Building Your Management Team

As an artist or manager, you will need a management team to help get your business to the top.  There are several tips I will share with you in order to for you to be successful.

In the article, How to Build Your Music Management Team,www.ehow.com/how-2111894-build-music-management-team-html it suggests that you do research about the professionals that will be on your team.  Members of your team should include an accountant, lawyer, agent, publicist, financial planner, record company executive, music publisher, and corporate sponsor. 

By doing your research, you will know what role these people play and be able to understand how the roles relate to your goals as an artist.    Your manager is the person who coordinates and motivates all these people to work for your success.  He or she must have an open mind, be cooperative, and able to listen to suggestions (Frascogna & Hetherington, 2004,p 108).

You must also know what your budget is.  If you don’t have much money to pay a team, you can work out a plan where your team can get paid based on a percentage of your work earning.  For others, such as your publicist, financial planner, etc., your manager can negotiate a tiered payment plan until you start making money off your shows, albums or recording deals.

Next, you should find the people.  You should hire professionals who know the music business. According Frascogna & Hetherington, (2004)in the book, This Business of Artist Management, your manager has to be able to develop one-on-one personal relationship with your team.  It is also important for you as the artist to meet and establish personal relationships with your team members also.  According to Frascogna & Hetherington, this is referred to as “ working the office”. 

You should cement your team by signing contracts with your team members.  You should conduct your career as a business at all times.  You have to be protected at all times.  Once your contracts are in place, you are ready to work.

With everything in place, professionally and legally, your team can go to work on your behalf and you can focus on your creative craft.  You can focus on being the best artist that you can be!

Negotiation and Deal-Making – An Interview with Dr. Teresa E. Hairston

Today, I will be writing on the Art of Negotiation and Deal-making with Dr. Teresa E. Hairston.  Dr. Hairston started her publishing career in November of 1989 with a four-page newsletter called “The Gospel Score”.  The issue focused on Gospel music.  According to Hairston, with no background in publishing and just $300, “God made a way out of no way”.   She turned her newsletter into a glossy magazine and people began to call her and find her to buy advertisement in her magazine.   Since then, Dr. Hairston has moved forward.  In 1991, she relocated her family from New York to Nashville, where gospel was striving.  In 1992, she launched another publication called, Scoreboard, a Gospel music industry trade publication.  In 1993, she quit her job and went fulltime with the magazines.  In 1995, she changed the names of the magazines, Score became “Gospel Today” and Scoreboard became “Gospel Industry Today”.  Gospel Today has expanded its from an emphasis on music and ministry to all aspects of the Christian lifestyle.  The magazine became a phenomenal success and became the official publication for a host of Christian organizations.  In 1996, Dr. Hairston founded the Gospel Heritage Foundation.  Its’ role is to educate people on the Gospel legacy and help teach aspiring Gospel artists about the industry and encourage them to succeed.   These efforts are being realized through the annual Gospel Heritage Praise and Worship Conference.  In 2002, Dr. Hairston relocated the headquarters of Gospel Today to Atlanta.  Dr. Hairston is a minister of the Gospel, hosts the “Gospel Today “TV Show, and the “Gospel Today Update” Show on the ABC Radio Network or “The Light” Radio Network.  She is also the author of two books, The Pursuit of Purpose and Make Your Vision Vivid.

Dr. Hairston’s favorite scripture is Romans 8:28, ”And we all know that all things work together for good, and to those who love God, to those who are called according to his purpose”.

I felt she would be a perfect example of an entertainment executive that no doubt uses negotiations and deal making in every aspect of her businesses.  I interviewed Dr. Hairston on the following questions and here is a transcript of the interview:

1.     Dr. Hairston, what type of negotiator do people say you are?  “People would say that I am a honest, straight forward type of negotiator with integrity.

2.     Have you ever in negotiated with a person or persons who were hard to deal with, made you angry, or you had a misunderstanding with but you still had to maintain a relationship with this person? How did you go about separating the person from the problem?  “‘I would try to find out what their interest were and build on that.  I would not enter into a deal that would not be advantageous for me.”

