Case study · Music industry · California

How Buckcherry frontman Josh Todd Used California's Talent Agencies Act Against the Investor That Financed His Comeback.

In 2003, Buckcherry was effectively a dead brand. The band had dissolved, the major-label relationship was gone, touring income had disappeared, and there was no institutional financing behind a relaunch. Josh Todd was pursuing his next move and working as a carpenter.

What Todd did have was access to entrepreneur and investor Todd Meagher. Todd Entertainment LLC was formed in Nevada on February 4, 2003, with Todd and Meagher as managing members. The two subsequently entered into an Operating Agreement as 50/50 partners. Meagher supplied the investment capital and financed the venture—studio time, production, mastering, marketing, touring and business overhead—while also providing Todd $4,000 every month for living expenses so he could stop working as a carpenter and focus on writing and recording. Todd Entertainment also paid Todd's band, purchased equipment, and covered certain medical and dental expenses for band members.

Todd supplied the artistic services. Meagher supplied more than $800,000 in funding and assumed the financial risk. They owned the company 50/50.

After Todd Entertainment and Meagher's investment helped rebuild Todd's commercial momentum, the relationship collapsed. Todd left the venture and returned to Buckcherry. Meagher maintained that Todd's departure violated his obligations under the Operating Agreement and was left fighting for years over the capital and assets of the business he had financed, while Todd moved forward with the career that investment had helped rebuild.

Josh Todd and Todd Meagher during the Todd Entertainment LLC partnership
Josh Todd and Todd Meagher during the partnership that financed Todd's comeback.

Jan 2004 · Radio and Records trade magazine

“A Tale Of Two Todds”

The original R&R profile on Josh Todd and Todd Meagher's Todd Entertainment venture — written while the partnership was still new.

“Todd decided to gamble on a whole new business plan by teaming up with venture capitalist Todd Meagher, a former songwriter for Warner Chappell who made a small fortune through online financial services. The duo formed Todd Entertainment, which owns and manages the production and licensing of all Josh Todd intellectual property and is responsible for the business affairs…”
“Todd can't say enough about his new business partner. 'He's got an amazing business mind and is one hard-working motherfucker and very passionate about music,' he says of Meagher. 'When you have somebody working on your behalf who has their money involved, it's a much different game than guys who don't have any money involved and you're trying to get them to work your record. It's such a huge group of people. Your manager, your A&R guy, your label and all these people have got to jibe for your record to really make it. And you've got to have the song, of course, and the timing's got to be right. It's a lot of pieces. Todd's kind of taken on all those hats, and he's doing it really well. We're the only band the company has, so it's really a great relationship.'”
View full article
“I wanted to help Josh rebuild his career by giving him something most artists never receive—the opportunity to participate meaningfully in the business they were helping create. I supplied the capital and structured the venture so that Josh stood to receive substantially more of the upside than he likely would have under a traditional record deal.
What I never anticipated was that after the venture paid Josh $4,000 a month for living expenses, financed his recordings, distributed and marketed his music, and funded the touring that helped rebuild his career, Josh would sue his own company and use California's Talent Agencies Act to free himself from the obligations he had agreed to.
Josh received the benefits of my investment, breached our agreement, left the venture, returned to Buckcherry, and moved forward with his career. I was left behind, fighting for years over the money and assets of the business I had financed to help rebuild that career.
After years of litigation, I retained ownership and control of substantial Todd Entertainment recording and intellectual-property assets that remain publicly exploited today. But there was one thing I could never recover: the years I spent rebuilding Josh Todd's career.”

— Todd Meagher

Section 01

The Investment That Rebuilt Josh Todd's Career

The structure behind that story is documented in writing. This was not simply an artist hiring a manager. Todd and Meagher created a jointly owned entertainment company in which each man brought something fundamentally different to the venture.

Their written Operating Agreement documents that structure. Todd contributed rights in existing master recordings and committed his professional services in songwriting, production and performance to the company. Meagher contributed $218,000 as his initial cash capital contribution, was designated the company's Manager, and assumed responsibility for its business affairs and additional capital funding.

$218,000 was only Meagher's initial capital contribution. As the venture developed, Meagher continued financing Todd Entertainment's recording, production, touring, marketing, equipment, personnel and operating expenses. By the time Todd left the venture, Meagher had funded more than $800,000.

Exhibit A of the Operating Agreement expressly assigns each man a 50% ownership interest. Exhibit C identifies 22 master recordings contributed to the venture.

The company's purpose was much broader than traditional artist management. Todd Entertainment was created to conduct activities involving Josh Todd's professional career, including the creation and exploitation of recordings, live performances and touring, merchandising, publishing and related entertainment activities.

The Operating Agreement also required Todd to provide his professional services exclusively to the company during the contractual period.

Meagher then financed the effort to turn those contractual rights into an operating music business.

His money funded the recording operation and the expenses necessary to develop, promote and support Todd's new project. Those expenditures included studio and production costs, mastering, marketing, touring and business overhead. Todd Entertainment also paid the musicians working with Todd, purchased equipment and covered certain medical and dental expenses for band members.

Meagher's investment did more than finance recordings. Todd Entertainment financed a working band, touring operation, equipment, personnel and professional infrastructure around Todd's post-Buckcherry career. When Todd later returned to Buckcherry, certain relationships developed within that operation carried forward with him, while Meagher remained behind with Todd Entertainment and the financial exposure.

