Condolences: Ira Selsky, Esq.
• Music industry attorney Ira Selsky, who notably worked for United Artists Records, ABC/Dunhill, Warner Bros. and Rondor Music, passed away during the first week of July after a long illness.
Selsky was born in 1942 and grew up in Levittown on Long Island. He graduated from Adelphi University and NYU Law School. While in law school, he won a copyright-writing competition which marked the beginning of his music industry career. Selsky went on to work for United Artists Records in New York, transferring to the company’s LA office in 1971. He also worked for ABC/Dunhill, Warner Bros. Records as Director of Business Affairs and Rondor Music as VP of Business Affairs. Selsky later went into private legal practice, representing many songwriters and performers, including NWA and Paramount Pictures. He was also involved in many transactions for the transfer of music publishing catalogs. In 1998, Selsky moved back to New York City to work for the law firm of Grubman Indursky and Schindler.
In a statement, Lance Freed, former President of Rondor Music, said, “Ira was an outstanding head of Business Affairs for Rondor Music for many years in the 1980s. Our company was expanding exponentially and I was particularly impressed with his attention to detail and his ability to suggest ways we could improve songwriter deals for our company and equitably for the writers we signed. Most of all, he was tough when it was required, but he was a kind and gentle person who went out of his way to be patient, understanding of others and empathetic to their concerns. I remember his humanity was his most outstanding quality. Despite being in a business that was often unforgiving and demanding, he never lost his moral compass. He was a family man and he made this world a better place. I’m very sad that he is no longer with us, and my heartfelt condolences go out to Eileen and his children.”
David Berman, former VP of Business Affairs at WBR, commented, “One of the first things I did when I became head of Business Affairs at Warner Bros Records was to hire Ira Selsky. He was one of the best hires I ever made.” Linda Chelgren, a former Rondor Music colleague, commented, “Ira was the best boss and a wonderful friend. I’m eternally grateful to have had him in my life.”
Selsky is survived by his wife, Eileen, his children, David and Lauren, grandson Ari, sister Rona and brother Donald. [Photo courtesy of the Ira Selsky Estate]
