Top Music Lawyers 2022-2024
- Variety, Dealmakers Impact Report, 2022-2023
- Los Angeles Business Journal, 40 Thriving in Their 40's, 2020
- Chair, Planning Committee, CalCPA Entertainment Industry Conference
- Member, Editorial Board, Los Angeles Lawyer Magazine
- Member, Motion Picture and TV Tax Institute
- Member, Executive Committee, USC Tax Institute
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS AND LECTURES PUBLICATIONS:
A recognized thought leader in entertainment taxation, Shane has published extensively on tax strategy, deal structuring, and emerging issues affecting the entertainment industry. He is a regular contributor to Los Angeles Lawyer, where his work covers key topics such as entertainment industry taxation, copyright termination rights, and tax implications for influencers and content creators.
Recent Publications:
- “Tax Consequences of Deferred Sales Proceeds” – LA Lawyer, December 2024
- “Composers Must Play with More than Music” – LA Lawyer, May 2024
- “Taxing the Terminator” (Cover Feature) – LA Lawyer, May 2022
- “How the New Tax Law Impacts Hollywood: Lights, Camera, Immediate Deduction!” – ABA Tax Quarterly, April 2022
- Contributor to the Journal of Taxation covering bad debt deductions and worthless stock losses
- Contributor to the Journal of Taxation covering bad debt deductions and worthless stock losses
SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS:
Shane is a sought-after speaker on entertainment industry taxation, regularly presenting at major legal and financial conferences. He has delivered keynotes and panel discussions for more than a decade at top industry forums, including USC Tax Institute and CalCPA.
Recent Speaking Engagements:
- 2023-2025 USC Tax Institute (Entertainment Industry Tax Update – including Film/TV cost recovery and tax considerations for music catalog sales).
- 2024 CalCPA Entertainment Industry Conference (Entertainment Tax Update)
- 2022 CalCPA Entertainment Industry Conference (Music Industry Taxation).
- 2022 USC Tax Institute (Copyright Termination Rights).
- 2022: "What a New Investor in Music Catalogs Should Know" podcast.
- 50+ private presentations to business management and accounting firms.
Shane has represented*:
- A prominent actor in connection with his acquisition of an ownership interest in an artisanal vodka company
- Iconic musicians on music catalog sales with aggregate value in excess of $1.5 billion, including sale of master recording and publishing catalog valued at over $550 million
- A variety of prominent music artists in connection with catalogue sales, including structuring a $300 million hip hop catalogue sale, providing complex tax opinion on $300m iconic rock band catalogue sale, and a $150 million classic progressive rock band catalogue, as well as structuring a $200 million record deal with a prominent hip hop artist
- A production company with respect to tax planning in connection with a $500 million movie deal, including the allocation of S-corporation distribution and compensation
- A prominent rock band in connection with structuring copyright ownership and tax opinion related thereto
- A talent management company in connection with structuring a $165 million sale of controlling interest in the company
- Production companies in planning for timing differences arising from copyright ownership, including new issues in connection with new tax legislation
- Talent in connection with loan out company tax matters, including drafting employment agreements
- Talent in film, television, and music in connection with residency planning and service/royalty sourcing
- A prominent production company in connection with structuring the sale of video game rights, production tax planning, and overall corporate structure
- Celebrities, brand ambassadors, musicians, actors, and other talent in connection with structuring endorsement deals
- Clients regarding taxation of exercising copyright termination rights
*Shane advised on some of these matters prior to joining Willkie.
Credentials
Education
New York University School of Law, LL.M., 2008 DePaul University College of Law, J.D. (cum laude), 2006 University of Michigan, B.A., 2002
Bar Admissions
Court Admissions
United States Tax Court