Since I am both an artist and an audio engineer, I
decided to conduct an interview with an accomplished, seasoned, saxophonist,
audio engineer, producer, composer, and recording artist, Rico Maatre. This interview will provide one expert’s experiences
as a means of delving into the intricacies of negotiating deals in the
entertainment industry:
- Can you please provide me with your name, and a brief synopsis of everything you do, including any titles and/or businesses you own, within the entertainment industry?
“My name is Rico Collins, but I am professionally known as Rico Maatre. I have two businesses: M Double A Productions and RMC Entertainment. The first one is my
main business that is an audio production house providing pre-to-post
production, to include recording, mixing, mastering, and independent artist
development. RMC Entertainment is an
entertainment company where the main artist featured is myself, and I am a
contemporary jazz saxophonist of many years.”
- Is negotiating and/or deal-making a primary part of your business, and can you elaborate as to how?
“Yes! It is definitely one of the biggest parts of the business on both
sides. Although I have set rates for things, we really try to work with people
who have set budgets to provide them with affordable prices. We also meet
talented people who might have potential, ambition, and drive, so we may want
to work with them, and we negotiate rates in both cases. On the entertainment
side, if I am contracted to do a wedding or a reunion, they may want me to
perform one or two sets for the gig. In that case, I will negotiate with them
about the prices per set, based upon their budget and certain aspects of the
situation as a whole. In general, I negotiate with people on a weekly basis.”
- What is your opinion about bargaining over positions, where each person defends their position in a negotiation, and then they grant exceptions to reach an agreement where each has compromised? Do you employ this method of negotiating, or do you use the method of principled negotiation, where the dispute is settled by focusing on the merits instead of positions?
“I believe that I dabble a little in both at times. However, I mainly
start off in a negotiation by using the principled method of negotiation, but
the foundation is derived from a positional standpoint. What I mean is, that I
have a stern foundation that is unspoken with my company, because I bring a
substantial amount of expertise and experience to the table, and sometimes I
have to bring people back to reality about what I will and will not negotiate
about, or how much I am willing to lower my rates. Some people are not honest,
and they wish to take advantage from the start, so with those types of people I
tend to lean more towards positional bargaining at some points during the
negotiation. Also, being a service provider in this industry, you get a lot of
people who are inexperienced with being in a studio, with artist development, or
with people giving them guidance, and so they are ignorant as to what these
things reasonably cost. However, if I encounter someone who is an inexperienced
student with a dream, for example, I will employ principled negotiation
tactics; opposed to dealing with someone who is more experienced, with a larger
budget, who knows what standard prices are in this industry, and with them the
negotiation may end up being a bit positional.”
- When negotiating with people whom you have established relationships with already, do you sometimes find it hard to separate the people, their problems, perceptions, emotions, and the relationship itself, from the business at hand?
“Oh yeah! I am so glad you asked me that because I have a million
stories about that very type of situation!"
- Can you please give me one example of such a negotiation and how you eventually handled it? Was communication a barrier? Also, was an agreement made in the end that was satisfactory to all parties?
“Let me give you one with a happy ending! I have an artist that I
sometimes feature from time to time on my albums. When we first started working
together, he was supposed to be producing for another artist that he was
bringing to me for an engineering project, but that situation did not work out
because of conflicts with the artist. It turns out that the producer himself
was also a singer/rapper, and we ended up working together, but from the
beginning it was a negotiation. The relationship began because I wanted a
partner for outsourcing, but he wanted to be mentored in engineering, to become
my friend, and to be featured on some of my albums. We negotiated and came to a
mutual agreement based upon what we both wanted. The relationship then began to
form outside of business, and he started to mix the friendship with business,
by forgetting what we agreed upon in the original negotiation. We agreed up
front what his rates would be for engineering his entire album, while incorporating
the engineering mentoring aspect, and outsourcing his talent for my projects. I
was charging him less because he was a student, with a part-time job, and he
was a phenomenal artist. Additionally, he agreed to bring me other artists to
engineer for, which would help to make up the difference in what I was not
charging him. However, the more our personal friendship developed, the more he
failed to hold up his end of the bargain, and none of the promised clients were
showing up. I had to end up coming in with a stern fist to resolve the
situation, by reiterating aspects of the agreement, clearing up
miscommunication on my part, and being firm about the boundaries I had set in
place for his usage of the studio. He understood more about what he was doing wrong
by my showing him, more so than by my telling him. I had to show him that we
needed to remain focused on the business at hand, which was the terms of our original
agreement, and that I was not going to allow our newfound friendship, or his incorrect
assumptions, to change things. I remained neutral and professional at all times,
and effectively separated both myself and him from the problem.”