50/50

Ownership

$218,000

Initial cash contribution

$800K+

Total funding by the time Todd left

22

Master recordings

$4,000

Monthly support

Exclusive

Artistic services

Todd

Artist + Recording Rights + Exclusive Services

50%

Meagher

50% Owner · Manager of Todd Entertainment

$218,000 initial capital contribution

$800,000+ ultimately funded

Business operations · Financial risk

50%

And there was another critical component: Todd needed money to live while pursuing the project.

The Operating Agreement provided for minimum monthly cash distributions of $4,000 to each member. Meagher never took those payments. In practice, the provision ensured that Josh Todd received $4,000 every month for living expenses, allowing him to stop relying on carpentry work and concentrate on writing, recording, rehearsing and performing.

Meagher was not merely collecting a percentage of Todd's earnings as an outside personal manager. He was Todd's equal partner in a company into which Meagher had invested substantial capital and to which Todd had contractually committed his professional services and recording assets.

The investment produced tangible results. Todd recorded new music, assembled and supported a band, obtained equipment, toured, and developed a functioning commercial operation around his post-Buckcherry career.

Then the relationship collapsed. Todd left the venture and ultimately returned to Buckcherry. Meagher was left with the company he had financed and years of disputes concerning the contractual obligations, capital and assets of the business.

Document evidence

The Operating Agreement

The Operating Agreement is particularly important to understanding what happened next. Todd's professional services were contractually committed to Todd Entertainment during the applicable period, and the agreement contained procedures governing alleged breaches and termination. Relevant provisions:

  • Page 7 / Section 4.1 — Capital Contributions
  • Page 7 / Section 4.2 — Percentage Interests
  • Page 7 / Section 4.3 — Additional Contributions
  • Pages 10–11 / Section 4.9 — Professional Services
  • Pages 12–13 / Section 5.1 — Management
  • Page 17 / Section 6.3 — Special Distributions
  • Page 25 / Section 11.15 — Notice and Cure
  • Page 26 / Exhibit A — 50/50 ownership and $218,000 Meagher initial contribution
  • Page 28 / Exhibit C — Schedule of 22 Master Recordings
Read the full Operating Agreement →

The dispute eventually took an extraordinary turn. California's Talent Agencies Act became central to the case. Todd ultimately argued that Meagher and Todd Entertainment had engaged in activity requiring a California talent-agency license.

That argument threatened the Operating Agreement that had established the 50/50 company, documented Meagher's investment, committed Todd's artistic services to the venture, and provided the business structure through which Todd's post-Buckcherry career had been financed.

The sequence is central to understanding the dispute: Meagher supplied the capital. Todd received the financial support necessary to concentrate on music. Todd Entertainment financed and operated the venture. Todd left the venture and returned to Buckcherry. Meagher then spent years fighting over the business and assets he had financed.

The Operating Agreement establishes a fundamental fact: Todd Meagher was not an outsider to Josh Todd's business. He owned half of it.

Official government record

Todd Entertainment Was Already a Nevada LLC

The published California Labor Commissioner determination describes the June 23, 2003 Operating Agreement as calling for a “new California Limited Liability Company” known as Todd Entertainment LLC.

Official Nevada Secretary of State records establish a materially different chronology. Todd Entertainment LLC was formed as a Nevada domestic limited-liability company on February 4, 2003 — more than four months before the June 23, 2003 Operating Agreement. The Nevada Secretary of State record identifies Todd Meagher and Josh Todd as managing members of the company.

The June 23 Operating Agreement therefore did not create Todd Entertainment as a legal entity. Instead, it documented the parties' business arrangement, including their 50/50 ownership interests, Meagher's $218,000 initial cash capital contribution, Todd's contribution of recording rights and professional services, and Meagher's designation as Manager of the company.

This distinction matters because the Labor Commissioner's determination later characterized Todd Entertainment as an artificial entity “created in furtherance of and pursuant to” the Operating Agreement and stated that the company consequently had “no continuing legal validity or status.” But the official Nevada corporate record establishes that Todd Entertainment already legally existed months before that agreement was executed.

Meagher has formally requested that the California Labor Commissioner correct, clarify, supplement, or annotate the published determination to accurately reflect Todd Entertainment's jurisdiction, formation date, and the parties' business relationship. That request is currently pending.

Todd Entertainment LLC formed in Nevada: February 4, 2003. Operating Agreement: June 23, 2003. The company existed before the Operating Agreement.

A company formed on February 4, 2003 could not have been created by an agreement executed on June 23, 2003.

Data from official Nevada Secretary of State record

Todd Entertainment, LLC

Nevada's official business record identifies Todd Entertainment LLC as a Nevada domestic limited-liability company formed February 4, 2003, with Todd Meagher and Josh Todd identified as managing members.

Entity name
TODD ENTERTAINMENT, LLC
Entity type
Domestic Limited-Liability Company
Entity number
LLC1511-2003
Nevada Business ID
NV20031017091
Formation date
02/04/2003
Managing members
Todd Meagher · Josh Todd
View the Nevada formation record →

Formation chronology

  1. February 4, 2003

    Todd Entertainment LLC formed as a Nevada domestic LLC. Todd Meagher and Josh Todd identified as managing members.

  2. June 23, 2003

    Operating Agreement executed. 50/50 ownership documented. Meagher: $218,000 initial cash contribution and Manager of the company. Todd: recording rights and professional artistic services.

