Bruce Furst, the president of Ashber Corporation, resides in Austin, Texas, where he provides music and film licensing. In his private life, Bruce Furst supports the human rights movement through Amnesty International, an organization that safeguards freedom of expression and international justice.
Having dedicated more than two decades to establishing an international justice system, Amnesty International advocates for global acceptance of the authority of the International Criminal Court. Governed by the Rome Statute, the court tries severe crimes of international concern, such as war crimes, genocide, and extrajudicial executions, that have not been investigated or prosecuted in a national justice system. Special exceptions are made for cases that go to trial but are conducted in a manner deemed questionable and insincere. The court serves as a last resort. As of April 2015, 123 countries have adopted the International Criminal Court system. Of these countries, 34 are located in Africa, 27 in the Caribbean and Latin America, and 19 in Asia. A majority of the proceedings held thus far take place in Africa. To learn more about Amnesty International and the International Criminal Court, visit www.amnesty.org. An executive producer based in Austin, Texas, Bruce Furst serves as the president of the Ashber Corporation. Bruce Furst has worked with several leading music industry artists, including Christina Aguilera, Luther Vandross, and Tony Bennett, who all appear on his 2006 album production, Christmas Classics: Yesterday, Today & Forever.
Anthony Dominick Benedetto, better known as Tony Bennett, started his professional singing career in the 1940s. Since then he has amassed several platinum and gold albums as well as 17 Grammy awards. Among his many successful works, he has recorded two “Duets” CDs, marking his 80th and 85th birthdays, which feature a wide range of musicians, from Paul McCartney to Lady Gaga. In September 2014, Tony Bennett collaborated again with Lady Gaga to produce a new album of jazz standards, titled Cheek to Cheek. Later in December, they appeared on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, and started their touring schedule. The duo will perform in a variety of US and European venues, such as Hollywood Bowl and the Royal Albert Hall, through July 2015. As president of the Ashber Corporation in Austin, Texas, Bruce Furst works on licensing music for use in feature films. The producer of the best-selling 2006 album “Christmas Classics – Yesterday, Today & Forever”, Bruce Furst has worked with such performers as Tony Bennett and Christina Aguilera.
Since releasing her first self-titled full-length album in August 1999, Christina Aguilera has become one of the most successful female vocalists in US history. To date, she has released seven studio albums and 34 singles as a solo artist, a discography yielding more than 50 million albums sold around the globe and nearly 15 million in the United States alone. Aguilera’s first album, her most financially successful, sold 17 million copies worldwide, while her first English-language follow up, "Stripped", sold an additional 12 million in 2002. Over the course of her career, Aguilera has released four singles that have gone on to top the US charts, including her breakout single “Genie in a Bottle”, released in 1999. The song went platinum in a number of international markets and reached the top two in% 0Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, and several other countries. “What a Girl Wants”” and Come On Over Baby” also topped the US charts, while Aguilera’s work on the Li’l Kim, Mya, and Pink collaboration “Lady Marmalade” for the film “Moulin Rouge” also reached number one. As president of Ashber Corporation, Bruce Furst facilitates licensing and negotiation proceedings for motion picture projects. Bruce Furst has played a key role in the launching of several prominent careers, including that of young leading man Booboo Stewart.
Born Nils Allen Stewart, Jr., Booboo Stewart entered the entertainment industry as a model. He earned recognition as the most sought-after male model under the age of 18 and drew the attention of Walt Disney Records, with whom he signed a recording contract at the age of 12. He toured extensively with Miley Cyrus, the Cheetah Girls, and the Jonas Brothers before finding work in television and film. Booboo Stewart has worked as a stunt person for a number of films and has appeared in such television series as Everybody Hates Chris and ER. He earned his most widespread recognition as Seth Clearwater in The Twilight Saga, having first appeared in the 2010 episode Eclipse and then later taking on a larger role in the 2011 and 2012 installments of Breaking Dawn. He shares his free time with the community as a celebrity ambassador of the Muscular Dystrophy Association and as a supporter of such outreach initiatives as the Los Angeles Mission and Australia's Channel 7 Telethon. From his office in Austin, Texas, Ashber Corporation president Bruce Furst acquires music content licenses for films and negotiates licensing and distribution for film soundtracks. A licensing professional with 25 years of experience, Bruce Furst also remains active in human rights initiatives through his support of Amnesty International, a global human rights organization that advocates for implementation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and oversees initiatives such as the Individuals at Risk (IAR) campaign.
