MoManagers

The music business has various aspects by which it is comprised of. One of the most ubiquitous of them all is management. Whether it’s managing a product, artist, band or duo, any one thing or person needs a manager if the intended objective is success.

Oprah Winfrey recently interviewed the highly esteemed Usher Raymond; toward the end of the interview there was an appearance by Usher’s mother         

who represented the artist for a number of years. 
During the interview she discussed some of what it was like being the manager of Usher Raymond the mega-superstar. Her comments were found to be sort of a light bulb moment to my understanding. For one moment Usher’s mother answered the question Oprah asked about what was it is like to have to depart from Usher as his manager. Her reply, and I’m paraphrasing, it hurt badly having spent well over a decade building this enterprise. Oprah always makes the comment about having a light bulb moment; the only thing on my mind at that point, was great minds think alike because that was my thought exactly. Most artists have a problem with the idea of thinking outside a creative box and they are unable to get into a business state of mind. In using the term enterprise, which opens the door for me to think that even behind an art form, there must be someone not so concerned with the colors, dynamics and picture-perfect photos but that the product will sell and how will it sell.

The everyday hassle with the mandatory operations in addition to the fact that, this is a business; is just one aspect of the job of being an artist manager in the entertainment business. In a nutshell, the manager is the person who must run the show for his artist so the talent can attain, endure, and sustain success in the industry.

References: 

Oprah Interview with Usher's Mom:

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=oprah+usher+interview&oq=Oprah+usher+&gs_l=youtube.3.0.0l10.12691.28981.0.31756.12.9.0.3.3.0.650.1021.5j5-1.6.0...0.0...1ac.1.p8UcD_cKKdI

Goggle Images: 

http://www.google.com/search?q=google+images+of+usher+raymond&hl=en&client=safari&rls=en&prmd=imvnso&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=SmmUUJbgIIe68AT9kIDYBA&sqi=2&ved=0CEAQsAQ&biw=1024&bih=704

Negotiation Interview

Adrian I. Johnson

Negotiation and Deal Making

This past week I reached out to a man who is employed with a sports marketing and Multimedia Company called Learfield Sports. The man I interviewed is named Adam Ihgrig. Mr. Ihgrigs’ office is based out of Champagne, Illinois.

Before conducting the interview I expressed to him that my objective for completing the interview was to explore some of his daily duties that require him to negotiate for the business. He then explained to me that the company has acquired long-term relationships with several collegiate athletic departments and they are consistently negotiating deals with new clientele.

“When I first sit down to discuss business with the client I first express how much I appreciate their time. It always breaks the ice and lets them know that I am grateful for their time.” He mentioned that sometimes he even brings donuts or some sort of gifts to show appreciation. It makes the client feel like they are not going to be negotiating with a shark but a giver. Mr. Ihgrig mentioned that he always has to research the particular client’s history who he intends to meet with so that if needed he has some type of leverage when knowing their strengths and weaknesses. This way when he sits down at the table to negotiate a deal he knows exactly what it is that he can offer to make the deal.

When it got to the idea of mutual gain Mr. Ihgrig explained that he never wants a client to feel like they are not getting the best deal possible for them along with the business getting the best deal that he can get for Learfield. The idea is to make them feel like there is equilibrium of mutual gain for both parties.

Throughout the entire interview I realized that even in the simplest jobs, when there is a contract or deal, there is negotiation.

"Columbia Records"

Columbia Records is the ideal professional niche association in the field of music and entertainment. They have kept a great record of keeping some of the worlds mega superstars for years now. As a team they get the job done. They promote their artists’ products well, make sure they are managed, they keep their music popular and have just had a great consistent record of doing so for the last couple of decades.  

I am most interested in the company because of their success as a label and how they seem to effortlessly produce superstars who come equipped with talent. One major component that compliments Columbia Records is that is a subsidiary label to Sony Music Entertainment, one of the world’s largest entertainment corporations.

On the labels website they keep information updated about their artist as far as upcoming tour dates and performances, public appearances, album releases, press releases, etc. By doing this, the company is inevitably doing great marketing. I say this because I know for my self I have visited the company’s website in an attempt to inquire information about one artist and acquired more than I intended simply because of the display of new or different music from their other prospects.

 Columbia Records has had a major affect on the music industry for a substantial amount of time now and judging by their list of superstars I don’t think that they will be going anywhere soon. Each year they obtain more success due to the number of their artists and musicians that win Grammy’s, Nickelodeon Awards, People’s Choice and many other accolades. Their legislative policy for anyone attached, attributed, and representing the name Columbia records is governed with the most esteemed respective hierarchy. With this established rapport, in the years to come we can only expect to see great things and hear more great music from Columbia Records

Michael Tilson "Music and Emotion Through TIme"

On Ted.com there was a video posted by Michael Tilson, a classical pianist and conductor who discussed the emotion he and other prolific stars have behind the music they play. He focused on the concept of emotion in the music reaches the emotion of the audience.

Although Michael Tilson is a classical musician he did not only stress the genre of that style to the audience, but “a new language that is always evolving.” It was interesting to me that he kind of wanted the viewer to understand the psychology of music in terms of perception. The Michael Tilson video on Ted.com is called “music and emotion through time” and throughout the video he even discussed history, education and the art of composition as it evolved overtime.

Tilson described several significant events within music history such as how we have made things like virtuoso and modern day sheet music available in comparison to Gregorian chant hand notation. He talked about the science that makes our perception vary from one moment in a song to another.

What was most fascinating to me was a moment when he brought to the audiences attention that when the musician stops playing the music stops. The idea that something about what was played during the period of time that the performance was going on something was left in the perceiver’s mind that stuck with them even at the end of the performance and sometimes even thereon. Whether it is a melody, rhythm, mood or attitude that has the potential to chance a person’s life. As a musician myself, this was the moment in the video that I knew I have a new take on the music I performance. Immediate, I was inspired. It has helped me develop a deeper understanding to the music I play and listen to. 

Entertainment Finance

Loeb & Loeb is officially deemed the go-to law firm for handling finances within the entertainment industry. With a history of representing major corporations such as Marvel Entertainment, Spyglass Entertainment, The Film Department, River Road Entertainment and Columbus Nova, just to name a few, this firm’s established status in the echelon is well beyond achieved. Their capabilities vary from equity investments to slate financing transaction. Having LLP offices in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Washington D.C, and Nashville, they are easy to get to an office here in the United States and even developed a representative office in Beijing, China.

The niche with this firm is that their attorney’s focus on a specific designated area to work with them on, rather than being employed as the overall attorney for the corporation. Most recently “Loeb & Loeb was named to 2012 Intellectual Property Hot List by The National Law Journal.”

As far as the entertainment industry is concerned with Loeb & Loeb they have worked with various companies as the representative for distribution agreements with Warner Bros., slate finance transactions with Sony Music and Universal Music. Their leadership as the go-to entertainment finance group has placed them on a high plateau with no other law firm being remotely close. Hosting forums, events and supporting relative causes keeps Loeb & Loeb in the know for who needs to know who they are as an entertainment law group. The firms three hundred plus attorneys has continued to receive accolades from various law firm referral guides.

According to the firms website homepage Loeb & Loeb “handled more motion picture, television, and music industry-related financing transactions than almost any other law firm, and is sought after to provide its leadership on the industry’s most complex and sophisticated deals in today’s tenuous and constantly evolving economic environment.”

http://www.loeb.com/

http://www.martindale.com/Loeb-Loeb-LLP/law-firm-118121.htm

http://www.loeb.com/entertainmentfinancepractice/