The Law's of Laws

This week I had the pleasure of job shadowing Mr. Aaron Laws, President of Platinum Promotions Ent. & Artist Management LLC Company. The opportunity of witnessing a real negotiation between Laws and Universal was an experience of a lifetime.  After the negotiation I asked Laws how did he prepare for the meeting and his response was “It’s all about building relationships prior to negotiating and researching the companies terms and conditions. Prior to negotiating we compared Universal’s criteria and standards to what our company could realistically bring to the table.” He talked about having strong affiliations with other companies within your industry and because of the relationship with his long time friend Jay South CEO of Stone Magazine an affiliate company of Interscope. The relationship between Laws and South opened the door for Laws Company to do business with Interscope.

Laws stated that this industry is all about relationships and to achieve success when dealing with up and coming artists, managers, record labels, and other professionals within the industry is simply developing strong relationships. According to Laws the best way to achieve success is to turn those contacts into colleagues and develop a relationship with everyone you meet.  During our interview Laws began to reflect on one of his most recent and more difficult negotiation involving several partners of one entity and how he dealt with negative emotions. The decision was split between the decision makers on whether or not to partner with Law’s company and launch their product in the Houston Area. Laws strategy was simple, he showed them “The Big Picture” and how this deal will benefit their company, in the words of Laws “That was the deal breaker.

This enjoyable interview left me with food for thought as well as advice to share with up and coming artists. The best way to develop a professional relationship with an individual who you are aspiring to work with is to share a common interest, and stay connected by attending conferences, events, educate yourself on the business aspect of your craft and seek out affiliates that will add value to your business.