In the music Industry today, there are
many ways to get a record deal and/or tour production. I have worked closely
with a man that has been on both sides of the track as far as underground
management to national recording management. Quincy Taylor has been in the
music industry for over 10 years. He has managed big named artist such as
Eminem, Slim Thug, Machine Gun Kelly, and many more. Quincy Taylor, a.k.a. Big
Heff, has recently started working for Def. Jam Recordings as an A&R
representative. Every other month, Quincy organizes an industry tour that moves
through 15 cities showcasing underground and national recording artists.
Earlier in the week, Quincy cut time out
of his busy schedule to sit down with me so I can ask him some negotiation and
deal making techniques. I have been watching closely ever since I was his
intern in the summer of 2013.
How do you feel mutual benefit applies to
each deal that you make with other record label or artists?
Quincy: Honestly mutual benefit plays a
major part in setting up deals with artists and record labels. If there is ever
a time one might need the other, that deal can cover that action. The saying
goes, “You scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours”.
When making deals for an artist, what is
the process of separating people from the problem?
Quincy: This comes in to play all the
time because on one side there can be a great rap group, but on the business
side the group might clash heads. For the most part in that situation, we
separate the bad apples so that they don’t destroy the whole batch. I don’t
like to fire people from the group, but I do make sure the finished project is
as professional as possible. Therefore if one guy/girl and get with the
program, they have to sit on the bench until they learn the playbook.
Now I know there has to be some dirty
tricks when it come to negotiating contracts. Do you know of any that you or
anyone else uses?
Quincy: Everyone has his or her tricks to
the trade, but the common skill is persuasion. It’s not so much a trick, but if
you can persuade someone that your deal is better than the next, you can sell
your product or artist.
After going through these questions with
Mr. Taylor, I realize most of the deals made in the music industry are common
sense tricks. Basically everything you learn growing up in the streets you can
apply to selling or signing a contract.
