WHAT!?!? I'M BEING SUED!?!?

So, as well all know getting into the entertainment business leaves you open to many liabilities. You have such liabilities as breach of contract, copyright infringement, not having a written contract in place and so on. I want to get in the business of music artist management and decided to look up liabilities associated with the business. In recent months, rapper/singer Drake found his current management team being sued by his former manager, James “Jas” Prince for unpaid royalties. Jas has been credited with discovering Drake. Situations like these happen more often than not. Someone discovers someone else and becomes responsible for the deal that will ultimately catapult him or her into superstardom. The problem with that is the person who does the discovering doesn’t have the necessary documentation to prove that they are entitled to compensation for their actions. That’s why you cannot just trust someone’s word you have to get everything in writing so when problems like that arise it can be taken care of accordingly.

Another situation that arose around November of 2011 was Judas Priest’s Rob Halford and other members of the band had a lawsuit filed against them by Halford’s longtime manager, John Baxter. Baxter is alleging fraud, breach of contract and intentional interference with contractual relations. He was asking for around $50 million in damages. Baxter has been Halford’s manager since 1982. That’s almost three decades and one has to wonder what happened that made them get to this point. Maybe it had something to do with Baxter being fired in August of 2011. It would be sad for Baxter to sue his friend because of bitterness because obviously he enjoyed the benefits of being Halford’s manager otherwise he wouldn’t have stayed on as his manager for almost 30 years. Baxter is suing for failure to pay commissions, salary, and expenses dating all the way back to 1992. Now it seems a little strange that he waited until being fired that he would sue for compensation from 20 years ago. I’m not saying he’s falsifying information but it just doesn’t add up to me.

            Now, it’s sad when parties fight over an artist’s estate after they pass away. That is the case with Michael Jackson and his estate and Jackson’s former manager. As usual they are fighting over money. If they had fought this hard for Michael when he was alive maybe they would have had the chance to save his life. The lawsuit was filed in February of 2012. Michael has been gone from this Earth for 3 years and his team is still fighting over his money. I can’t fathom the stress and turmoil that it is putting on his family, who are dealing with their own drama, which is whole other story entirely. I just hope they get it together so Michael can rest in peace and his family can have some peace.

Product Stars

It is synonymous nowadays to see every celebrity imaginable endorsing either someone else’s product or a product of their own. I mean, who can blame them with the current state of the music industry selling albums just isn’t enough anymore. You have celebrities endorsing everything from water to nail polish to shoes. It’s a great way for celebrities to expand not only their brand but also their revenue. Celebrities are paid big bucks to endorse a company’s product. Nicki Minaj signed a seven-figure deal to become the face of a new Pepsi beverage called “Pop”. You can read more about that here and also watch the commercial via YouTube. You have to wear many hats within the industry today because just being an artist who just makes music just isn’t the trend anymore. It takes so much more to sustain credibility in this industry. Take for instance, Alicia Keys, she is coming out with a new album in November and she has inked a deal with Reebok. She designed several different pairs of shoes for them and starred in a commercial featuring her saying the lyrics to her new song, Girl On Fire. Peep the commercial here! That was a very strategic move by her and her team to get people interested in her upcoming project. When you turn on the television you see so many celebrities endorsing so many different products. There is serious money to be made in doing so. The companies that these celebrities endorse are so smart and really handles their product management well because they know with big time names attached to their brand people are going to buy it. It’s a win-win situation for all parties involved. Even if the product doesn’t do so well the celebrity still gets paid unless otherwise stated in their contract. Look at Jennifer Hudson; you can’t turn on the television without seeing one of her Weight Watchers commercials. I know you’re probably as sick of seeing them as I am but the girl is getting serious bread from that and Weight Watchers must be contributing from it very well because Jennifer stays on our TV screens. You can’t be mad at a sister for getting her money and looking good while doing it. Although, I believe she has undergone other procedures to get rid of the weight but that’s just between you and I. On the same note though, endorsements are a way for celebrities to make major money and the key is to strike while you’re hot. These three women I mentioned are making themselves into brands and diving into opportunities outside of music. But to be fair if it wasn’t for them being the huge music stars that they are the doors for endorsements to open probably never would have happened. So, to aspiring artists out there who want to become music superstars think outside the music and come up with a plan to turn yourself into a brand! It’s the best way to sustain longevity in this business!