3.     How do you deal with negotiations with artists or business partners that have a different perception on the issue than you do?

4.      “ Well, you will always have people who will have different perceptions but always try to make them happy in the deal”.

5.     If a person you are negotiating with sticks to his or her position and doesn’t want to make concessions, what would you do?

 “Sometimes a deal can’t be made.  If it doesn’t work out maybe God didn’t want it to. You have to look at it as a learning experience.  It is like a relationship.  Sometimes at the beginning it looks like it will work out, but down the road it doesn’t work.  Don’t take it as a failure or a loss.  With experience, you will get better at it.”  Maybe that wasn’t the right business or artist to work with in the first place.  I believe in God and if it were meant to happen it would happen. Sometimes you try and push a deal and it turns out in hindsight it wouldn’t have been the right deal.”

6.     Have you ever lost your emotions in a deal? 

            “ Yes, I have because I am only human, but I try hard to separate the issue from the person and stay focused on the goal in front of me.”

7.     Have you experienced dirty tricks in negotiations?

           

            “Yes, I have experienced dirty tricks like people making promises they can’t keep or over promises.  You have to be careful and watch out to make sure the person you are negotiating with can follow through.

8.     Have you ever used a Best Alternative To A Negotiated Agreement (BATNA)? 

            “When you go into a negotiation, you should already know what you want out of the negotiations, so you will know what to consent to and what not to.  If it is not going to be beneficial to you, then you should shut down negotiations.

9.     If there is one piece of advise you would give me as a student of entertainment business in regards to negotiations and deal-making what would it be?

            “ I would tell you to always negotiate with integrity and try to find a mutual benefit for both sides involved”.

Thank you very much Dr. Hairston for taking time out of your busy schedule to talk to me today.  It has been very educational and insightful. 

Reference:

http://www.preachingwoman.com/apps/staff/default.asp?relationid=891681

More on the latest Christian Hip Hop Sensation, LaCrae!

Last time I spoke about a young Christian Hip Hop Artist LaCrae and how his life has changed from gang banging and being caught up in a life of sin to being on fire for Christ.  He has used his musical talents to express to the world just what God can do for them.  Well, Reach records and Grand Canyon University has teamed up to kick off the Unashamed Tour 2012 with LaCrae. http://reachrecords.com/artists/show/LecraeI know that this is exactly what the young people have been yearning for!  Just as LaCrae mentioned when he went to a conference where he decided to live for Christ, he didn’t realize that there were young people who dressed and looked just like him, but they were praising God.  The title of the tour says it all, “Unashamed”!  

Many young and older people are in the closet for Christ because they have been told by the world that being Christian and young is something to be ashamed of, it is not hip!  The devil is a liar!!!  It is just the opposite!   When more and more people come out like LaCrae and be themselves instead of letting society judge them, then you will experience a real revolution of the mind and spirit!!  This is exactly what my club, “Melodies From Heaven” is all about.  Letting Christians know that you don’t have to sit on your anointing, but release it and let it go!   This is what God wants; He wants to use you to draw others in.  There is no shame in being in Christ Jesus!  He is the Alpha, the Omega, the beginning, and the end!  In Christ Jesus, is life and life more abundantly!!  At  “Melodies”, we celebrate our oneness with Christ.  We are heir, joint heirs with Christ.   At “Melodies”, Kingdom Rules and Kingdom Reigns.  Service will be second to none because it is a tribute to who you are in Christ! 

La Crae, the four time dove nominated Christian hip hop artist will be headlining the tour which will kickoff on October 4^th, 2012 and will visit 30 major cities across North America.   He will be at GCU on November 2, 2012.  Fellow artists Trip Lee, Andy Mineo, Tedashii, KB, and PRO will join LaCrae. http://reachrecords.com/artists/show/Trip-Lee  They will share their journeys and how God has used their rap skills to his glory.  They will be in the B-Lo on October 9, 2012 at Ashbury Hall on Delaware Avenue!!! http://unashamedtour.com/http://unashamedtour.com

Remember, God doesn’t want you to change everything about you because you are saved.  He wants for you to use the skills and gifts he has given you to his glory!  How could there be any shame in that?