  3. September 19, 2003

    Amendment No. 1 executed. The amendment contains a recital referencing California's Beverly-Killea Limited Liability Company Act, but its operative amendment changes Section 4.11 concerning publishing income.

  4. 2012

    California Labor Commissioner publishes TAC No. 13418.

  5. August 31, 2026

    Meagher submits a formal Request for Correction, Clarification, and Annotation of the published determination.

Status: Pending substantive response.

About the September 2003 amendment

Amendment No. 1 contains a recital stating that the members formed a limited liability company pursuant to California's Beverly-Killea Limited Liability Company Act. However, Todd Entertainment had already been formed in Nevada on February 4, 2003. The amendment did not form Todd Entertainment, did not purport to convert it into a California LLC, and did not change its jurisdiction of organization. Its operative amendment modified Section 4.11 concerning publishing income, and it expressly stated that except for that modification the other terms of the Operating Agreement remained in effect.

The California statutory references in the contractual documents do not match Todd Entertainment LLC's official Nevada formation record.

Two different relationships

Todd and Meagher initially entered into a personal-management agreement. The parties then replaced that arrangement with the Operating Agreement governing their jointly owned Todd Entertainment LLC. Under that structure, Josh Todd held 50% as the artist, contributing recording interests and professional artistic services; Todd Meagher held 50% as the investor, contributing $218,000 in initial cash capital, serving as Manager of Todd Entertainment, and taking responsibility for the company's business affairs and additional financing.

Meagher was not merely managing Josh Todd. Under the Operating Agreement, he was managing a business he owned 50% of and had financed.

Formal correction request — received by DIR

On August 31, 2026, Todd Meagher submitted a formal Request for Correction, Clarification, and Annotation concerning TAC No. 13418 to the California Department of Industrial Relations Talent Agency Unit.

DIR acknowledged receipt on August 31, 2026.

Status: Pending substantive response.

Why the distinction matters

The determination remains published by the State of California and searchable online years after the proceeding ended. That governmental record can be encountered by journalists, lawyers, publishers, search engines and members of the public researching Todd Meagher, Josh Todd or Todd Entertainment.

Online reporting has frequently reduced the relationship to the shorthand of Meagher being “Josh Todd's manager.” The underlying corporate documents establish a substantially more complex relationship: Todd and Meagher were equal owners of Todd Entertainment, Meagher financed and managed the company, and Todd committed recording interests and professional artistic services to the jointly owned enterprise.

Correcting the official formation history therefore matters not merely as a technical corporate issue. It matters to an accurate understanding of the relationship underlying the entire dispute.

Then came the phone call

Against that background, the event that would eventually be used to attack the entire business relationship was remarkably small: a phone call concerning a potential performance in Japan.

Section 02

The Japan Trip That Became State Evidence

In 2004, Josh Todd pushed Meagher to pursue opportunities in Japan. When actual festival offers materialized, Meagher turned them over to the band's licensed booking agent, who handled the booking and received a commission. Years later, Todd used those same Japan efforts as part of his California Talent Agencies Act case to attack the Operating Agreement governing the venture that had financed his comeback.

Rock Odyssey · UDO Artists · JVC Japan — the call at the center of the TAA case

After touring the United States, Josh Todd asked Meagher to explore booking the band at the July 2004 Rock Odyssey festival at Osaka Dome in Japan (July 24–25, 2004, Nishi-ku, Osaka) through UDO Artists. Meagher was not a licensed booking agent, so he took the request to the band's licensed agent, Andrew Goodfriend.

Goodfriend told Meagher he had no contacts in Japan. At Goodfriend's instruction, Meagher reached out to the band's Japanese distribution partner, JVC Japan (Victor Entertainment), for help. That partner contacted UDO Artists, which soon returned with an offer for the band to perform.

Meagher did not negotiate, finalize, or independently book the engagement. He promptly forwarded the offer to Goodfriend, the licensed booking agent, who handled the engagement and collected his commission. After Meagher complained about a change in Josh Todd's position on the festival bill, Udo Artists — not Goodfriend — offered an additional $20,000 to compensate for the mix-up.

At no point did Goodfriend warn Meagher that contacting the Japanese distribution partner, receiving an offer from UDO Artists, or forwarding that offer to the band's licensed agent could constitute activity regulated by the California Talent Agencies Act. Nor did Goodfriend raise any concern before accepting and commissioning the resulting booking.

Years later, that same chain of events was used against Meagher as evidence that he had engaged in unlicensed talent-agency activity — with the telephone conversation in which Meagher sought help obtaining a Japanese festival opportunity at the center of the complaint to the State of California. The licensed agent benefited from the opportunity when it generated a commission; the investor's role in originating that same opportunity later became the legal theory used to challenge the Operating Agreement.

The five-year gap

Time Bomb

Todd left the company in 2004. The Talent Agencies Act petition was not filed until May 2009 — nearly five years after the Japan call, and after Buckcherry had returned to substantial commercial success. The Japan episode was positioned as its central piece of evidence. The promises made when the brand was dead were not challenged until after the investment had succeeded.

Personnel & business continuity

From Todd Entertainment to Buckcherry

The transition from Todd Entertainment back to Buckcherry involved more than Josh Todd.

Todd Entertainment had financed and assembled a working band and touring operation around Todd's post-Buckcherry career. Meagher had musicians under contract, paid the band, purchased equipment and financed the operation.

