Don Clarkin is an entertainment attorney, artist manager, and executive director of Young Entertainment Professionals Nashville. After leaving Dirickson Law - who reps stars like Walker Hayes - Clarkin founded AM/PM Entertainment and started his transition into artist management, repping clients like Netflix star Callum Kerr. Clarkin shares what basic knowledge artists should know before committing to any sort of agreement in their careers, different types of record deals, management deals, and loopholes, and how to use LEVERAGE to your advantage.
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CHAPTERS
0:45 How Don got into Law
3:50 Young Entertainment Professionals
7:40 large majority of entertainment lawyers business comes from managers
8:40 entertainment business has “rings”
9:40 legal clients and manager clients have to be separate
11:00 what’s the basic knowledge an artist should have before even getting a lawyer?
12:00 2 basic copyrights in music
13:00 Sync placements
13:45 there are bad attorneys
14:00 conflict situations: Like TV shows
17:40 It’s not the lawyers job to provide business advice - just the legal advice - artist needs to make gut calls
19:30 even in a group setting you can hire an outside lawyer to take a look
20:30 “Treat yourself like you’re worth something”
21:00 Management Contracts
22:00 firing your manager - manager works for the artist
24:40 If managers want publishing: Where is their value?
25:40 LEVERAGE: how to use it and when
27:00 If you have a hit consider doing a one song deal and see how much GAS the label can put on the FIRE
27:50 if you go in on an 80/20 360 traditional deal - DO YOU HAVE A TEAM?
30:15 licensing vs giving ownership
32:35 DYL - "Jordan Belfort" Atlantic advance and deal
36:15 Country Radio has it pretty wrapped up for major labels
37:25 Even if labels don’t want to put your music out - go do podcasts, go do YouTube series, non music content
38:20 360 DEALS **
39:30 the first $3m made from touring
40:50 Ask questions in the label meeting
42:20 within general framework of the law - you can do what you want.
43:20 Artist wanted one of the execs branded track suits in the label meeting
45:30 getting artists OUT of a “bad deal”
46:50 Worst Deal Don Has Seen
49:30 you can try to update deal but doesn’t always work. Not worth going to court
49:55 Representing Netflix Star Callum Kerr
50:30 Creators should want their team to “live their role” Rather than find one person who tries to do it all
51:35 Acting/Music contracts usually don’t interfere
53:00 If you’re successful as an actor you can negotiate more rights for the music side
53:55 “a smaller piece of a bigger pie is always a better deal”
54:15 Manager and agent don’t crossover
55:30 as an attorney are you pitching artists to labels?
59:00 eventually the goal is to have 100 or 500 people working for you