THE ONE SHEET

Don Clarkin: Inside Entertainment Law, Artist Rights & How To Use Leverage in Entertainment

Kyle Fortch Season 1 Episode 11

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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Presented by DistroKid
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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