Adam Freedman
@acfreedmanlaw
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Transactional/IP attorney for artists, creatives, and entrepreneurs
Brooklyn, NY
Joined January 2015
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Meanwhile we’re still waiting for you to pay producers from your last 2 projects...🧐
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In hip-hop, typically the artist(s) will share 50% of the publishing, and the producer(s) will share the other 50%.
I've had experience with the biggest artists giving no-name producers the same split, so don't let anyone try to pressure you to take less without a good reason
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I told this major label A&R that if his label releases more songs produced by my clients before paying them for the last ones, I would take the new songs down
He called me a bully 😭😭😭
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If you release a song produced by my client before confirming terms, we're charging you the full rate.
If you still don't pay, we're claiming 100% of your song.
If you still refuse to pay, we're filing a takedown and going down the copyright infringement route
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Every time I see
@Subtronics
I'm reminded how he and his mgmt are literally the only people I've heard of in the music biz who everyone says unanimously positive things about
You love to see it
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To not send beats to Blueface
What did you learn from that situation that can help you mitigate risks moving forward?
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The only L I've actually taken so far is when Blueface released a song produced by my client. Rather than just paying him, Blueface's manager posted my number on IG and 100 people called me in 30 mins
Instead of just paying the producer like 2k 🤷♂️
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If someone cant afford your usual producer fee, you can always ask for something in return for giving a discount, such as:
- the artist giving you vocals for a future song
- A higher royalty rate
- Making the fee non-recoupable
- Asking to be credited as an artist on DSPs
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The music industry is so crazy
a new producer got his 1st big placement, but they released the song months ago without contacting him
Now, the song's about to be platinum
Not only did the client get a nice bag as a result, but going forward, he can say that's his usual fee
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I actually called the royalties people at
@UMG
last night to yell at them, and lo and behold, they found $15000 in royalties waiting for one of my clients THE NEXT DAY
is this really their system??
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Every time I've seen a producer put together a contract from stuff he or she found online, it's been trash, so I decided to share my simple template producer agreement
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95% of the problems I deal with in the music industry could be solved if people just communicated
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Anybody else find it funny how labels need fully executed agreements in order to pay producers, but they don't need signed contracts before releasing the songs they produced in the first place??
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Produced by my client
@yungdzaa
💪💪💪
A 25 year old kid from Serbia got a HUGE placement through the power of the internet.
How amazing is that?!
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Your streaming numbers really don't need to be that big to make good money if you own 100%
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Doing my first deal with Cash Money and just as everyone guessed, theyre really living up to the hype of not paying producers.
We sent a formal demand letter, which they ignored, so I just filed takedowns against songs on 3 albums
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hahahaha is this lawyer trying to square up?? 😂😂😂
Shoutout to the music industry lol
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hahahaha an up-and-coming, major label artist just released a project with 2 songs using my clients' beats, without permission, and in the credits, wrongly listing 2 producers managed by the A&R instead
now they're paying 10k a beat
what were they even trying to do 😂😂😂
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My 2 biggest groups of clients are EDM artists and hip-hop producers
I know it sounds ridiculous, but I speak from experience when I say that EDM is wayyyy more toxic than hip-hop
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Hey
@dnalounge
, this is literally copyright infringement.
Also, if you're blatantly admitting that you did this without
@Dubloadz
's permission, and won't even TRY to get it taken down, you can be held liable too
Thanks 🤗
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Working in music for this long has confirmed that nobody actually knows what theyre doing out here (except maybe the ppl at the very top)
Just about everyone's learning by doing, so as long as youre honest and admit mistakes, you really can't mess anything up long-term
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True story, a random producer tweeted me that he needed help with a contract. I told him I wasnt taking on any new clients, but I gave him a few other attorney recs
Turns out he's the producer of the new Yung Bleu/Drake song, and his life's gonna change from that
what a world
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Only in music could a company not only say that it's impossible to pay you on time, but that you're the jerk for even asking
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It's such an interesting time for hip-hop producers...
I have clients who are constantly in the studio with the biggest artists, but in general, the ones making the most money (outside of synchs) are the ones selling beats on youtube and doing the "beat lease" thing
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Wow my clients produced 10 songs on the upcoming Lil Skies album
They keep crushing it like this, and we really can't be stopped 😈😈😈
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Don’t let anyone make you feel weird for trying to get the business sorted.
