Exhibit 5.3
February 9, 2005
WMG Acquisition Corp.
75 Rockefeller Plaza
New York, New York 10019
Ladies and Gentlemen:
We have acted as special counsel for Warner/Chappell Music (Services), Inc., a New Jersey corporation (the “Excluded Guarantor”), in connection with the registration statement on Form S-4 (No. 333-121322-90) (the “Registration Statement”) filed by WMG Acquisition Corp., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), and the additional guarantors listed on Schedule 1 hereto (the “Covered Guarantors”; the Covered Guarantors together with the Excluded Guarantor, referred to as the “Guarantors”), under the Securities Act of 1933 with respect to (i) the issuance by the Company of $465,000,000 aggregate principal amount of 73/8% Senior Subordinated Notes due 2014, and £100,000,000 aggregate principal amount of 81/8% Senior Subordinated Notes due 2014 (collectively, the “Exchange Securities”) and (ii) the issuance by the Guarantors of guarantees (the “Guarantees”) with respect to the Exchange Securities. The Exchange Securities and the Guarantees will be issued under an indenture dated as of April 8, 2004 (the “Indenture”) among the Company, the Guarantors and Wells Fargo Bank, National Association, as trustee (the “Trustee”). The Exchange Securities will be offered by the Company in exchange for $465,000,000 aggregate principal amount of its outstanding 73/8% Senior Subordinated Notes due 2014 and £100,000,000 aggregate principal amount of its outstanding 81/8% Senior Subordinated Notes due 2014.
In connection with the Registration Statement, we have examined originals or copies, certified or otherwise identified to our satisfaction, of such corporate records, documents and such questions of law as we have deemed necessary or appropriate for purposes of this opinion. On the basis of such examination, we advise you that, in our opinion, when (a) the Exchange Securities have been duly executed, authenticated, issued and delivered in accordance with the provisions of the Indenture upon the exchange and (b) the Guarantee of the Excluded Guarantor has been duly issued, such Guarantee will constitute the valid and legally binding obligation of the Excluded Guarantor enforceable against the Excluded Guarantor in accordance with its terms.
This opinion is not rendered with respect to any laws other than the laws of the State of New Jersey and New York and the federal laws of the United States.
We express no opinion herein as to the applicability or effect of (i) any bankruptcy, insolvency, fraudulent conveyance, reorganization, moratorium and other similar laws relating to or affecting creditors’ rights generally, or (ii) general principles of equity, including, without limitation, concepts of reasonableness, materiality, good faith and fair dealing and the possible unavailability of specific performance, injunctive relief or other equitable remedies, regardless of whether enforceability is considered in a proceeding in equity or at law.
To the extent that matters of fact are involved in the conclusions expressed in the opinions set forth above, such opinions are based upon certificates and statements of public officials and of officers of the Excluded Guarantor, without independent investigation by us. In rendering the foregoing opinions, we have also assumed the genuineness of all signatures on documents not signed in our presence, the authenticity of all documents submitted to us as originals, the conformity with the originals submitted to us as copies, and the due authorization, execution and delivery of the Indenture by the Trustee.
We hereby consent to the filing of this opinion as an exhibit to the Registration Statement. We also consent to the reference to our firm under the heading “Legal Matters” in the Registration Statement.
