Damian is the Principal of Sonic Lawyers and Sonic Rights Management.
Through his extensive international experience and pragmatic approach, Damian has become known as one of Australia’s most trusted and connected music industry legal executives.
Prior to establishing Sonic Lawyers, Damian was most recently the Head of Legal & Business Affairs at the iconic Australian music rights management company J. Albert & Son. In this role, Damian oversaw the management and exploitation of the company’s copyrights globally (including the catalogues of AC/DC and Vanda & Young), the representation of third party catalogues regionally in Australasia, and the transaction for the sale of the company itself in 2016. Damian continues to serve the company’s former owner Alberts in the management of the AC/DC and Vanda & Young catalogues.
As principal of Sonic Rights Management, Damian manages the estate of the late AC/DC frontman Bon Scott.
Admitted to practise in 1994, Damian has also held various in-house legal and management roles both locally and overseas, including with Sony Music, US IT giant Oracle Corporation, and leading Australian telco Telstra. Prior to moving in-house, Damian worked as a solicitor with Banki Haddock Fiora in Sydney and, before that, Phillips Fox (now DLA Piper/Lavan) in Perth.
Damian currently serves on the boards of AMPAL (Australasian Music Publishers Association Limited) and CSA (Copyright Society of Australia, of which he is also a past President). He has previously served on the boards of PPCA (Phonographic Performance Company of Australia) and WAM (Western Australian Music Industry Association), the Copyright Committee of ARIA (Australian Recording Industry Association) and the Legal Sub-Committee of BPI (British Phonographic Industry). Damian volunteers as a panel lawyer for the Arts Law Centre of Australia.
Damian holds a Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of Western Australia and a Master of Laws degree (specialising in Media, Communications & Information Technology Law) from the University of New South Wales.
Contact Damian:
Email: drinaldi@soniclawyers.com
Mobile: +61 418 213 525