That’s gaslighting
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Let's see if today's the day
@AlamoRecords
figures out what happened to all of my client's royalties
There's a song with 20 mill Spotify streams and 20 mil youtube streams, but when my client asked about his royalties, they literally did not know where his money was
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For producers sending/using loops, if you get a placement, what are your thoughts about splitting everything (advance, royalty, pub) 50/50 with the producer who sent the sample?
There are strong feelings on both sides, and I've seen ppl really not be on the same page about this
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In hip-hop, typically the artist(s) will share 50% of the publishing, and the producer(s) will share the other 50%.
I've had experience with the biggest artists giving no-name producers the same split, so don't let anyone try to pressure you to take less without a good reason
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Simply just 1) caring, and 2) following through on what you say you're going to do will put you ahead of 95% of people in the music business
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@lucas_versace__
Thanks man, and
@shamana
i'd be happy to help! shoot me an email if you're interested - adam
@acfreedmanlaw
.com
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I'll never understand the mentality of being afraid to damage the business relationship with the people who wont even pay you what they owe you
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Artists and labels love to release music before clearing it with the producers, but when I tell them they have to pay the producer's full rate, they get SOOOO MAD
Theyll use words like "extortion" and "bad faith," but they know they'd never pay producers if not for these threats
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It’s so interesting how much differently session musicians are treated from sample makers, even though the end result may be the exact same
In my experience
play guitar in the studio = flat fee session musician
Play guitar at home and email it = producer w royalty and pub
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Once you don't need the advance, you immediately gain so much leverage
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Producers, have you thought about taking some beats and releasing a "beat tape" on the DSPs?
This is a tactic that synch companies are already using to help pitch music for opportunities.
Also, what could it hurt? At least you can create an artist page on the streaming services
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Just because it's "industry standard" doesn't mean you need to agree to it
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If someone from the label pressures you to sign a producer agreement, saying that if you dont, they're not going to use your song anymore, there's a 99% chance theyre full of shit.
in the most unlikely case that they dont actually use your song bc of that, let me know
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Shoutout to
@SonnyDigital
for upholding his end of the bargain with all of this producer talk
On his upcoming artist project, he really got my producer clients paid maybe the fastest I've seen. Even before the music came out. Wild, right?
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Got a ton of music just sitting on your hard drive? Perhaps you want to submit it to music libraries, which filmmakers use to find music for their projects.
Some major players taking open submissions are:
@SoundstripeApp
@themusicvine
@Art_list_io
@themusicbed
@marmosetmusic
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So many people in music will try to frame finally paying you the money they owed like they just did you a favor
the audacity!
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Upcoming
@bmi
distribution dates:
1/17/20: Royalty Payment for Q2 2019
3/20/20: Royalty Payment for Q3 2019
6/19/20: Royalty Payment for Q4 2019
9/18/20: Royalty Payment for Q1 2020
Take a minute to double-check that your music is properly registered so you don't miss out!
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It still blows my mind that the 3 biggest songs any of my clients have produced were actually all just "type beats" that were sitting on their youtube channels for months
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Producers love getting mad at artists releasing music without clearing it
but when they do try to clear it, you tell them there's actually 4 people on the beat, 1 of them is going to ask for a big advance, 1 of them wont respond at all, and the other one needs help w an invoice
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I'm sorry but it's honestly so funny to me getting to represent these amazingly talented musicians and renowned sound designers, meanwhile, my hip-hop producer clients are taking home HUGE bags for beats they made in less than 5 minutes
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There really are big artists out here signing young ppl into production deals, capping the $$$ they can receive per placement
Then, they're using their clout to push the kids to take EVEN LESS, talking like their terrible deal was actually a favor
The music industry is wild
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It's getting to be so funny when artists and labels keep releasing projects before paying my producer clients, but then I tell them the producer's fee is 10k per beat
They get sooooo mad 😂😂😂
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If youre not ready to sign up with a pub admin company,
@TuneRegistry
is a platform where u can fill out 1 form and get your music registered in all of the places like ASCAP/BMI, Harry Fox, SoundExchange, etc
It speeds up the process, plus you get to keep 100% of your royalties
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Basically all of these production deals, where a producer signs to a bigger producer, have the bigger one getting 25-50% of the smaller one's advances, royalties, and pub, even if they have nothing to do with a placement you landed.