| Very truly yours, |
| |
| /s/ McCarter & English, LLP |
Schedule 1
Subsidiary | | Jurisdiction |
A.P. Schmidt Company | | Delaware |
Atlantic Recording Corporation | | Delaware |
Atlantic/143 L.L.C. | | Delaware |
Atlantic/MR II INC. | | Delaware |
Atlantic/MR Ventures Inc. | | Delaware |
Big Beat Records Inc. | | Delaware |
Big Tree Recording Corporation | | Delaware |
Bute Sound LLC | | Delaware |
Cafe Americana Inc. | | Delaware |
Chappell & Intersong Music Group (Australia) Limited | | Delaware |
Chappell And Intersong Music Group (Germany) Inc. | | Delaware |
Chappell Music Company, Inc. | | Delaware |
Cota Music, Inc. | | New York |
Cotillion Music, Inc. | | Delaware |
CPP/Belwin, Inc. | | Delaware |
CRK Music Inc. | | Delaware |
E/A Music, Inc. | | Delaware |
Eleksylum Music, Inc. | | Delaware |
Elektra Entertainment Group Inc. | | Delaware |
Elektra Group Ventures Inc. | | Delaware |
Elektra/Chameleon Ventures Inc. | | Delaware |
Fiddleback Music Publishing Company, Inc. | | Delaware |
Foz Man Music LLC | | Delaware |
Inside Job, Inc. | | New York |
Intersong U.S.A., INC. | | Delaware |
Jadar Music Corp. | | Delaware |
Lava Trademark Holding Company LLC | | Delaware |
LEM America, INC. | | Delaware |
London-Sire Records Inc. | | Delaware |
McGuffin Music Inc. | | Delaware |
Mixed Bag Music, Inc. | | New York |
MM Investment Inc. (fka Warner Music Bluesky Holdings Inc.) | | Delaware |
NC Hungary Holdings Inc. | | Delaware |
New Chappell Inc. | | Delaware |
Nonesuch Records Inc. | | Delaware |
NVC International Inc. | | Delaware |
Octa Music Inc. | | New York |
Penalty Records L.L.C. | | New York |
Pepamar Music Corp. | | New York |
Revelation Music Publishing Corporation | | New York |
Rhino Entertainment Company | | Delaware |
Rick's Music Inc. | | Delaware |
Rightsong Music Inc. | | Delaware |
SR/MDM Venture Inc. | | Delaware |
Super Hype Publishing, Inc. | | New York |
T-Boy Music L.L.C. | | New York |
T-Girl Music L.L.C. | | New York |
The Rhythm Method Inc. | | Delaware |
Tommy Boy Music, Inc. | | New York |
Tommy Valando Publishing Group, Inc. | | Delaware |
Tri-Chappell Music Inc. | | Delaware |
TW Music Holdings Inc. | | Delaware |
Unichappell Music Inc. | | Delaware |
W.B.M. Music Corp. | | Delaware |
Walden Music, Inc. | | New York |
Warner Alliance Music Inc. | | Delaware |
Warner Brethren Inc. | | Delaware |
Warner Bros. Music International Inc. | | Delaware |
Warner Bros. Publications U.S. Inc. | | New York |
Warner Bros. Records Inc. | | Delaware |
Warner Domain Music Inc. | | Delaware |
Warner Music Discovery Inc. | | Delaware |
Warner Music Distribution Inc. | | Delaware |
Warner Music Group Inc. | | Delaware |
Warner Music Latina Inc. | | Delaware |
Warner Music SP Inc. | | Delaware |
Warner Sojourner Music Inc. | | Delaware |
Warner Special Products Inc. | | Delaware |
WarnerSongs Inc. | | Delaware |
Warner Strategic Marketing Inc. | | Delaware |
Warner-Elektra-Atlantic Corporation | | New York |
Warner/Chappell Music, Inc. | | Delaware |
Warprise Music Inc. | | Delaware |
WB Gold Music Corp. | | Delaware |
WBM/House of Gold Music, Inc. | | Delaware |
WBPI Holdings LLC | | Delaware |
WBR Management Services Inc. | | Delaware |
WBR/QRI Venture Inc. | | Delaware |
WBR/Ruffnation Ventures, Inc. | | Delaware |
WBR/Sire Ventures, Inc. | | Delaware |
We Are Musica Inc. | | Delaware |
WEA Europe Inc. | | Delaware |
WEA Inc. | | Delaware |
WEA International Inc. | | Delaware |
WEA Latina Musica Inc. | | Delaware |
WEA Management Services Inc. | | Delaware |
WEA Rock LLC | | Delaware |
WEA Urban LLC | | Delaware |
WMG Management Services Inc. | | Delaware |
WMG Trademark Holding Company LLC | | Delaware |
Berna Music, Inc. | | California |
FHK, INC. | | Tennessee |
Foster Frees Music, Inc. | | California |
Rodra Music, Inc. | | California |
Sea Chime Music, Inc. | | California |
Summy-Birchard, Inc. | | Wyoming |
Warner Custom Music Corp. | | California |
Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp. | | California |
WB Music Corp. | | California |
Wide Music, Inc. | | California |