A campaign that strives to protect the rights of individuals worldwide, IAR supports specific individuals or groups facing adversity or threats to their lives due to their personal beliefs or economic standing. IAR also encourages ordinary citizens to become active participants in providing hope to people denied basic human rights by their government or local law agencies. Through the campaign, Amnesty International aids prisoners of conscience, persons facing persecution for their sexual orientation, and victims of social injustice due to discriminatory laws. Goals of the IAR campaign include winning improvements for selected persons or groups and heightening the visibility of Amnesty’s work for the individual. Those receiving individual support from IAR efforts become known as Amnesty International cases, which may consist of a single person, a group, or a community. Amnesty selects cases based on the severity of the situation and whether the case’s success will positively impact a greater number of people or communities. For more information on IAR initiatives or current Amnesty International cases, visit the organization’s website at amnestyusa.org/our-work/campaigns/individuals-at-risk. The president of Ashber Corporation, Bruce Furst possesses more than a decade of experience in the music industry. He has produced albums featuring artists such as Christina Aguilera and Tony Bennett. For his latest project, Bruce Furst seeks to collaborate with Lady Gaga.
In November of 2013, Lady Gaga shared in an exclusive interview with U.S. Weekly that she will be aboard the Virgin Galactic ship that is set to take off into outer space in early 2015. Her seat on the flight is part of Zero G Colony’s plans to have the first recording artist perform beyond the earth’s atmosphere as part of its three-day hi-tech festival. While others on board the Virgin Galactic are paying a quarter of a million dollars to visit space, Lady Gaga received a complimentary ticket, according to Vanity Fair. She is expected to perform on the final day of the festival. To prepare, the recording artist will undergo one month of vocal training to acclimate to the atmospheric change. There are also reports that Lady Gaga has secured an enormous life insurance policy. Bruce Furst has performed duties as the president of Ashber Corporation in Las Vegas, Nevada, for almost 15 years. In his position with the entertainment licensing company, Bruce Furst frequently takes on the role of executive producer for various music albums and motion pictures. He is currently at work on a project in which he hopes to feature Lady Gaga, who will soon become the first famous artist to sing in space.
Late last year Lady Gaga announced her intention to become the first mainstream music artist to perform outside the earth’s atmosphere. Unlike other celebrities and persons of note who have been associated with a flight to space, Gaga did not purchase a ticket and has instead been asked by Zero G Colony to take on the venture as part of a music festival. Gaga, who is known for her theatrical performances and innovative costumes, will be retooling her approach in light of the zero-gravity atmosphere. The performance will occur two months after the first commercial flight travels to space. In 2003, Sony Music and BMG (Bertelsmann Music Group) announced plans to merge. A 50/50 joint venture, the merger combined the world's second- and fifth-biggest music companies that boasted the catalogues of Elvis Presley, Bruce Springsteen, Miles Davis, Britney Spears, and other notable singers. The endeavor was spurred by the need to combat illegal music piracy and the rumors of a possible merger between EMI Group Plc and Time Warner Inc.'s Warner Music Group, which represented the third- and fourth-largest record companies, respectively.
After acquiring backing from the European Union and approval from the US Federal Trade Commission, Sony BMG was born on August 5, 2005. However, the partnership lasted for less than four years as Sony bought out BMG's interest in 2008 and rebranded the firm Sony Music Entertainment. Today, Sony Music Entertainment remains the second-largest music company behind Universal Music Group. About the Author: Bruce Furst graduated from UCLA and holds the academic degrees of Bachelor of Arts and Juris Doctorate of Law. He has dedicated his career to the entertainment industry as a producer and brand licensing specialist. In 2005, Bruce Furst joined Frame of Mind Entertainment and Sony BMG Custom Marketing Group to create “Christmas Classics - Yesterday, Today, & Forever,” a compilation CD featuring Jessica Simpson, Tony Bennett, Christina Aguilera, and other stars performing Christmas classics. By Bruce Furst Intellectual property refers to any property that is the direct creation of the mind, and it encompasses works of art, books, inventions, designs, and more. Residents of the United States who want to protect their intellectual property have four legal channels available to them. Patents protect specific categories of intellectual property: designs, original plants (such as hybrid tomatoes), and utilities (such as medications, unique processes, and equipment). The protection granted by a patent lasts for 20 years. Copyrights guard artistic creations such as songs and writing, and they last for the duration of the creator’s life plus 50 years. Trademarks provide protection for symbols, sounds, colors, shapes, words, and names. They can be perpetually renewed, assuming a company still actively uses the trademarked item. Trade secrets include information that businesses use to distinguish themselves from their competitors. An entire branch of law exists to protect intellectual property rights. In some cases, attorneys focus on one of the four types of intellectual property law (e.g., patent law or copyright law); in other cases, attorneys focus generally on intellectual property. About Bruce Furst After studying intellectual property during law school, Bruce Furst launched a professional life merchandising licensed products. In addition to other clients, Furst has licensed products for the Major League Baseball Players Association, Archie Comics, and Ritz-Carlton Hotels. |
AuthorWith over 20 years of experience in the entertainment industry, Bruce Furst boasts significant expertise in film and music licensing. Archives
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