I'm generally against these kinds of deals
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Shoutout
@_erkk
,
@artistpg
, Aurielle, Eli, and the rest of team
@GGYOUNGBOY
one time.
They got 5 producer agreements closed out and everyone paid within the week, all before the music was actually released.
Unbelievable, right?
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Just got
@sonymusic
to finally pay a client his producer royalties after months of polite follow-ups
All it took was threatening to not clear any songs for any of my other clients on Sony until this was handled
Guess what...Sony figured it out and paid my client the next day
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If you're negotiating a deal, and the other side is being super difficult or simply unresponsive, that's a sign of what it's going to be like to work with those people
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so a bunch of my edm dj clients are really just out here playing normal, indoor shows, meanwhile calling ppl out on social media for not taking covid seriously
and of course, the artists aren't promoting these shows at all
i'm taking note. they know exactly what theyre doing
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Producers, if someone is asking for money and says they'll get you placements, it's a straight scam. Doesn't matter if they're an A&R, label, artist, or fellow producer. There's nothing incentivizing them to actually do any work on your behalf
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Most of the biggest names in the music industry have no idea what they're doing
i've seen it first-hand
Don't let them intimidate you
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working with people all over the music industry is great because it's totally confirmed that nobody has any idea what they're doing
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A cool part of being an entertainment lawyer is i get to work w so many different ppl around the industry, especially dealing w issues
I can say with certainty that A LOT of ppl who get on here tweeting about "loyalty" and "the team over everything," are completely full of shit
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I've never understood the mentality in music of being scared to ask for more money, or to get paid at all, bc people are worried about ruining relationships
If someone is really offended by that, FUCK EM
there are countless ppl to work with. why work with someone who's a dick?
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hahahahaha people from these major labels have called me a bully. They've said i'm acting in bad faith. They've said i'm extorting them. They dont like the way i do business, etc
Good
i'm glad they feel this way
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Shoutout to all of the A&Rs at major labels and pub companies who said their company was interested in signing my client...but it turns out, only if the A&R could keep 20% of the deal (from the company the A&R works at) as a commission
God bless the trap
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I've seen Southside, Metroboomin, Zaytoven, Murda beatz split their (much higher) fees equally with my clients, when they were under no obligation to do so
meanwhile no-names are out here arguing over whether they're going to split their $2000 placement 50/50 or 60/40 😂😂😂
This week 2 of the biggest hip-hop producers placed songs co-produced by my clients
They negotiated the fees, then split everything 50/50, so my clients ended up with a higher fee than they couldve gotten on their own
It really doesnt need to be as hard as some of yall make it
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I love seeing producers get more empowered to actually stand up for themselves instead of just taking Ls and moving on.
No more producers repping songs they never got paid for in 2019
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It's so wild how low the bar is in the music industry.
Everybody's out here learning as they go, but it's actually rare to find people who 1) will do what they say they're going to do, and 2) care
Tbh i think those 2 things are some of the main reasons i've made it this far
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I'm officially reassessing all business w
@UMG
if you thought getting your advance was tough, getting your royalties is far worse. this is shameful
My clients are tripling their usual fees for all future releases on
@defjam
@Interscope
@AlamoRecords
@RepublicRecords
etc
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.
@RepublicRecords
distributes
@CashMoney
who literally DO NOT pay producers.
How about just paying these kids the money you said you would pay them?
There's a VERY easy first step
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I've turned some of my clients into straight savages about their business 😈
I've never been prouder
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Every time I've seen a producer put together a contract from stuff he or she found online, it's been trash, so I'm selling my standard, template producer agreement for $25
*As always, this is for educational purposes and doesn't make me your lawyer
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Just a reminder to follow up with these labels and ask about ur royalties.
Ive been reaching out to UMG for a client w a song from 2018 and they replied w just "Great, youre now set up to start receiving royalties"
So u werent going to pay unless I bugged the shit out of you???
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This week 2 of the biggest hip-hop producers placed songs co-produced by my clients
They negotiated the fees, then split everything 50/50, so my clients ended up with a higher fee than they couldve gotten on their own
It really doesnt need to be as hard as some of yall make it
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24
318
If someone in music sends you a contract and says that you need to sign it that same day, tell them to fuck off (or just don't respond)
unless it's a synch license
that's literally the only thing I can think of in music that could actually be so urgent
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One of my clients who's making the most money right now did it by making ambient beats on a sleep app.