During the 2004 Rock Odyssey trip to Japan, Todd persuaded Meagher to replace the Josh Todd band's guitarist with Stevie Dacanay ("Stevie D"), who was then working as the project's guitar tech.

Meagher agreed.

Stevie D moved from guitar tech to guitarist in the Todd Entertainment-financed Josh Todd project.

The personnel transition that followed was selective.

When Todd later left Todd Entertainment and returned to Buckcherry, the other musicians Meagher had under contract did not follow Todd into Buckcherry.

Stevie D was the exception.

Stevie D later became a guitarist in Buckcherry.

According to Meagher, members of the Todd Entertainment band subsequently told him that Stevie D had participated in the internal effort to break up the existing band arrangement and was positioning himself for an opportunity with Buckcherry.

That allegation is presented as what other band members reported to Meagher. It is not an independently adjudicated or proven fact concerning Stevie D's motive. What happened afterward is stated separately: Stevie D later became a member of Buckcherry.

There was a parallel transition on the business side.

Andrew Goodfriend had been Todd Entertainment's licensed booking agent. Todd Entertainment used Goodfriend to handle its performance bookings, including the Rock Odyssey engagement in Japan.

Goodfriend subsequently ceased acting as Todd Entertainment's booking agent and went on to work as a booking agent for Buckcherry.

The result was a striking continuity.

Todd returned to Buckcherry. Stevie D ultimately moved from the Todd Entertainment operation into Buckcherry. Goodfriend moved from booking the Todd Entertainment Josh Todd project to booking Buckcherry.

Meanwhile, the other musicians contracted to Todd Entertainment remained behind, and Meagher remained with the company, its obligations and the capital he had invested.

Josh Todd

50% owner / artist

Todd EntertainmentBuckcherry

Stevie D

Guitar tech → Todd Entertainment guitarist

Todd EntertainmentBuckcherry

Andrew Goodfriend

Licensed Todd Entertainment booking agent

Todd EntertainmentBuckcherry booking

Other TE musicians

Contracted to Todd Entertainment

Todd EntertainmentRemained behind

Todd Meagher

50% owner / investor / Manager · $800K+ funded by Todd's departure

Todd EntertainmentRemained with TE and the financial exposure

What carried forward — and what did not

Todd did not simply take the entire Todd Entertainment band into Buckcherry. The contracted Todd Entertainment musicians remained behind.

But two relationships developed within the Todd Entertainment operation later carried forward into Buckcherry: Stevie D on the performance side and Andrew Goodfriend on the booking side.

Meagher, who had financed the operation, remained behind with Todd Entertainment and its financial exposure.

“I’ve never seen a case where a talent agent has so blatantly led his clients down the primrose path. Essentially, Andrew Goodfriend lured my clients and others into doing his work for him, charged my clients for the services as if he had performed them, and then turned my clients in to the California Labor Commission for performing unlicensed talent agent’s services.”

— Buck McKinney, Law Office of Buck McKinney, PC, Austin, Texas

“The actions of The Agency Group and Andrew Goodfriend are exactly why we have the Deceptive Trade Practices Act in Texas.”

— Attorney James Key, Harris, Finley & Bogle, P.C., Fort Worth, Texas

Section 03

The Japan Trip Became the Turning Point

By the time Josh Todd performed at Rock Odyssey in Japan, Todd Meagher had already committed substantial personal capital to Todd Entertainment and the Josh Todd project.

Meagher also personally paid — outside Todd Entertainment — to fly Todd's wife to Japan so she could accompany him for the Rock Odyssey performances.

While in Japan, Todd also persuaded Meagher to promote guitar tech Stevie Dacanay ("Stevie D") to guitarist — a personnel move that would matter later.

After the shows, Todd and his wife came to Meagher's hotel room. Todd asked about receiving his 50% share of the money.

That conversation exposed a fundamental misunderstanding about the economics of the partnership.

Todd and Meagher each owned 50% of Todd Entertainment. But 50/50 ownership did not mean that every dollar received by the company was immediately divided between the partners.

Meagher explained that the company first had to account for the substantial investment capital he had advanced to finance the venture before there would be profits available to divide.

By then, Meagher had financed recording, production, mastering, marketing, touring, equipment, musicians, business overhead and Todd's living expenses.

It was in Japan, according to Meagher, that Todd fully realized the amount of debt that had to be repaid. Todd then demanded that his $4,000 monthly stipend be raised to $10,000 a month. Meagher refused.

The distinction was fundamental:

Todd owned 50% of the company. Meagher had supplied virtually all of the investment capital and assumed virtually all of the financial risk.

According to Meagher, that hotel-room conversation — the demand for a higher stipend, the refusal, and the realization of how much debt the venture had accumulated — became the turning point in their relationship.

Todd owned 50% of the company.
Meagher had financed virtually 100% of the downside.

Equal ownership did not mean incoming revenue was immediately divided between the partners. Todd Entertainment first had to account for the substantial capital that had financed the business.

Fact · Rock Odyssey 2004

Meagher personally paid for Todd's wife to travel to Japan

The expense was paid personally by Meagher rather than through Todd Entertainment.

Section 04

After Japan: Todd Wanted Touring Stopped and Another Record Financed

The disagreement did not end in Japan.

After returning from the Rock Odyssey performances, Todd wanted to stop touring and Todd Entertainment to finance another record.

For Meagher, that meant committing still more capital to a venture he had already financed extensively.

Meagher refused.

The economics were straightforward.

