This is the reason why record labels have kind of strict contracts. I have been in that situation also, but with bands. A couple of years ago we got contacted from a management that has band but couldn’t get them nowhere. We wanted to help out so we made an agreement that yes we would try in our network and if something happened we could be part of it.
The thing was that this management bragged about how good contacts they had with the big labels. The strange part was that they seemed not to get any response for this band.
We put it out, secured them a opening slot for a band on European tour. We got them a big placement in a commercial that really brook them really big in the Nordic countries. Suddenly when we wanted some money from the commercial that we placed, did all the legal papers of and used our network really hard to secure, it was a big no. The work we had done was worth nothing.
Suddenly since they were hot some bigger labels had gone by and asked about the band. So behind our back they had sold the band and of course the placement we did they wanted all the money since they didn't get any upfront money. We should just be lucky to have worked with the band in there eyes.
Since I have been working over 25 year in the business I know this kind of things. We wanted to help out but we also had a fast plan B. So we just had to start to shut things down. Go around to all our clients and tell them the story. What they didn’t know was that we also had a deal with a huge brand with over 1 million dollar that was ongoing. We just shut that down. Yes the band lost 1 million dollar, which they until today knows nothing about.
Still some of our work was still in progress. This we couldn’t stop so for the band it looked like after we left they still got these cool things coming at least a year after. This is how you work, it is things going on that is in the pipeline. That is why you have sunset clause in contracts.
The funny part was when I was on a lecture and a kid in the audience was friends with them. And they had told him that nothing really happened with that placement. That the placement was done from the band. And the tour was done by them and all the other things was a result of their hard work. It was interesting to hear that since the kid didn’t know what role I played in the story.
After a year they machinery stopped. They was stuck in this major publishing and major record company. What the label wanted was that things that we had created should still happened to the band. Of course they wanted the band to create these opportunity’s. The problem was that all was done by us. So the band couldn’t create anything, neither could the managment. Also they had got many people dislike them since they knew the story after all the industry is not that big.
The companies quickly grew tired of them since nothing was happening. All the numbers was around the song that was on the placement. Fast they were back on the square where they started. In one way they didn’t knew who was doing all these things.
I genuine believe that all what they said to the kid was what they actually believed. That these things happened just because they write good songs and them spread naturally. Also the management was crooked. They tried to take over contacts and keept the band in the dark. But luckily we actually protected the best contacts from them. They got some smaller ones, but those quickly knew something was wrong and left them.
This is not that unusual, I see it all the time. Especially when you place things and a lot of money comes around. Suddenly many things that this can easy be repeated and cut us out and keep more money to themselves. It’s just how the business is. But yes those that act that way usually never get a second chance. Your job is to look into who is doing what? And if someone is doing things right try to award that person.
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