A shout out to GCU and Reach Records for sharing with us the vision of bringing the unreached to know Christ and to celebrate these young people being in Christ by showcasing their talents and skills.  Many of these talented and anointed vessels of God will be coming soon to “Melodies” where  “Kingdom Rules, Kingdom Reigns!!!! 

 http://unashamedtour.com

LaCrae: A True Hip Hop Worshipper

In my blog post entitled “Gospel and Rap- Can it really be accomplished without someone crossing the line?” illustrated an example of a rapper, Maleek Mills and how he had crossed the line.  He went so far as blaspheming God and many in the gospel entertainment world kept silent.  More and more artists are making reference to God in their music but in inappropriate ways.  All we have to do is turn on the MTV music videos and listen to the FM radio stations to hear the lurid messages going out on the airwaves.

Today, I will be highlighting a true gospel Hip Hop Artist, LaCrae.  He did an interview with Candace Walker of Bella On line’s Gospel and Christian music editor http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art170679asp 

 LaCrae

LaCrae life started out like most hip-hop artists.  He was raised by a single parent, turned to the streets to learn about life and got caught up in gang banging, fast women and fast cash.  It all comes through on his latest album, Rehab: The Overdose, which debuted at #1 on both the Billboard’s Christian and Gospel charts and #15 on Top 200.  His lyrics are honest and his message is real.  His gift is his ability to smoothly convey what many of the youth feel about their walk with Christ and how God can in fact “rehabilitate” us to His standard.

La Crae said he was living his life full of sin when one day he was invited to a church conference.  He said there were young people there that looked and dressed like him, but they loved God.  After hearing the word delivered by James White, he said, “It really shook him up”.  It changed his life from that day forward.

Here is one of his videos to exhibit the gift that God has given him.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IiDOyQCCpKs

When asked what he wants to accomplish with his music he stated, He desires to change the way people see the world.  He wants to articulate life and life’s up and downs from the perspective that God desires us to be used by him.  His desire is that you will hear in his lyrics different answers to issues in your life.  His prayer is that the answer is Jesus! 

In many ways, LaCrae exhibits just what our company, "Melodies From Heaven" stands for.  Our mission is to change the way people think about their lives.  God wants to be used by us to bring a new life to those who are His own .  A life where Kingdom Rules and Kingdom Reigns!

The International Association of Venue Managers

The association that I am going to discuss is the International Association of Venue Managers (IAVM).  This association focuses entirely on the needs of facility managers and companies that serve public assembly facilities.  Since I will be managing a club to promote gospel artists, I wanted to share with my readers exactly what this association does and how it can enhance my abilities to provide an exclusive facility where you can be sure to be well received by the public and get the exposure to the entertainment world that is imperative in order for you to further your career.

First of all, it is a resource for industry information and a networking tool to create relations with key industry leaders.  The association also has benefits to help me serve you better.  For example, the association has an IAVM Resource Center.  It has an extensive research and video library that includes media on topics such as crowd control, safety and security.

They also have a Certified Facility Executive Program where I can earn the designation as an expert in the field, which can accelerate my career and my clients can feel confident that when they contract to perform at my facility, they will be in the best of hands.

They also have annual conventions and trade shows that I will attend where I can meet with over 1000 top decision-makers and over 300 companies that provide products and services to the industry. In addition to this, there is a Senior Executive Symposium, an intensive three-day program developed by Cornell University’s World Class Program in Executive Development for the Hospitality Industry.  I will learn strategic planning, negotiation and leadership skills.  By being a member of this association , I can ensure you that I will strive to provide to you the very best in venue services.