Todd Entertainment had already spent heavily developing the project, recording music, supporting the band and building a touring operation.

Touring offered the company an opportunity to generate revenue and begin recovering the investment that had already been made.

Stopping the touring operation and immediately financing another recording cycle would do the opposite: it would require Meagher to put still more money at risk before the existing investment had been recovered.

Meagher was unwilling to continue writing checks under those circumstances.

According to Meagher, Todd then decided to walk away from the venture and return to Buckcherry, leaving his portion of the debt behind.

Continue touring

  • Generate revenue
  • Build the audience
  • Recover investment
  • Reduce financial exposure

Versus · Stop touring + record again

  • End current touring revenue
  • Return to recording expenses
  • Require additional Meagher capital
  • Increase financial exposure

Meagher chose not to commit additional capital to another recording cycle before the existing investment had been recovered.

From Meagher's perspective, the demand placed him in an impossible position: continue supplying additional capital or refuse and create a confrontation over the parties' obligations under the Operating Agreement.

According to Meagher, he came to believe Todd was attempting to make the existing arrangement financially untenable so that he could free himself from the Operating Agreement.

When Meagher refused to finance another recording cycle on those terms, the relationship deteriorated further.

Todd subsequently left Todd Entertainment and returned to Buckcherry.

The contractual dispute did not disappear when Todd left.

Meagher maintained that Todd remained bound by his obligations under the Operating Agreement.

Todd later turned to California's Talent Agencies Act and sought to have the Operating Agreement declared void.

Section 05 · The mechanism

The Legal Mechanism: California's Talent Agencies Act

The TAA requires anyone who procures, offers, promises, or attempts to procure employment for an artist to hold a state talent agency license. It is a strict-liability regime with a single, extreme remedy. In this matter the Labor Commissioner took the most aggressive position available — a doctrine of imputation and ratification — and applied it to a fully executed, fully funded operating agreement. Four steps. No fraud finding, no predatory conduct by the investor, no commission taken by the investor on a single live engagement.

  1. 01

    The Third-Party Action

    Ed Philips of XS Records — not the investor, and not an officer with booking authority — hunted down promotional gigs for his own and XS Records' benefit, going so far as to add other XS Records artists to the shows without Meagher's knowledge or approval.

  2. 02

    The Delegated Direction

    Todd asked Meagher to explore booking the band at the July 2004 Rock Odyssey festival at Osaka Dome in Japan through UDO Artists. Meagher took the request to licensed booking agent Andrew Goodfriend, who said he had no Japan contacts. Meagher then asked the band's JVC Japan (Victor Entertainment) distribution partner for help; UDO Artists made an offer, which Meagher promptly forwarded to Goodfriend. Goodfriend handled the booking and took his commission. Meagher never negotiated, finalized, or independently booked the engagement.

  3. 03

    The Trap of Ratification

    The California Labor Commissioner reasoned that because the LLC's corporate bank account accepted revenues generated by those gigs, the company had legally “ratified” unlicensed talent brokering — imputing the vendor's conduct to the entity and to its investor, regardless of intent, authority, or knowledge.

  4. 04

    The Remedy

    Rather than apportioning fault or severing the tainted transactions, the state applied the statute's absolute penalty against the operating agreement — setting aside the contractual protections, repayment rights, and equity position the agreement had created for the investor.

The lesson for capital providers: under the TAA, the deposit of otherwise lawful revenue can be treated as consent to conduct you never authorized. Corporate formalities, licensed vendors, and clean intent do not reliably insulate the investor.

Property defense

The Operating Agreement Was Voided. The Assets Did Not Disappear.

The Labor Commissioner voided the Operating Agreement under the Talent Agencies Act. But the recordings and other identifiable business assets did not cease to exist simply because the contract governing the parties' relationship was declared void.

Those assets subsequently became involved in federal bankruptcy proceedings, and Meagher purchased Todd Entertainment assets from the bankruptcy estate. That bankruptcy acquisition provides an independent public-record component of the chain of title to the assets Meagher acquired. Voiding the Operating Agreement did not itself transfer anything to him.

Practical takeaway: structure entertainment deals so your recovery lives in owned, titled property — masters, copyrights, trademarks, catalog — rather than in a promise of personal services that a state labor forum can annul.

Section 06

The Litigation Expanded Far Beyond Todd and Meagher

Meagher's civil claims did not stop at the frontman. They named the businesses that participated in, or profited from, the commercial activity surrounding the comeback. The following parties were publicly identified in the litigation or in related proceedings concerning the Buckcherry comeback, the recording catalog, and the live-booking chain surrounding the dispute.

01

7-11 Recordings, LLC & Eleven Seven Music

Downstream record labels associated with the distribution of the multi-platinum album “15” and the singer's post-split recording assets.

02

Warner Chappell Music

Global music publisher administering back-end songwriting royalties and mechanical licenses for the catalog.

03

The Booking Agencies (The Agency Group & TKO Booking Agency / Andrew Goodfriend)

Named in claims concerning fraud, breach of fiduciary duty, double-charging commissions, and the agency's role in the conduct later raised under the Talent Agencies Act.

04

Buckcherry Worldwide, LLC

Band corporate entity associated with Josh Todd's exclusive services after the venture agreement was attacked.

05

10th Street Entertainment (Allen Kovac)

Management team associated with the comeback and with operating outside Meagher's original contract structure.

06

Universal Music Group & Atlantic Records

Global labels associated with distribution of the multi-platinum album “15” after Todd's commercial value had been rebuilt and his obligations to the original venture had been set aside.

