Susan Butler is the executive editor of Music Confidential, a weekly international news and analysis report covering the business of music. Launched late last year, the report now has paid subscribers in 21 countries who are senior executives and attorneys with record labels, music publishers, digital and mobile music services, investment banks, trade groups and others plus lawyers for government officials in the US and Europe.  

Susan Butler was Billboard magazine's senior correspondent from 2004-2008. She covered global legal and music publishing news and issues as well as the Washington, D.C., beat. Prior to joining Billboard, she practiced law in New York and California for 21 years, representing clients throughout the world in the entertainment and technology fields. She is currently licensed as an attorney in California, D.C. and New York.

While at Billboard, Susan achieved a number of "firsts" for a music business trade publication. She acquired confidential financial information on a $2 billion acquisition as well as other multimillion-dollar deals. She also secured exclusive sit-down interviews with high-level government officials including U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft (2004), U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales (2005) and China's Chief of the Ministry of Culture Division of Audio and Video Chen Tong (2007).

She also reported exclusive, breaking news stories on legal and music publishing deals and issues. Her cover stories on China and on India revealed potential music business opportunities in the emerging markets. A first-of-its-kind feature article explained the complex music licensing structure throughout Europe.

Susan began her legal career in 1983 as a civil litigator in Los Angeles. By 1988, she opened her own law practice and personal management company. In 1991, she was elected by members of the Recording Academy (the Grammy organization) to its board of governors for the Los Angeles Chapter.

Susan moved her law practice in 1995 to the San Francisco Bay area when the Internet was capturing everyone's attention. She expanded her client list to include tech and new media companies, and began contributing articles to such magazines as Ziff-Davis' Computer Life and IDG's Macworld. While continuing her law practice, she also became ZDNet's small business columnist for three years.

She authored "eBusiness Legal Kit For Dummies" (2000), part of the "For Dummies" series, which explained how entrepreneurs could start and build a global e-business. The book sold in more than a dozen countries. In 2002, Susan moved to New York City and continued her law practice.

During her legal career, Susan’s clients have included corporations, partnerships and individuals including producers (film, multimedia, commercial and music producers), television network news correspondents, recording artists and musicians, Internet content providers, software developers, Web site developers, Internet marketing consultants, authors, photographers, composers, publishers (music, magazine and audio book publishers), recording engineers, recording studios, performance artists, special event producers, nonprofit organizations (film, computer, music and marine life), visual and graphic artists, television hosts and others in San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York, Paris, London and Tokyo. She negotiated business deals throughout North America, Europe, Southeast Asia, Brazil and South Africa.

In the summer of 2004, a Billboard executive contacted Susan to write the magazine's legal column. Their discussions resulted in her electing to make a career change, writing full-time for the publisher. She resigned from the company in June 2008.