#ArtisteManagement101: Seven Lessons On Managing the Artiste’s Brand

The Nigerian social media was recently inundated with the news surrounding an artiste and His management. We must be careful about what we read in the media (including social media) these days, so I am not narrating this as verified fact, but the news more or less came out in the following sequence:

·         i. Artiste is reported to be dead

·         ii. Artiste is subsequently reported to be not-dead

·        iii. Manager- & record label exec is alleged to have falsified the news of the Artiste’s death as a publicity stunt

·       iv. Co-Artiste (& Co-Label Owner) apologizes for the false alarm of Artiste’s death; he further informed that the Artiste Manager & record Label Exec. responsible had been fired.

           v. Label Chairman (who happens to be brother of Co-Artiste is accused by someone- probably on social media- of attempting to use the Artiste  for “Money Ritual” and  Co-Artiste decided to clear the air on that as well.

·       vi. Label Producer is alleged by Co-Artiste to have  caused the misinformation leading to the "Money Ritual" accusation; he also said that the Label Producer was on suspension as he spoke.

·         

      vii. Artiste finally speaks- according to reports, he said:

“ This is not the first time this is happening to me. It’s like a blackout which occurs anytime I’m over excited. It’s happened two times…”

I had a feeling I should write when I first heard it might have been a publicity stunt, but this last statement by the artiste was the tipping point for me. So here are 7 lessons- learned- for Artiste Managers (including record label owners and artiste promoters)

1.       Not every publicity is good publicity- Yes; I know you’ve heard that- especially for entertainers- any publicity is good publicity. You & I both know that this is not true. You don’t. Do I really need to explain that? I don’t think so. You do? Ok let me try:

In the past 18 months, the Nigerian entertainment space has provided some controversial stories about Artistes, which were later alleged and/or claimed to be publicity stunts.

These ranged from a popular twin brother group purportedly planning on a split, to a producer/musician and wife claiming pictures of her face allegedly bruised & battered by Him was all a stunt- for real?? Maybe it was photo shopped- as was claimed by the two popular and usually controversial male entertainers making out in photos. There was also the one where a 23 year old pop singer, offered her virginity to boko haram members in exchange for the kidnapped girls.

What these diverse “publicity stunts” had in common was the public back-lash they generated. Some of the not-so-nice words used to describe these “stunts” included “dumb” & “dangerous”….  I hope that’s clear enough

2.       You do not need to respond to everything:  I have a theory that 8 times out of 10, responding to rumors only make them more popular and begin to assume the nature of truth, sometimes the response itself then becomes a rumor then we find ourselves dealing with a whole other issue, than the issue that started it e.g “Money Ritual”

3.       If  you need to respond, think your response through: let me explain this by using  a simple logical thinking model:

·         Major Premise: Artistes should be very excited when they are performing at shows

·          Minor Premise: Artiste X says He blacks out when He is very excited.

·         Logical Conclusion:  Artiste X should not be performing at shows

Now, a conclusion can be logical without being valid, but imagine if it was an concert sponsor or a show promoter coming to the above logical conclusion; Artiste X may not be getting on their show. L

4.    If you need to respond, respond with one voice: There was a lot of communication about the one artiste from different artiste management sources- no one person be able to communicate unilaterally for the corporate body, on such a sensitive issue, without a go from the group.  

5.       If you need to respond, respond with one message: Nothing kills a brand like multiple, mixed, inconsistent messaging. Branding is about finding an anchor in the minds of the brand audience. It is easier to build a brand when people know THAT ONE THING the brand stands for.

6.    If you need to respond, use a consistent and competent spokesperson:  I often advise that artistes, should as much as possible, focus on their art, and minimize engaging with key partners on corporate brand issues. Just as with getting a good lawyer and finance managers, it is important to engage a good PR Manager, agree a communication strategy that is consistent with your brand, then get the hell out of their way at let them do their work.