Section 07

The Investor Paid Twice: First to Build the Business, Then to Buy Its Assets Back

The economic conflict that surfaced in Japan never resolved.

Meagher had already funded more than $800,000 into Todd Entertainment when the relationship collapsed. Todd left the venture and returned to Buckcherry. Todd Entertainment ultimately entered bankruptcy, and the assets Meagher had spent years financing became subject to the federal bankruptcy process.

Meagher then purchased Todd Entertainment assets from the bankruptcy estate.

The economic result was extraordinary: the investor who supplied the money to build the venture ultimately had to spend additional money through bankruptcy to acquire assets of the same business he had already financed.

Todd, meanwhile, had returned to Buckcherry and moved forward with his career.

Economic sequence

  1. $800K+Meagher funds Todd Entertainment
  3. Todd leavesReturns to Buckcherry
  5. Todd Entertainmententers bankruptcy
  7. Assets enterfederal bankruptcy process
  9. Meagher purchases Todd Entertainment assetsfrom the bankruptcy estate

Original investment

More than $800,000 funded by Meagher into Todd Entertainment by the time Todd left. This figure covers studio time, production, mastering, marketing, touring, business overhead, monthly living stipends, band costs, equipment, and related expenses — not the later bankruptcy purchase.

Later expenditure

Additional money spent by Meagher purchasing Todd Entertainment assets from the bankruptcy estate. This was a separate transaction, distinct from the original $800K+ investment.

View federal bankruptcy record

Section 08 · The record

Chronology: 2002 → 2026

  1. 2002

    A Dead Brand

    Buckcherry is inactive. No label deal, no touring income, no financing available. The frontman has no capital vehicle to fund a relaunch and is working as a carpenter.

  2. 2003

    The Venture Is Capitalized

    Todd Entertainment LLC is formed in Nevada on February 4, 2003, with Josh Todd and Todd Meagher as managing members; the June 23, 2003 Operating Agreement documents their 50/50 ownership. Meagher supplies a $218,000 initial cash capital contribution, continues financing the venture — ultimately more than $800,000 — and commits to $4,000 monthly living stipends for Josh Todd. The total cash deployed — including all artist payments and excluding Meagher's unpaid sweat equity — reflects the full burden carried by the investor.

  3. 2004

    “You Made Me” Is Recorded

    Investor capital produces 22 master recordings, reactivating the Buckcherry name and restoring the artist's commercial credibility.

    Promotional cover for Josh Todd's 2004 release You Made Me.Listen on Spotify

  4. 2004

    Rock Odyssey — Japan

    Josh Todd performs at the July 24–25, 2004 Rock Odyssey festival at Osaka Dome in Nishi-ku, Osaka, Japan. Todd Entertainment's licensed booking agent Andrew Goodfriend handled the engagement and collected his commission. After Meagher complained about a change in Todd's position on the festival bill, UDO Artists offered an additional $20,000 to compensate for the mix-up. Meagher personally pays to fly Todd's wife to Japan so she can accompany him for the performances.

  5. 2004

    Stevie D Moves From Tech to Guitarist

    While in Japan, Todd persuaded Meagher to replace the Josh Todd band's guitarist with Stevie Dacanay, then the project's guitar tech. Meagher agreed, and Stevie D became guitarist in the Todd Entertainment-financed project.

  6. 2004

    The Hotel-Room Conversation

    After the performances, Todd and his wife met with Meagher in his hotel room. Todd asked about receiving his 50% share of the money. Meagher explained that the company first had to account for the substantial investment capital he had advanced before profits could be divided. It was in Japan, according to Meagher, that Todd fully realized the amount of debt that had to be repaid. Todd then demanded that his $4,000 monthly stipend be raised to $10,000 a month. Meagher refused. According to Meagher, the conversation became the turning point in the partnership.

  7. 2004

    After Japan: Todd Wants Touring Stopped

    After returning from Japan, Todd wanted Todd Entertainment to stop touring and finance another record. Meagher refused to commit additional capital before the existing investment had been recovered. Todd then decided to walk away from the venture and return to Buckcherry, leaving his portion of the debt behind.

  8. 2004

    The Relationship Collapses

    According to Meagher, he came to believe the demand for additional financing was intended to make the existing arrangement financially untenable. Todd subsequently left Todd Entertainment and returned to Buckcherry. The other musicians contracted to Todd Entertainment remained behind.

  9. Later

    Professional Continuity Into Buckcherry

    Stevie D later became a Buckcherry guitarist. Andrew Goodfriend, formerly Todd Entertainment's licensed booking agent, subsequently worked as a booking agent for Buckcherry.

  10. 2005

    Licensed Agent Engaged

    Licensed booking agent Andrew Goodfriend is retained for live engagements. XS Records' Ed Philips independently sources promotional gigs for XS Records' benefit, adding other XS Records artists to the shows without Meagher's knowledge.

  11. 2006

    Leverage Flips

    The revived brand attracts a materially larger payday. The artist's incentive shifts from honoring the agreement to challenging it.

  12. 2009

    The TAA Petition

    In May 2009 — nearly five years after the Japan call — a petition is filed with the California Labor Commissioner alleging unlicensed talent agency activity, targeting the very venture that funded the artist's comeback.

  13. 2010–2013

    Appeals And Collapse

    State appellate and collection proceedings grind forward while the artist and the booking agent monetize the comeback tour cycle worth millions.

