As a singer, party promoter for Bedlam Presents, founder of
the non-profit organization Hold Me in Your Heart and sometimes artist manager, Barry
Brandon spends his days making deals. Listed as one of Atlanta’s 50 most
influential people of 2010 according to Fenuxe Magazine, he is used to being in
the public eye and using his interaction with people and ability to negotiate,
to keep his career going. In this
interview, I sit down with Mr. Brandon to pick his brain and learn how he is so
good at what he does.
Claudia MB:
As a party promoter, artist, president of a charitable foundation, and artist manager, I am sure that deal making is part
of your everyday existence. Can you tell me about the type of deals that you
handle most often in all of those different roles?
Barry Brandon :
"Actually I view them all the same. The thing
is, that I think as a party promoter, you can get the most out of a venue than
with those other things [roles]. Usually when you’re touring with a band, it’s
a harder thing to book and you don’t usually make as much money. There is a cost
for the sound person, for the door person…. production fees, and you don’t make
your money from the door until that number is hit. When you are working as a
non-profit organization or you’re a company putting on an event, when you
approach someone, they are going to have a renter’s fee. When you are a
promoter, all of those things go out the door. Because as a promoter, your name
is what is bringing the money into the venue, so the venue is relying on your
name to bring people through the door that will drink and spend money.
Therefore you have a lot more leeway in your negotiation. So I approach
everything as a promoter and not as a musician [with the majority verbal
agreements and a few written]."
CMB:
When negotiating. how do you use objective criteria such
as: precedent, professional standards, moral standards, reciprocity, or market
value to support your requests?
BB:
" I give them product
knowledge, what were supplying, what you’re getting in
return, and I discuss it simply on a money factor. When booking a band we would
never go into conversation about how good they are or what kind of music they
played. I don’t discuss their fanbases or how many albums they’ve sold and who
knows them, those things- don’t worry about it. If I can get 300 people into
your venue and the bar tab is $5000-$6000, what do you care if the band is good
or not? [I justify the dollar amount the venue makes] based on a common number
within the industry. Promoters make a certain amount or the venues average
payout is on a different scale than a promoter….."
CMB:
How does having a BATNA (best alternative to a negotiated
agreement) affect how you view a negotiation, or does it have any bearing at
all on your approach? Do you feel that it gives you more leverage during?
BB:
"I always have a Plan D [besides Plan B, and C], so
for me, my vision is that I don’t own a venue and I don’t own a space, but I
have a product that can make you $6000 a night. I bring whatever I am bringing
to the table, I bring the people, and these people spend money so what I want
in return is [a cut of the profits]. If you don’t want to do that, then you
don’t deserve to get that [the people I
can bring to the venue]. I addition to knowing that, there is always another
option and you are never actually screwed. I think it is a mutually beneficial
relationship between the two [the venue and the promoter]… Its not a matter of,
If you don’t do what I want then I’m leaving, it’s a matter of communication
until the problem at hand is solved and knowing that on both sides, there is
always another option."
CMB:
How do you handle being seen as a less powerful member of a
negotiation?
BB:
" The second that you start stressing about how you are going
to do thing based on how the other person does business, is when you will never
have the upper hand and you will always feel like you have something to lose.
You know your product, you know what you have to offer – just do it."
Stay tuned for the next installment of this interview and
learn more about upcoming Bedlam events,
Barry Brandon’s performance of In My Own Words, a one man cabaret show supporting Hold Me in Your Heart . Be on the look out for his upcoming documentary The Tin Man Project showcasing his journey through the last of his 8 open heart surgeries and the inspiration for the Hold Me in Your Heart Foundation.
THE TIN MAN PROJECT
BEDLAM PRESENTS 1 Year Anniversary
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