by Jamison Antoine

This is the first installment in a new SoundCtrl series, “The Five Q’s with Jamison Antoine.” The Five Q’s will focus on the individuals behind the convergence of music, technology, and brand marketing. The interviewee’s will be people who are in the trenches, so to speak. Jamison will ask five questions about the digital music space tailored to the individual and the projects they’re working on. These are people shaping the new music industry one decision at a time, from marketing managers to attorneys. This approach puts a name and a face to the ideas that eventually end up as the news on SoundCtrl.

With 13 years of contract negotiating experience at one of the most successful record labels, Sr. VP of Business Affairs at Universal Republic/Motown, Jerry Juste, is at the forefront of shaping the new record deal. I sat down with Mr. Juste to get his take on business models, new music and performing from the grave.

Q1 - Jimmy Iovine recently said that streaming services are “culturally inadequate” in terms of how they compensate artists. What are your thoughts on ownership (iTunes, Amazon) versus consumption models (Spotify, Rhapsody) when it comes to compensation?

Jerry Juste – Not sure what Jimmy meant by “culturally” inadequate, but I don’t think that there is any denying that streaming is the way of the future. The reality is that if you have access to almost any song you want, at almost any time, there is no reason to own it. Right now, the economics of owning are better for all rights holders involved than the economics of streaming are; but as streaming becomes more popular and more consumers sign up for subscription services or are drawn to sites that have advertising, I think that the economics for the rights holders will improve dramatically.

Q2 – Can you share the 3 main points to consider when negotiating digital rights for an artist?

J.J. – This sounds like a straightforward question, but the answer is very layered. With any contract where one is giving up such rights, you want to think about:

  1. How long? Just how much of your product do they get to distribute and for how long? You have to be able to spot the exit sign as soon as you walk in the door.
  2. How much? How much are you paid on each sale, license, etc.
  3. How much control do I have over when, where, and how it is both sold and marketed? These shape the everyday issues that govern your relationship with the distributor.

Q3 – The number of companies entering the online music space is dizzying. How do you keep pace of all of the new platforms and services emerging in music?

J.J. – I don’t. I really just allow for the consumer-choice process to take its course and allow the cream to rise to the top.

Q4 – The Tupac Hologram made a huge impact on live music. There seems to be an appetite for this type of performance from fans for other artist who have passed away, but what legal issues if any come to mind with this technology?

J.J. – The main legal issues involve the licensing of the music from the record company and publisher; and the licensing of the artist’s name and likeness for the hologram. It’s a potential market for many of the players involved.

Q5 - Attorneys probably don’t get this question much, but what artist are you listening to that people should be checking for right now?

J.J. – I’m feeling tracks more than artists nowadays (go figure!), but names that keep coming up are Wiz Khalifa and The Wanted. I also just learned about this classic Portuguese singer that just died a few months ago named Cesaria Evora. I don’t understand a word of it, but it sure sounds great.

Jamison Antoine is a social media marketer, with a background in A&R and e-commerce, at Island Def Jam and Universal Music Group, respectively. In his role at 360i, he’s responsible for developing content and analyzing social media campaigns for major brands.

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