  14. 2014–2016

    Federal Bankruptcy — Asset Acquisition

    After Todd left the venture and returned to Buckcherry, Todd Entertainment ultimately entered bankruptcy and its assets became subject to the federal bankruptcy process. Meagher subsequently purchased Todd Entertainment assets from the bankruptcy estate, creating a public-record chain of title independent of the later confidential settlement.

  15. 2017

    Litigation Concludes

    After years of litigation involving multiple parties, the remaining disputes ultimately concluded. Meagher's ownership of Todd Entertainment assets acquired through the bankruptcy estate rested on that earlier bankruptcy acquisition and its public-record chain of title — not on the later confidential settlement.

  16. 2026

    Correction Request Submitted to DIR

    On August 31, 2026, Meagher submitted a formal Request for Correction, Clarification, and Annotation concerning TAC No. 13418 to the California Department of Industrial Relations Talent Agency Unit, citing the Nevada formation record. DIR acknowledged receipt the same day. Status: pending substantive response.

Bottom line

After thirteen years of litigation, the dispute was resolved. But no outcome could recreate the original bargain. The capital had already been spent, the partnership was gone, and Todd had long since returned to Buckcherry.

Section 09 · Lessons learned

Lessons From the Todd Entertainment Dispute

Drawn from what this case actually involved — not legal advice, but the lessons one investor took from thirteen years of litigation.

Keep investment activity strictly separate from talent procurement.

In this dispute, a handful of contacts surrounding live engagements — not the hundreds of thousands of dollars invested — became the legal theory used against the operating agreement. Investment activity and performance procurement were not kept cleanly apart, and the distinction proved decisive.

Do not assume a licensed agent's involvement cures conduct that may independently implicate the TAA.

The Japan engagement was handled and commissioned by a licensed booking agent, yet the investor's role in originating the opportunity was still characterized years later as unlicensed activity. The involvement of licensed professionals did not insulate anyone.

Understand California's remedies before investing in an artist venture.

The Talent Agencies Act is a strict-liability statute with a severe remedy that can reach an entire agreement. In this case it was applied to a fully funded operating agreement after the capital had already been spent.

Structure investment recovery around identifiable assets.

The masters, copyrights, and publishing rights survived when the service provisions of the agreement were attacked. The durable value in this dispute lived in owned, titled property — not in promises of personal services.

The documents

Public evidence

Only documents appropriate for public disclosure are listed here. The confidential settlement agreement is not published, excerpted, or linked on this site.

Official Nevada Secretary of State record Todd Entertainment LLC — Nevada domestic limited-liability company formed February 4, 2003, with Todd Meagher and Josh Todd as managing members.View the Operating Agreement Todd Entertainment LLC operating agreement and Amendment No. 1 — full public documents, filed as exhibits.Federal Bankruptcy — Asset Purchase Public federal bankruptcy records documenting Meagher's purchase of Todd Entertainment assets from the bankruptcy estate.Read the Labor Commissioner determination California Labor Commissioner determination on the petition of Josh Todd, Case No. TAC-13418 — full public document.
2026 Correction Request and DIR AcknowledgmentMeagher's August 31, 2026 Request for Correction, Clarification, and Annotation concerning TAC No. 13418, and the California Department of Industrial Relations acknowledgment of receipt — document not yet supplied for public release.
Todd Entertainment LLC Entity page: Nevada domestic LLC formed February 4, 2003 (Entity No. LLC1511-2003), 50/50 ownership, funding, and the bankruptcy asset purchase.California's Talent Agencies Act Reference page on the statute used to attack the venture agreement.Rock Odyssey 2004 — Osaka Dome Reference page on the July 2004 Rock Odyssey festival at Osaka Dome, the licensed agent, and how it was later used as TAA evidence.Andrew Goodfriend Testimony Reference page for deposition testimony of the licensed booking agent — document not yet supplied for public release.Ed Philips Testimony Reference page for testimony of Ed Philips of XS Records — document not yet supplied for public release.Case Timeline Expanded timeline reference page for the dispute.Todd Meagher Entity page: the investor and 50% owner/Manager of Todd Entertainment LLC — contributions, roles, and the dispute.

Section 10

Frequently Asked Questions: Josh Todd, Buckcherry & the Meagher Case

Who is Josh Todd?

Josh Todd is the frontman of the rock band Buckcherry. After the band's initial collapse, Todd partnered with investor Todd Meagher to form Todd Entertainment LLC, the venture that financed Todd himself — promoting him as “Buckcherry frontman Josh Todd” — and staged his comeback.

What was Josh Todd v. Todd Meagher about?

Josh Todd invoked California's Talent Agencies Act against the agreement governing Todd Entertainment LLC, the company he co-owned 50/50 with investor Todd Meagher. The proceeding attacked the contractual structure of the venture after Meagher had supplied over $800,000 in investment capital, leaving the investor fighting to recover his money while the artist retained the career value the investment had helped create.

How is Buckcherry connected to the Meagher dispute?

Buckcherry was effectively inactive when Josh Todd and Todd Meagher formed Todd Entertainment LLC in 2003. Meagher supplied the capital to relaunch Todd's career under the 'Buckcherry frontman Josh Todd' brand, ultimately funding more than $800,000 of the venture. After the partnership helped rebuild Todd's commercial momentum, Todd returned to Buckcherry and the dispute over the venture's capital and assets followed.

