Olayemi Oladapo
Paralegal
E: Yemi.Oladapo@kingsley-wood.com
Olayemi Oladapo was qualified as a Barrister and Solicitor of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and called to the Nigerian Bar in December 2015. Since qualification, he has worked across the music and media sectors in Nigeria and the United Kingdom as a specialist, combining legal expertise with commercial and strategic business experience.
He has advised artists, producers, managers, record labels, publishers, and music businesses on a wide range of matters including music licensing, publishing, catalogue administration, record label operations, management arrangements, and international rights exploitation.
about
Olayemi's career spans in-house roles within a leading African music group, private practice representation of creative industry clients, and an international partner management role within a major collective management organisation in the UK, where he oversaw partnerships across Africa and the Middle East. He specialises in advising music artists, managers, labels, and publishers on both legal and commercial strategy, with a particular focus on cross-border licensing, royalty structures, and long-term catalogue value.
Olayemi combines legal precision with commercial insight, bringing a practical, solutions-driven approach to the creative industries. His experience spans in-house legal and licensing operations, private client advisory, and international rights management, giving him a well-rounded perspective on how music businesses operate across markets.
He has extensive expertise in music publishing and licensing structures, international catalogue administration, rights monetization, and partner negotiations, and is experienced in balancing the interests of creators, corporate entities, collecting societies, and commercial partners.
Recent Matters
my work
- Advises on and negotiates high-value music publishing agreements for internationally recognised producers and songwriters, including six figure USD deals with major global publishing companies.
- Manages copyright claims, infringement matters and rights disputes, facilitating resolution with both domestic and international counterparties.
- Oversees end-to-end synchronization licensing for music used in major international film and television productions, and negotiates publishing administration agreements for established recording artists and songwriters with leading global administrators. Drafts, reviews and negotiates song release, collaboration and producer agreements for leading African artists, producers and labels, and advises on licensed music distribution arrangements with digital distributors, aggregators, DSPs and major social media platforms.
- Manages catalogue registration and onboarding with collective management organizations to support effective international licensing, royalty tracking and collections, and advises on a broad range of commercial music agreements, including live performance agreements, synchronization licences, digital distribution agreements, brand endorsement deals, NDAs and work-for-hire arrangements, including for large-scale international cultural events.
- Leads negotiations on royalty rates, points and advances, and oversees the execution and administration of licensing arrangements.
Interest
about me
Olayemi combines legal precision with commercial insight, bringing a practical, solutions-driven approach to the creative industries. His experience spans in-house legal and licensing operations, private client advisory, and international rights management, giving him a well-rounded perspective on how music businesses operate across markets.
Olayemi has a strong interest in filmmaking and cultural storytelling. He produces and films documentaries and interviews focused on creative industry professionals, which he shares on his YouTube channel. The platform has attracted over 13,000 subscribers and nearly 900,000 views in the
past year, reflecting his commitment to education, storytelling, and the global African creative economy.
Awards & Experience
my expertise
The School of Music Business, London: Music Publishing, Sync & Licensing (Short Course)
Nigerian Law School: Barrister at Law (BL)
University of Ilorin, Nigeria: Bachelor of Laws (LLB)
