THIS IS YOUR FREESTYLE BLAST #30
In This Issue Of The Blast, learn how simple contracts keep the Freestyle music business running smoothly.
I absolutely love what I do. As a manager and agent for the Freestyle music genre, I feel beyond blessed. It’s not about the money, though I’ve made a wonderful living at this for over thirty five years. It’s about the passion I’ve had for the music business since I was seven or eight years old.
At least 90% of the time, everything is smooth sailing, and I’m having the time of my life. But keep in mind, this is a business. Money is spent and money is made, and because of that, things like contracts are a necessity.
In Freestyle, we try to keep contracts as simple as possible. New shows pop up every week, and if we had to consult with attorneys on every deal, we’d never get anything done.
We need to be clear on the typical logistics: fee, date and city, deposits, balances due, number of flights, and hotel rooms.
The rest should be common sense within our genre, like performance time, which we usually put as TBD (To be determined) out of consideration for the promoters and the rigorous day they have to coordinate.
Flights and hotels aren’t usually detailed in the contract, but safe, comfortable, and convenient travel and accommodations should never be an issue.
We’ve worked around first-class flights and five-star hotels, as artists are usually courteous enough to step it down a bit for the sake of the promoter’s bottom line.
I keep my contracts as clean as possible, with larger fonts to avoid any intimidation. Contracts, in my opinion, should protect both sides in case of misunderstandings.
I’ve never experienced a situation where either side was trying to take advantage of the other. When there have been misinterpretations, my years of experience have always helped set things straight and put everyone at ease.
All in all, I would never advise anyone to make deals without some paperwork laying out the basics. This isn’t just to save you from being cheated, as I don’t think that’s anyone’s intention, but to avoid silly misunderstandings that could cause problems and taint potentially wonderful business relationships.
And while I’m not an attorney and this is not legal advice, if you have basic questions about this topic, feel free to reach out to me. I’ll be more than happy to share what I would do!
Okay folks, are you ready? Let’s get into it!
Work / Life Balance. Is there such a thing?
For years I’ve tried to live a balanced life. Work, create, hang out with the wife, play with the kids, walk the dog, fix things around the house, do things that I personally enjoy, work out, and chill with friends and family. But guess what? I’ve never been able to, and It haunts me.
It took all this time for me to finally realize that a true work/life balance isn’t possible, I don’t care who you are. Even if you live a common life, with a spouse, a couple of kids, and a dog, your life is going to tilt to one side more than the other.
I believe that the intentions behind some vacations were simply to try and justify their own unbalanced lives. I myself am guilty of that for sure. We tend to feel that this vacation makes up for all the date nights we opted out of, and the ball games and ballet recitals we missed.
We play with the dog for a few measly minutes because we feel bad about all the times we ignored him wanting to play, and now that gray fur beginning to sprout around his mouth reminds us that the luxury of time isn’t on his side.
If you’re a champion bodybuilder, there’s no way you can live a balanced life. Same goes if you’re a touring artist, a commercial pilot or flight attendant, a doctor, fireman, or a police officer, this list can go on and on, and when our time is up, for sure the most torturous of feelings we will feel will be the feeling of regret!
So no, there is no such thing as a work/life balance, and if we can accept that and find other ways of justifying our lives I believe that we will feel a whole lot better about ourselves and possible defy regret in our later years.
So what can we do? Maybe nothing! Maybe the saying that I hate most, “It is What It Is!” is actually the most important!
or, is there a way, that, instead of looking at life and work as two separate entities, maybe there’s a way they can be combined? is there a way of getting your family involved in your work? Where your goals become there’s as well, sharing in the excitement.
I don’t know, I’m just throwing things out there to see if any of you guys have any ideas, or maybe there’s something that you’re doing that works and therefore you’d like to share it. If so, please… Share it in the comments below.
THE FREESTYLE ARTIST RIDER…
Have you ever heard of a rider? If you’re an artist or promoter, there's a good chance you have. But for those of you who haven’t, let me explain.
An artist rider is a document that outlines the technical and hospitality needs of an artist for their performance. It's usually provided by the artist or their management team and ensures that the performance meets their expectations and runs smoothly. The rider is attached to the artist's contract like an addendum and can include reasonable and essential items, though it's not necessarily non-negotiable.
