Note from Eldonie
​
I took my first entertainment law class in 2003. Back then, the panic was Napster. Then it was LimeWire. Then streaming. Then YouTube. Then TikTok. Every few years, the entertainment industry believes it’s facing extinction.
It never is. But it is always facing change.
What I’ve learned over two decades is this: the people who survive disruption aren’t the loudest voices in the room — they’re the ones who understand leverage. They understand contracts. They understand ownership. They understand positioning.

​AI doesn’t scare me. What concerns me is how many creators still don’t own their rights.

Because technology doesn’t destroy value. Unstructured ownership does.


AI vs. Hollywood: Is This Napster 2.0 — or Something Bigger?


The entertainment industry finds itself at a crossroads.

Artificial intelligence can now write scripts, generate voices, compose music, recreate actors, and produce cinematic scenes from simple prompts. The technology is no longer experimental — it is commercially viable and scaling fast.

And Hollywood is uneasy.

The core issue isn’t whether AI works. It’s whether AI systems were trained on copyrighted material without permission — including films, scripts, characters, music catalogs, and trademarked franchises.

Studios have raised concerns that companies, including ByteDance and other AI developers, may have used protected intellectual property to train their models. If that proves true, we are looking at one of the largest copyright disputes of this century.

The music industry is already pushing back. Universal Music Group and other major labels have criticized AI platforms that replicate artist voices or generate sound-alike recordings. The concern is straightforward: if an AI system trains on an artist’s catalog or vocal performance and produces commercially viable output, where is the compensation?

We’ve seen disruption before. In 1999, Napster upended the music industry by making songs free and instantly shareable. The industry sued, protested, and fought aggressively. But Napster didn’t destroy music. It forced evolution. Streaming emerged. Licensing models changed. Digital distribution became normalized.

AI, however, is different.

Napster distributed existing songs. AI can generate new works in the style of existing creators. It can mimic voices, recreate likenesses, and produce derivative content at scale. That raises deeper legal questions: Is training on copyrighted material fair use? Does artistic style belong to the creator? Can a voice be protected? Are we dealing with copyright, trademark, right of publicity — or all three?

The likely outcome isn’t total resistance or full surrender. It will be a combination of litigation, licensing, and strategic integration. Studios will fight where necessary, negotiate where profitable, and develop internal AI tools were advantageous.

AI isn’t going away. The only question is who controls the value it creates.

Accept, Release and Believe ​


​Life has a way of giving us moments we didn’t plan for—circumstances that force us to pause, shift, or even start over. In those moments, the greatest act of strength isn’t fighting against what we can’t control, but choosing to accept, release, and believe.
Accept what is. Even when it’s not what you hoped for, acknowledging reality frees you from denial and frustration.
Let go of what was. You can’t rewrite yesterday, and holding on too tightly only weighs you down.
Have faith in what will be. Trust that the next chapter holds something better, something that couldn’t come if you didn’t first release what has passed.
Sometimes that’s all you can do—and that’s enough. Because faith in the unseen is often the bridge that carries us to new beginnings.
So today, breathe. Accept. Release. Believe. And let tomorrow unfold with hope.
In Faith Believing,

​

​Have you ever felt stuck in your career, like you’ve hit a wall no matter how hard you push? I know that feeling all too well. You try different strategies, explore new ideas, but nothing seems to gain traction. It’s frustrating, exhausting, and sometimes, it makes you question if you’re even on the right path.
 
That was me not too long ago. I was doing all the "right" things—networking, refining my services,
brainstorming ways to elevate my business—but I still felt like I was spinning my wheels. No real momentum, no clear direction forward.

Then one day, out of nowhere, it clicked.

The lightbulb went off. The pieces fell into place. Suddenly, I could see the way forward—the path that had been there all along, but I just wasn’t looking at it from the right angle. I rediscovered my passion, my drive, and my motivation. That fire inside me reignited, and instead of feeling stuck, I felt unstoppable.

Now, I wake up excited again, eager to take on new challenges and explore all the possibilities ahead. The energy, the creativity, the determination—it’s all back, and stronger than ever.

If you’re feeling stuck right now, trust me, your aha moment is coming. Sometimes, the breakthrough happens when you least expect it, but when it does, everything changes. Keep pushing, keep exploring, and don’t give up—because the light at the end of the tunnel is closer than you think.

Have you ever had an aha moment that changed everything for you? I’d love to hear about it! Reply and share your story with me.

On another note, if you have been listed to be the executor of an estate, this week’s estate planning article, “The Unexpected Challenges of Being an Estate Executor” will be helpful. Finally, when it comes to music, it always comes back to sampling because people just can’t get it right. However, this week’s entertainment article, “5 Things Music Artists Need to Know About Sampling to Avoid Copyright Infringement Lawsuits”  further seeks to provide enlightenment on this hot topic in the music industry.


By Eldonie Mason,   Attorney /COO
Mason Firm 

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▫️Keynote & TEDx speaker: Audacity & Resilience
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Behavioral Health Equity: Responding to the Needs of our Nation’s Veterans


​Even though Veterans Day has passed, I would like to ask did you spend time with words of encouragement, did you provide a hug, visit VA hospital and or volunteer.   These are gestures one should do throughout the years and not just Veterans  Day.  

Everyday, my local spiritual father, sends me words of encouragement and I send them right back.  These word bless me just as much as it blesses him. 

Below is a blog shared by By: Stacey Owens, M.S.W., LCSW-C, Military and Veterans Affairs Liaison, Center for Mental Health Services
 
On Veterans Day, we take time to honor former service members for their willingness to make sacrifices for our nation. Support for all our nation’s Veterans is a prominent component of the wide-ranging services provided by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). An emphasis on Veteran behavioral health (mental health and substance use disorder) care is rooted in the agency’s recognition of the unique needs of this population and the collective national commitment to support those who served. If you ask a group of Veterans why they chose to serve, you will hear various responses. Veterans may describe a role model who served in the military, a family legacy of service, feelings of patriotism, a sense of duty to protect others, as well as unique opportunities that military service affords. Those opportunities might include pursuing new experiences, traveling to new places, gaining job skills for the future, and financial security. In fact, the military is among our nation’s most diverse employers.