A well-known and respected entertainment industry litigator with 35+ years of success, Sandra (Sandy) Crawshaw-Sparks represents the most iconic names in music on recording, publishing, licensing and management contracts, copyright and trademark infringement claims, unfair competition claims, and the rights of privacy and publicity. While she fiercely fights high-profile battles for her clients and wins on some of the biggest, industry-shaping matters in entertainment, Sandy also negotiates pre-litigation and pre-trial resolutions of highly sensitive and confidential personal and entertainment-related disputes, protecting her clients and their reputations from unwarranted media scrutiny and creative distraction.
Sandy is the National Legal Counsel for the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences, Inc. (the not-for-profit organization responsible for the GRAMMY Awards) and is also an advisor to the Executive Committee of the Board of Trustees of the Academy. She has long served on the Board of Directors of the GRAMMY Museum’s Entertainment Law Initiative, which promotes discussion and debate about the most compelling legal issues facing the music industry.
Most recently, Sandy was named to the ‘Business of Entertainment Visionaries’ list by The LA Times’ Envelope Magazine. She was also named to Los Angeles Business Journal’s 2024 Women of Influence, and shortlisted by Euromoney’s Women in Business Law for Copyright Lawyer of the Year. Sandy was also named one of Billboard's 2024 Top Music Lawyers, and has been recognized as a Top 250 Women in Litigation by Benchmark Litigation since 2017.
· Lead trial counsel for Live Nation, Madonna, and U.S. venues for Madonna’s Celebration Tour in three high-profile class actions, multiple arbitrations, and small claims cases. Claimants allege that her performances started later than advertised and included inappropriate content in an uncomfortably hot environment, with claims of false advertising, negligent misrepresentation, and unfair trade practices.
· Counsel for Sony Music Entertainment in an action against Marriott International in the District of Delaware for direct and secondary copyright infringement for its unauthorized use of Sony Music Entertainment content in hundreds of posts on social media in the past three years.
· Defended Canadian rock band, The Guess Who, and two of its founding members, in a false advertising lawsuit filed by two other previous members of the band. Plaintiffs alleged violations of the Lanham Act, California unfair competition laws, and the Copyright Act. Plaintiffs sought damages of $20 million, potential treble damages, and lost profits. The parties reached a settlement favorable to the defendants, who will be paid a series of significant monetary payments to resolve all claims and for the rights to their trademark.
Updated Oct 2024