I believe some of you may be thinking about the costs, but there are bootstrap ways of innovating around that challenge- more in subsequent posts.

7.       If you need to respond, be careful about throwing people under the bus:   Another way of saying this is; try not to burn bridges, or I could say; fight all your personal  fights in-house, before coming to fight your corporate fights out-house … the team is always bigger than the individuals that make it up; finally Leadership -whether by Manager-ship, Co-Owner-ship or Chairmanship- should be about taking responsibility, not hanging out scapegoats to dry, I am not saying that is what happened in this case, but I hope you get the point.

Meanwhile, while we are on the topic of scape goats- there’s a question that’s been nagging at my mind, which is:

How do you suspend a producer?  I’m thinking: No producer, no production; no production, no product; no product, no packaging; no packaging, no promotions,; no promotions, no purchase… no pay… So  I  ask again: how do you suspend a producer? Answers, anyone? :)

Dear Artiste: Ten Questions To Ask Before You Sign That Recording Contract (Conclusion)

In the first installment of this article (you can read here) I highlighted the first three questions:

• What do I really need from the record label?

• What is the scope of the contract?

• What costs are recoupable by the record label?

In this second and final installment, helped by a warning from my Editor to conclude the  post and to avoid “to be continued write ups” in the future, I’ll jump right into the last seven questions to ask:

Dear Artiste: Ten Questions To Ask Before You Sign That Recording Contract

As someone who has spent a significant amount of time consulting for both record labels and artistes in Nigeria; 2013 was a heartbreaking year for me.  Why?

We  all saw the scenario played and replayed - before our eyes:

• B to A-list  artiste who had signed  to record label in the midst of hype and high expectations

• A few months or years down the road, for whatever reasons, decides to leave the label (or label decides to drop the artiste)

• Accusations and counter-accusations, lots of talk about contractual obligations until artiste is let go and he starts his own label

• Or artiste goes back  or artiste goes back on new terms, or artiste goes back but sets up his own label

• Or artiste is taken to or takes record label to court and careers are stalled and so  on and so forth.

1. What do I really need? Most new artistes need a range of things from a record label including production support. Some artistes, like one I recently represented, had produced mixed and mastered an album, done a video and was independently promoting her work before the record label got interested. Understanding what you really need from a record label is critical to helping you understand the contract and what to expect from the label. This will also be critical for preparing your recording budget. In Nigeria, many record labels so called, only have a name and a website, but lack the production, promotion and distribution infrastructure that the artiste really needs.

1. What is the scope of the contract? What does the contract cover? Is it just a recording and management contract or is it a 360 contract. In recent times, Nigerian record labels have caught on to this and some insist on a 360 deal. If you opt for a 360 deal, I advise that you are clear on what and how much it is the record label is contributing to each specific income stream, and that the profit sharing ratio reflects this investment. (With endorsements for example, the record label usually takes a far lesser percentage than  it does for  record sales and performances)

1. What costs are recoupable?  Recoupable costs, refers to monies spent on the artiste prior to the point where the artiste begins to generate revenue.  Recoupable costs may include recording costs, promotional and marketing costs, music video and in many cases the artiste advance and/or sign on fee. In some cases like production  and marketing, costs may be recouped 100%, in others such as artiste car and wardrobe it could be less  say 50%) I personally do not encourage record labels recouping sign on fees as I see it as a token of recognition of what the artiste is bringing to the table; it is at this point my record label clients ask “Whose side are you on?” So that’s all I’ll say about that.

©Ese Oraka

So to the artiste excited about a record deal in the offing, here are ten questions to ask before you sign the dotted lines:

To be continued.

Image credits: signing-contract.jpg
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Ese Oraka is a Lawyer and Business Designer. He has extensive knowledge and experience in IP and Business Law, Innovation Management and Business Model Design. He is a founding partner at Adelphi Consulting. You can find him on - Twitter: @eseoraka, Facebook: /ese.oraka.9, or email info@adelphionline.com

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