What is the California Talent Agencies Act (TAA)?

The Talent Agencies Act is a California law requiring anyone who procures employment for artists to hold a state talent-agency license. In entertainment disputes it is frequently used as a defense to attack management and investment contracts — in this case, the operating agreement of an LLC that had already spent its capital.

How did the Josh Todd–Todd Meagher legal battle end?

The dispute unfolded through multiple proceedings over many years. Todd Entertainment entered bankruptcy, and Meagher subsequently purchased Todd Entertainment assets from the bankruptcy estate. Additional litigation involving multiple parties continued afterward before the remaining disputes ultimately concluded. The confidential terms of the later settlement are not published here.

What happened to Todd Entertainment's assets?

After Todd Entertainment entered bankruptcy, its assets became subject to the federal bankruptcy process. Todd Meagher subsequently purchased Todd Entertainment assets from the bankruptcy estate. That bankruptcy acquisition is part of the public-record chain of title to the assets he acquired.

Was Todd Meagher Josh Todd's manager?

Todd and Meagher initially entered into a personal-management agreement. That arrangement was subsequently replaced by the Operating Agreement governing their jointly owned Todd Entertainment LLC. Under that agreement, Todd and Meagher each owned 50% of the company. Meagher contributed $218,000 as his initial cash capital contribution, was designated Manager of Todd Entertainment, and continued financing the venture. By the time Todd left, Meagher had funded more than $800,000. Todd contributed specified recording interests and committed professional artistic services to the jointly owned business.

Was Todd Entertainment LLC a California LLC?

No. Official Nevada Secretary of State records identify Todd Entertainment, LLC (Entity No. LLC1511-2003, Nevada Business ID NV20031017091) as a Nevada domestic limited-liability company formed on February 4, 2003. The Operating Agreement executed on June 23, 2003 referenced California law in places, but it did not form, convert, or relocate the company to California. A company formed in Nevada on February 4, 2003 could not have been created by an agreement executed on June 23, 2003.

When was Todd Entertainment LLC formed?

Official Nevada Secretary of State records show Todd Entertainment, LLC (Entity No. LLC1511-2003, Nevada Business ID NV20031017091) was formed as a Nevada domestic limited-liability company on February 4, 2003 — more than four months before the June 23, 2003 Operating Agreement. The Nevada record identifies Todd Meagher and Josh Todd as managing members.

What happened between Josh Todd and Todd Meagher in Japan?

During the 2004 Rock Odyssey trip, Meagher personally paid to fly Todd's wife to Japan. After the performances, Todd and his wife met with Meagher in his hotel room and Todd asked about receiving his 50% share of the money. Meagher explained that equal ownership did not mean every dollar received by Todd Entertainment was immediately divided between the partners: the company first had to account for the substantial investment capital Meagher had advanced to finance the venture. It was in Japan, according to Meagher, that Todd fully realized the amount of debt that had to be repaid. Todd then demanded that his $4,000 monthly stipend be raised to $10,000 a month. Meagher refused. According to Meagher, that conversation became the turning point in their relationship.

What happened after Josh Todd returned from Japan?

After returning from the Rock Odyssey performances, Todd wanted Todd Entertainment to stop touring and finance another record. Meagher refused to commit additional capital before the company's existing investment had been recovered. Touring offered the company a means of generating revenue and recovering that investment, while another recording cycle would have required Meagher to put still more money at risk. According to Meagher, Todd then decided to walk away from the venture and return to Buckcherry, leaving his portion of the debt behind.

What was Stevie D's connection to Todd Entertainment and Josh Todd?

Stevie Dacanay ("Stevie D") was working as a guitar tech for the Todd Entertainment-financed Josh Todd project when the band traveled to Japan for Rock Odyssey in 2004. While in Japan, Todd persuaded Meagher to replace the band's guitarist with Stevie D. Meagher agreed, and Stevie D became guitarist in the Josh Todd project. Stevie D later became a member of Buckcherry.

What happened to the Todd Entertainment band when Josh Todd returned to Buckcherry?

Todd did not take the entire Todd Entertainment band with him when he returned to Buckcherry. The other musicians Meagher had under contract remained behind. Stevie Dacanay was the notable exception: he had moved from guitar tech to guitarist in the Todd Entertainment-financed Josh Todd project during the 2004 Japan period and later became a guitarist in Buckcherry. Andrew Goodfriend, who had served as Todd Entertainment's licensed booking agent, also subsequently worked as a booking agent for Buckcherry.

Did Stevie D help break up the Todd Entertainment band?

According to Meagher, other members of the Todd Entertainment band later told him that Stevie D had participated in the internal effort to break up the existing band arrangement and was positioning himself for an opportunity with Buckcherry. That is presented as what those musicians reported to Meagher, not as an independently adjudicated finding concerning Stevie D's motive. Stevie D later became a guitarist in Buckcherry.

“I believed in Josh Todd. I effectively paid him to be in business for himself. In the end, he gutted the company and left me with the debt he told me on numerous occasions he wanted me to recoup. Listening to You Made Me still brings back the sting of his betrayal. But I also still think it's a great record—and I still listen to it on Spotify.”

— Todd Meagher

Just The Facts.

If you have firsthand knowledge, documents, photographs, correspondence, recordings, or other information that can add to, verify, clarify, or correct the historical record presented here, we want to hear from you.

Add to

Verify

Clarify

Correct

Submissions are reviewed privately and are not automatically published.