- Have you ever been involved in a negotiation where the other party used dirty tricks, such as deliberate deception, phony facts, or ambiguous authority, in order to manipulate the situation to their benefit?
“I definitely have, but I am the type of person to shut that down real
quick! However, I can provide you with a story about how I was unaware that the
person was using dirty tricks, and had someone not stepped in right away, I
would have been duped!”
- Can you please give me one example of such a negotiation and how you eventually handled that situation?
“Since I gave you one example from the studio, this example comes from
my entertainment business. I actually believed this guy! I went to visit a
restaurant/nightclub venue that provides performance, which some friends had
recommended that I go check out to possibly perform at. When I got out there, I
started talking to someone who I thought was the DJ, since the owner was not
around. It turns out that he was the owner’s brother, who originally told me
that he was the stand-in for the DJ when he took breaks, and then he ended up
telling me that he was the talent buyer for his brother also. That is where it
all started, because I then began discussing with him what I do as a performer,
and the possibility of performing either by myself or with a band, along with
prices, because I get straight to the point. Finally, the owner walks up and he
ends up sending the one I met initially to go do something for him. During that
time, in our conversation it is revealed to me by the owner, that his brother
is actually none of the things he said he was, but instead is just someone who
desires to be a DJ and talent buyer! The owner said that he had never put him
in charge of any of those things, and had he not come up when he did, I have no
idea how far this guy would have taken this misrepresentation of his authority!
What if he had actually booked me on a certain date, without the owner’s
consent or knowledge, and there was another artist performing? Whatever
agreement I would have had with him would have been null and void, and I might
have wasted my money and time getting there if the owner had booked another
artist on the same day since he didn’t know about me! The name of the
restaurant was the last name of both the brothers, so I had no reason to
suspect that he was lying about anything. In fact, he could have even pretended
to be the actual owner and I would have been none the wiser!"
- Do you feel that your negotiations overall have been generally successful? Why or why not? Also, is there anything that you would change about the methods you have been using, if they have not been successful?
“Overall, percentage-wise they have been successful, due to the
changes I have made by learning from my mistakes during negotiations. If it
were not for the changes I have made, that percentage for success would not be
as high as it is. The mixture of the two types of negotiating, positional and
principled negotiation has been the key to my success, even though I lean more
towards principled negotiation. The foundation of the two businesses in a
negotiation is that I have a threshold for both. One of the things that I put
in play that definitely helps to alleviate problems, such as deception,
haggling, and hard bargaining, is the fact that I am service provider who stays
in control the entire time, despite negotiating based upon merits. I have to be
firm in the end though, to prevent people from trying to take advantage of me.
Specifically, I require in a negotiation for either business, that people pay
in advance or give me a deposit, and that the terms of the agreement is put in
writing with all terms clearly stated, and approved by both parties via
signatures and initialing.”
- Do you have any advice to other entrepreneurs, entertainers, or artists in regards to negotiating and deal making?
“I suggest that you always have a safety net and negotiate above that
threshold. This should be a ground rule that is not uncomfortable for the
client, and everything above it is negotiable, but that rule must be in play so
that you are not taken advantage of. Also, always have everything regarding an
agreement that is reached put in writing, in order to protect all parties
involved.”
- Can you please provide our readers with your contact, release, and/or social media information, along with any websites you would like them to visit?
“Of course! I just released an album
entitled “Only Pluto Understands Me”
and it can be purchased on either iTunes
or Amazon, via digital download and
in the near future you will be able to purchase a physical CD from Amazon. It is currently on Rhapsody and Spotify, and will soon be
on Pandora as well. My contact
information and applicable links are as follows:”
Rico Maatre
(872) 228-6227
To Purchase Music:
Social Media:
I hope this interview has provided some helpful
information about negotiating, for anyone who is in the entertainment industry.
Now, maybe more than just Pluto understands Rico Maatre!