As a booking agent for the freestyle genre, I’ve dealt with many riders. But nowadays, riders aren’t used as much as they once were. One reason is that many promoters we work with already know the standard procedures and requirements.
Even new promoters sometimes don't receive a rider, to keep the process simple and less intimidating. Many riders include demands that can easily scare off a potential gig. Most of these demands would usually be listed under a hospitality rider.
A technical rider, on the other hand, includes details like the number of microphones needed, special lighting, props, effects, or setup requirements for a DJ traveling with the artist.
Hospitality riders typically cover courtesy items. Artists’ fees can be quite high, so once that level of commitment is made, it makes sense to ensure the artist is comfortable and can perform at their best.
Most freestyle artists these days don’t ask for the Presidential Suite at the most luxurious hotel, but a four-star hotel at a clean, safe, and reputable establishment is usually expected.
The same goes for flights. First-class or private jets are rarely requested. However, a comfortable and convenient flight on a reputable airline, approved by the artist or management, should go without saying.
So, why don’t we always add a rider to ensure we get what we want? Well, as I mentioned earlier, many riders include demands that can complicate bookings, especially for multi-act events. Imagine seven acts each submitting their own rider, each demanding separate accommodations, catering, and so on. And though many artists deserve that level of attention, would it really be worth sacrificing a gig?
Many hospitality riders ask for things like hot meals, bottles of expensive and hard-to-find liquors, private catered dressing rooms with bathrooms, well-lit and full-length mirrors, and personal security guards.
Trust me, the list can get intense. Many of the items listed can't be accommodated, and rather than telling you they can't meet these demands, promoters might just pass without an explanation.
In my thirty-five-plus years in this business, having drawn up thousands of contracts, I can remember only two instances where we had issues, and even then, they weren’t severe enough to stop working with those promoters. All we did was, when they called for another booking, they got a rider!
Artists and promoters should share the same goal: have a fun and successful show, get home safe and sound, and of course, get paid! Why make it any more difficult?
If you would like to see a sample of one of my riders, click this link. If you’re an artist and want to use it for yourself, be my guest... no charge!
CLICK HERE FOR A FREE RIDER SAMPLE
Joe Hanna, Carmen Rivera, Melanie Lucci, Angelo Bermudez, Sunshine A Wright, Maggie Vazquez, Alberto Nova, Robert Duran, Mary Nahm, Win Williams, Sandro Mariano, Gary Yancey, Kfaze First, Jason Nunez, Donna Serra, Judy Torres, Eliesel Serrano, Rose Guthrie-Dorvil, Greg Klinger, Bumpn Beto, Michael Grasso, Delin Cruz, Shaun Ramroop, Jose Gonzalez, Johndoe Blendjunkies, Jazmine Davis Bligen, MaryJane Love, Pete Othman, Kimberly Thurz, Bobby Drieslein, Chris Robinson, Phil Mario Muzzalupo, Todd Davis, Harry Frank Towers, Brunilda Vasquez, Todd DG Davis, Raider James, Carlos Mercado, Victor Spinnin Lopez, Rodney Mayhan, Michelle Ciocco Falzone, Jimmy Huerta, Eileen Rodriguez, Raymond Hernandez, Eddie Hernandez,
To all our Subscribers, Readers, Subjects, and of course our Sponsors, for being a part of this month’s issue of the Freestyle Blast Newsletter, Thank you all so much!
and until next time…
This was your Freestyle Blast!
Latif Mercado has been a part of the Freestyle Music scene for well over 30 years, as well as an integral player behind the genre’s continued success.
As a Booking Agent with a who's who roster of Freestyle Greats, as well as his managerial involvement with such industry icons as Lil' Suzy, Angel OCG and The Cover Girls, rarely would you find a Freestyle event happening without Latif somewhere in the mix.
Latif loves hearing from his readers, answering questions, and sharing whatever advice he possibly can, whether it be on writing, or maybe something Freestyle related, so be sure to reach out, even if it’s just to say hi.
So please Follow Him here @LatifMercado
Thanks for the explanation about riders. Thank goodness many freestyle musicians are reasonable about their accommodations, especially as part of ensemble concerts.
This is terrific read, quite detailed and informative. I have to say I am quite new to having an appreciation to the Freestyle genre. I have a newfound respect for the artists, promoters, booking agents, and most definitely for the fans that keep this genre alive. Thank you so much for all that you do.