Develop to Development Deal

As a beginning artist who has no fan base, it’s difficult to reach a place of success in the music career.  I recently had the opportunities to interview someone who has 10 years experience in the gospel music industry.  Working as a intern in radio promotions, Brandon Egerton received a full time position in the music industry doing A&R for 10 years at EMI.   After his time at EMI, he decided to pursue his own music consulting company and organize workshops and music conference in Nashville. 

Product Development from a Christian Perspective

Growing up with the Christian arena, I realized how judgmental and crucial Christians could be.  It seems as if Christian producers have all the answers when it comes to Christian music and what is best for the artist.

Mali Music is a good example of how Christians can be judgmental.  He is a contemporary gospel artist that has been undercover as an independent artist for at least 5 years.  His fan base has increased by the year.  He has also successfully produced two independent albums and toured around the United States.  In 2011, Mali Music had the opportunity to perform at the BET Awards, Music Matters. 

Brand Entertainment by Negotiation

Negotiation has everything to do with maintaining a mutual benefit for each negotiator.  In establishing a business, negotiation will be apart of the process to build strong business relationships.  In using negotiation, business relationships can establish greater results in maximizing future opportunities. 

I recently interviewed a business owner that established a business with photography.  She is a photographer that will travel almost anywhere for her clients.  One of the things she mentioned is the importance in identifying levels of negotiation. These levels of negotiation depend on who you are negotiating with.

Negotiations between business partners are totally different from negotiation with a client.  She mentioned that a typical negotiation process of price handling takes about two weeks to negotiate a final price for client. However, other negotiation processes might take longer with a different client depending on their particular need. For example, one of the clients negotiation process took four months to complete. 

Her business partnership with her boyfriend helps develop a negotiation structure that is beneficial for both partners.  The primary focus is to ensure that financial stagnation will not take place in the business.   Each partner has a percentage of the company and is responsible for that percentage.   They both understand the value of compromise and assurance that the business establishes growth.  For example: they both had a habit is giving discounts to friends and family.  After carefully discussing the compromising solution, they understood that it’s important to give discounts if it’s a local event. 

The focus factor for business owners in negotiations is to discern and be aware of dirty tricks.  The interviewee express the importance of maintaining a mutual benefits even with difficult clients.  We might encounter clients that will try to take advantage of the individual and get a cheaper deal.  Some business opportunities are not for the best of the company.   Which means, the negotiation process lets you know if you can work with them in the future.

On a personal note, the interview successfully outlined any examples of negotiations. Manly clients are referred from other clients with big names such as Chick-fil-a that helped build creditability for the company.  The importance of developing great negotiation skills establishes yourself as a brand and overall the business. 

Verbal Agreements

Many people don’t understand that verbal agreements are just as concrete as written contracts.  Written agreements are more legally binding than verbal.  Most artists that deal with legal disagreements probably didn’t have a contract involved.  Which is one of the worst mistakes in business.  Entertainment business comprised music royalties, publication, distribution, management commission, etc.  Many artists and musicians base their decision on an emotional drive.  Allowing their emotions to lead their decisions instead of their intelligence.

Recently, I had the opportunity to be involved with a video production where I was the spoken word artist. The pre-production process was smooth.  We got along pretty well.  We had a verbal agreement. Everything was going well.  Although there were minor changes at the end, we were still able to work out our differences and move forward.  I believe we were able to complete the production because of our maturity level.  However, a written agreement (or contract) wasn’t involved during this process. What if we had a disagreement?

While successful partnership may have been the result for me, you never know what will happen in production when you choose not to protect the material.  It’s important to not only protect yourself but also the product being advertised.  Protection is the key element of maintaining power and dominance.  Once protection is lost, security is minimized and decreased.

Even if you feel that you are already taking the necessary precautions, take the time to understand different copyright procedures and sort through your options to ensure a great form of protection.  Because the last thing you want to experience is the loss of personal music or art material because of the lack of protection.  Learn to use your emotions to think and not to think with your emotions (Kiyosaki, 1997).  This means never allow your excitement to overrule practical principles. 

Here’s the spoken word video.  Enjoy!

When Investors & Concerts Goes Wrong

I’ve recently had the opportunity to be a stage manager for a concert held in Orlando, Florida with a well-known artist (in which his name should will be unknown for protection purposes).  The pre- production process was successful.  I had constant communication with the visionary, constructed meetings with the technician director to ensure backline material are in place, organized and scheduled sound check for the artist and band, etc.

You would think from my proper planning that the concert would be a success.  The excruciating disappointment in finding out that the concert was cancelled, raises the question of, what went wrong? What people don’t know is that an investor funded the concert. To gain the trust of an investor you must provide systemic budget plan that realistic and measurable.  This is essential to ensure the funds of the project or business is being spent wisely. 

Investors don’t care about what you’ve done in the past.  They want to know how you’re going to benefit them and ensure a great level of ROI (Return On Investment).  This is why you MUST organize a strategic and functional plan to ensure that funds are being spent correctly.  It’s the responsibility of the manager or visionary to convert the functional plan into an overall budget and comment to that budget (Adelman, 2009). 

In the entertainment business, things are bound to go wrong.  However, being able to make quick decisions is essential in providing great quality service and entertainment for the client and consumer.  With the example of the concert, maybe the investor didn’t agree on how the funds were being spent and decided to resign.  Investors are considered as partial owners of the business and have all rights to change and manage the project.  The lesson from this concert is to make sure you properly plan and provide documentation to tangibly maintain the progress of the project.  Because if the investor is not happy, he/she will show it through action. 

This is an example of a budget sheet from a concert proposal. 

New Networking for Special Event Planners

I've been looking for a websites to better help grasp the idea of entertainment event coordinating.  In hopes to find an organization that supports my common goals for special event planning, I think I found a winner.  With live performances, it’s important to network with different members that have the same desire to plan and organize.  These visionaries will focus on live performances such as concerts, theatre plays, or uniquely developed fashion shows. 

I recently found an organization that focuses on special events.  International Special EventsSociety helps with educate professionalism in event planning.  In addition to experience, it's important to develop partnerships to expand your brand as an Entertainment Event Coordinator.   This organization develops a broader idea of special events and social networking opportunities.  Members are provided different conferences and events to help think “outside the box”.  They also keep you involved with new and upcoming trends in the special event industries. 

One of their events include a trip to Chicago, hotel stay at the Hyatt, a weekend full of events and networking opportunities.  That event also includes educational sessions that stimulate the minds of members for better creativity.  Unfortunately, this conference is ending today.  The 2013 Special Events conference started on January 15^th.  I’m pretty sure that there will be other opportunities and events that members from ISES will be able to benefit from.  

ISES website provides a lot of information about the services provided for its members.  This is defiantly an organization that I will be interested in joining to gain more knowledge in special event planning.  I encourage anybody that is interested in Event Coordinating education to join this organization to network and gain experience.  

Performing Arts Verses Digital Media

Ben Cameron intelligent speech focuses on the performing arts sector and where the future lays for demographic changes in digital media arena.  Performing arts personal involvement with the audience helps keeps performing arts alive.  However, the digital world is increasing.  Could this be problematic for the performing art sectors? Ben uses the example of consumers paying $100 ticket for a opera verse someone who can download music for free in their own homes.  It’s difficult to compete with that.  I believe that digital media can harm performing arts sectors but it can also be beneficial.  For example: One can possibility advertise a commercial on YouTube or social media.  This means that digital media can be more of a help than harm to performing arts.  Use it for your advantage.  

Listen to Ben Cameron Speech here.