His last quarterly publishing check shit on the rest of my clients, even the one's who've been landing big placements this year
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hahahaha a few artists and labels are going to come back to work in Jan and wonder where their albums went
They figured that going on holiday break was more important than paying my clients their overdue $$$
even though I said I'd file a takedown if they didn't pay by today
🤷♂️
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I've learned that just about every big name in the music industry who tweets out vague, motivational aphorisms is absolutely full of shit
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Producers, if you land a placement, make sure youre directly communicating with the artist or label about the deal
I have countless examples of ppl not getting paid because they relied on co-producers or someone else to handle the paperwork for them, which of course didnt happen
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My clients who have the least clout are the ones making the most money
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Shoutout to the label that just considered it "offensive" for a producer to ask to split the profits from a song with an artist 80/20.
i wish you the best
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.
@UMG
finally responded after 3 months of my asking where my client's money is, and after double checking the account information, they were going to send it to the wrong place
How 👏 can 👏 you 👏 be 👏 so 👏 bad 👏 at 👏 this??
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It is BLOWING PEOPLE'S MINDS that we're not accepting the industry standard of having to wait forever to get paid
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Another day another takedown for not paying a producer🤷♂️
This one was a bummer bc it actually had nothing to do with the artist. The contract was finished, but the major label simply was not trying to pay, even after a formal demand letter
the artist reached out too...🤦♂️
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These labels all manage to find a way to pay super quickly when they have to
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Working with people all over the music industry is great because it's totally confirmed that nobody has any idea what they're doing
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If someone is trying to sign u a multi-year agreement, but says the deal is non-negotiable and you can "take it or leave it," thats a huge red flag
if theyre not even willing to enter into genuine negotiation with you, it means that at the end of the day, they dont fuck with you
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Shoutout to everyone who follows me on twitter but still owes my clients money
Talk soon 😘😘😘
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Don't sign with a label just because of how famous the head of the label is. If he or she is not actively pushing your music, I promise that you'll get real sick of dropping his or her name as part of your promo
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Wow, Lil Keed's deluxe album has 37 songs. Imagine having to do all of that paperwork 🤮🤮
also, why wouldn't they just break it up into multiple projects at that point?
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Some of my clients' biggest songs were actually youtube type beats that had been out for a while
A-level artists literally just stumbled on them (by pure luck), but that's all it takes
if you have beats sitting on your computer, have you thought about setting up a beat store?
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Hey
@AudiusProject
someone else created a profile for one of my clients and uploaded all of their music, presumably so this imposter can collect all of the monetization
Are you doing anything to protect against this?
it seems like u just stopped responded to my clients instead
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Bandcamp keeps going hard for independent artists
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If youre signing with artist mgmt, make sure all payments are sent to you, and you'll pay the manager. Not the other way around. A lot of managers will ask for that in their contracts
You just want to make sure youre protected in case your relationship w the manager goes south
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Yo
@Producergrind
@illmindPRODUCER
@SonnyDigital
@djpain1
@murdabeatz
and anyone else, can we do a twitter spaces and talk more in-depth about why so many producers have a hard time getting paid from their placements, and what they can do about it?
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If you're going to sign with a label, manager, bigger artist, etc, PLEASE make sure they actually know what they're doing.
A lot of big names in the industry actually have no idea, and are really just coasting off 1 play they made a long time ago. It's worth asking questions
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I've been seeing a lot more loop makers fumble bags by DEMANDING to split a beat 50/50.
What you're entitled to, and what you can negotiate based on the situation and where you are in your career can be very different
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my guy has literally lost more money by having it down for months than he would've paid the producers
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Setting up an email drip campaign to automatically follow up every single day with people who owe my clients money
it's time to automate this part
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The person I was referring to is
@iamnoahmiller
. He's been charging producers around $200 to get them placements, with a "money back guarantee" that he just ignores. DO NOT WORK WITH HIM!
The amount of ppl I heard from who just wanted to warn other producers about him is nuts!
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If an artist manager has 10 ppl signed to him or her, there's no way he or she is giving all 10 signees full attention
The best managers i work with rep closer to 5 - and they have assistants and other ppl on the team - but it still seems like it's more than a full-time job
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I got super excited when an artist I’ve been a fan of for over 10 years reached out about becoming a client, but then he asked if I’d do his legal work for free
I said no, but we can figure something out
He’s going with a someone else who’ll work for free 🤷♂️
What a world lol
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