Life & Work with Bill Murphy of San Fernando Valley

Today we’d like to introduce you to Bill Murphy.

Hi Bill, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
Career Timeline — Bill Murphy (Music Publishing Executive)
Early Career — Music Publishing & Rights Administration (Pre-2000s)
* Copyright & Royalty Roles at Major Publishers
Began his music publishing career in Los Angeles working in copyright administration, licensing, audits, and royalties for major music companies. Roles included positions at Bug Music, Universal Music Publishing / Universal Music Group, and Virgin Records, where he developed deep expertise in rights management and royalty reporting across recorded and publishing rights.
Pacific Electric Music Publishing — Co-Founder & Director
* Co-Founder / Director
Joined Pacific Electric Music Publishing, an independent publishing and administration company founded in the early 2000s, where he helped build the administration infrastructure, managed sub-publishing relationships, and oversaw catalog services for a roster of indie artists and catalogs (e.g., The Apples in stereo, Richie Havens, Lambchop, Idaho, Radar Bros).
Royalty Review Council / Crunch Digital Catalog Administration & Due Diligence
* Publishing Catalog Management & Acquisitions
During his time with Crunch Digital, Murphy worked on catalog due diligence, digital royalty audits and administration, advising on rights valuation and royalty systems — key work that prepared his catalog and admin expertise for later integration with a global publisher.
Schubert Music Publishing — Managing Director & Partner, U.S. (April 2019–July 2024)
* Managing Director / Partner — Schubert Music Publishing, USA (Los Angeles)
Murphy joined Schubert Music Publishing as Managing Director and Partner of the U.S. division, bringing the Pacific Electric catalog under Schubert’s global operations. In this executive role he leads publishing administration, licensing, catalog growth, and strategic partnerships for the North American market.
Ongoing Responsibilities & Industry Activities
* LC Business Management – royalty and catalog management (2024 onward)
In his current leadership capacity, Murphy works across the publishing and master value chain — overseeing rights administration, royalty accounting, licensing negotiations, and strategic development for writers and catalogs internationally for an International pop star and legacy pop music catalogs.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I find that the biggest challenges in my career have been when sudden, drastic changes to this business create an environment of uncertainty. This has kept me on my toes, however, and I am happy to be working in a dynamic, challenging environment.

I have also found that at times it is the role of the administrator to manage clients expectations and help guide them through the general chaos of an album (or single) release.

And don’t get me started on AI. I am against the idea of taking shortcuts. As Picasso supposedly said, ‘computers are useless; they only provide answers’.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am very proud to have worked with some of the great music catalogs in the world, and helped a group of artists that I love and respect. My background is in royalty and administration – setting up the master and publishing catalogs worldwide to help ensure that these artists get paid what they are owed. Money coming in and money going out.

A client once noted that they were comfortable working with me because I could explain something very complex such as copyright law or post-term collection rights in a way that would be simple and non-catastrophic.

One of my proudest moments was working on a catalog due diligence project for an artist that I was still a huge fan of and had seen a few times in the 1980’s. Though I am also feel some satisfaction when able to track missing income for a young artist that needs the cash flow.

I feel very blessed to be able to work in a field that I love for the past thirty five years.

What do you like best about our city? What do you like least?
When I first moved to Los Angeles from Boston, I was drawn to the diversity of Los Angeles. I had read somewhere that there are around 125 languages spoken here in the greater Los Angeles area. This idea of a great melting pot of a city with culture and cuisine from all over the world appealed to me, and I love this city. World class restaurants, museums and music.

I do find that traffic can be a bit much and has grown considerably since moving here. Parking and shopping can be a pain at times.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bmurphyla
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bmurphy-la/

Image Credits
Richie Havens photo Tom Ford Photos