The Team

Michael Simon

President

Michael S. Simon is the President of Rumblefish and President & CEO of HFA, premier music rights management organizations, which are subsidiaries of SESAC Music Group. Previously, Simon was HFA’s Senior Vice President of Business Affairs, General Counsel and Chief Strategic Officer.

Since joining HFA in 2001, Simon has directed and expanded the company’s traditional mechanical licensing business by creating its Rumblefish rights management service (formerly known as Slingshot) which provides customized, outsourced solutions for music distributors and rights holders. His team has developed groundbreaking licensing arrangements for online music and music video services, ringtones, lyrics, guitar tablature, background music, digital jukeboxes and other new media opportunities.

Before joining HFA, Simon was the Executive Vice President of Business Affairs and General Counsel of Razorfish, Inc. and President of Razorfish Studios. At Razorfish Studios, he was responsible for managing the creative development, business affairs and investor relations associated with the Studio’s recordings, motion picture productions, web sites, magazines, television programs, art & photography books and entertainment merchandise.

Prior to Razorfish, he founded Simon Ventures, a recording artist management and consulting company, whose roster included such major label acts as the Honeydogs and the Gigolo Aunts alongside several independent recording artists. Before that, Simon was Senior Director of Legal Affairs at PolyGram Records. He also served as an associate in the entertainment and intellectual property law practice of Levine Thall Plotkin & Menin and the corporate, litigation and entertainment practice of Rubin Baum Levin Constant & Friedman.

Simon received his Juris Doctor from the Columbia University School of Law and his Bachelor of the Arts, magna cum laude, from Amherst College.

Lauren Apolito

EVP, Strategy & Business Development

Lauren Apolito is Executive Vice President of Strategy & Business Development at Rumblefish, part of SESAC Music Group. As EVP, Lauren is a thought leader in the creation and execution of HFA/Rumblefish’s growth and diversification strategy. Since 2001, Lauren has been a driving force in the digital music business as she led development and launch of HFA’s rights management platform, Slingshot, now branded Rumblefish.

For over a decade, Lauren’s achievements have had an industry-wide impact, both providing the music publishing community with new revenue opportunities and facilitating the administration of intellectual property rights for those in the music distribution chain including digital distributors, labels, aggregators and mobile companies.

Over the past year, Lauren’s efforts have fueled revenue growth, client diversification, licensing opportunities, and new service offering. She expanded licensing opportunities for publishers, providing new interactive streaming, background music, lyrics and tablature revenue vehicles. Additionally, she has enhanced the HFA/Rumblefish service portfolio with new services, including those to facilitate the administration of direct licensing deals between publishers and distributors both on the performance and mechanical side. Lauren has continued to expand HFA/Rumblefish’s administration client roster that includes leading players in the digital space.

Prior to HFA, Lauren was VP at Citigroup/eCiti where she launched cutting-edge online banking solutions and analyzed strategic investments in technology. At Nikko Securities, Lauren was responsible for strategic planning in South America. Lauren also managed entrepreneurial ventures at International Resources Holdings, an asset management company. Additionally, Lauren founded and was President of Echo Travel, Inc.

Lauren has a MBA in Finance and International Business from Fordham University, Graduate School of Business. She also has a B.A. in Economics and Spanish from Bucknell University and studied at Regent’s College European Business School in London.

Stephen Block

SVP, Business & Legal Affairs

Stephen H. Block is the Senior Vice President of Business and Legal Affairs for HFA, Rumblefish, and Audiam. Previously Stephen was HFA’s Vice President of Business Affairs and Deputy General Counsel.

Since joining HFA in 2006, Stephen and his team have focused their efforts on developing and negotiating new media deals involving HFA and music publishers’ Internet businesses, including first-of-a-kind licensing and intellectual property administration arrangements for user-generated content, lyrics, tablature, background music, sheet music, synchronization and mechanical licensing. This work has led to the exponential growth of HFA’s rights administration services for publishers and digital music services providers alike. Stephen and his team also provide strategic advice and oversee HFA’s transactions and related matters.

Before joining HFA Stephen was the Executive Vice President of Business Affairs and General Counsel of several related companies, Digital Club Network, The Orchard and eMusic. Prior to that he was the Managing Partner of the intellectual property law firm Kahn & Block. Stephen started his career as a commercial litigation associate at Spector & Scher.

Stephen received his JD from the Cardozo School of Law where he was the Managing Editor of the Arts & Entertainment Law Journal and graduated magna cum laude from the Honors Program at Georgia State University.

Michael Smith

Prior to Harry Fox, Michael was an associate in the litigation department of the international law firm Nixon Peabody. Before joining Nixon Peabody, Michael worked for the Honorable Richard J. Sullivan, formerly a District Court Judge in the Southern District of New York.

Michael received his JD from St. John’s University School of Law where he was an Articles Editor for the St. John’s Law Review. At St. John’s, Michael was a finalist for the Grammy Foundation’s Entertainment Law Initiative writing competition. His article argued for the existence of a New York state common-law performance right for pre-1972 sound recordings.

Prior to law school, Michael worked for independent music publishing companies as general manager. He handled all matters related to the companies, including copyright research and registration, song claiming, licensing, and co-publishing agreements.