Industry Spotlight: Superstar O

 

There are many words that we can use to describe Superstar O, but one in particular would be inspiration. For someone who literally stood at the brink, where most people would give up on life, he turned it around. To becoming one of the youngest successful people I have had the privilege to have a conversation with. Among the rest of his accolades, which includes producing for a multiple range of artists and companies alike. Through hard work he has truly turned his brand into a silent empire. So it’s no wonder I had to approach him for an interview about negotiations tactics and tips. I am honored he accepted my invitation, and would like you all to come with me through the mind of this gifted individual.

SD: Hey Superstar O, being that your business is mostly online, you are always faced with clients looking for the best deals. How do you deal with the people who come to you with multiple options? To better explain myself, how do you handle the situation where you have an instrumental I would like to use for an important last minute promotional video, but I am also asking Producer XYZ the same questions?

SSO: I really can only deal with my own orders & customers. I really never get anyone that says anything like "Oh well so & so told me cheaper" or anything like that. They pretty much know & I let it be known I am willing to give good prices but I'm not about to compete with someone else's prices as our work is on different levels most likely & we just want different prices.

SD: You are considered one of the best-unknown producers, so how would you handle a music label coming to you who already have a firm position for your payment, who isn’t willing to wavier on that position?

SSO: I am thinking you mean how would I handle a label not wanting to pay the prices asked? If so for me it is very simple as if one person or label is not willing to & is trying to low ball me or rip me off I just deny it & move on from there. There are so many people in this world & someone out there will be willing to pay that price. You might have to wait a little longer but it's worth it.

SD: Can you give me an example of how you and a company or another person worked towards a mutual benefit relationship? Where both parties in the negotiation make positive gains?

SSO: Well actually rite now me & another music producer are doing this. There is some HUGE artist over seas who wants to use a beat me & this producer collaborated on YEARS ago & so we both had to sign some papers & make it happen & in the end we both of course get payments / credit & so on.

SD: In the entertainment industry there are times where we collaborate with other gifted individuals. Which sometimes leaves us slicing a pie. What are your methods and/or advice in handling those multi-party negotiations?

SSO: Well this ties into the last question's answer. So in that kind of situation everyone would split things up. Some might have more or less fair deals it all depends, but for me anything I do with another we would all split everything evenly 50/50. If it is something major like a huge label or artist there would also of course be paper work involved as well. 

SD: A music label brings you on to help complete one of their developing artist EPs, and while you are there you meet some expected competition. Instead of working together to complete potential songs for the project, your ideas clash and nothing gets accomplish. How would you approach this person to finally get some work done?

SSO: In a situation like that all you can do is try. I would talk to that person & let them know we need to find grounds to work together & get this work done like we are being paid to do. If in the end it's just not working I would let the people know who brought me on needs to step in if they want me to work on this. They brought me into it so they obviously want me & don't want to lose me & just have me say forget it I'm out. 

SD: Dirty tactics are real in this game of business, so what are some methods you use to counteract those types of people? To give you an example, how would you handle someone who keeps trying to re-trade your already established agreement just to get more for less? These people are sometimes the ones that might leave you hanging especially if their new requests aren’t met.

SSO: I do not have these problems really because with all of my deals & sales I do I have my own contracts which they MUST sign to seal the deal & they have strict rules against all of that type of stuff. Such as not being able to transfer the rights to anyone else, not being able to re sell or trade anything & so on. They know I could take real legal action if they broke those rules so most people who are going to try that ask to SEE the contract before buying & doing a deal & when they see that you never hear from them again. You just have to make sure you have your paper work legally written to protect you.

SD: Thank you Superstar O for this short back and forth, so for the people who stopped by, can you tell them where they can listen to your work online, and what they should expect from you in the upcoming weeks?

SSO: Not a problem & thanks for having me. My main beat instrumental site is SuperStarO.com & also the site for fellow music producers to purchase top quality sounds / drums / loops & such is IndustryKits.com. I always have a ton of work & things in the making every week ha, but this past few weeks I just launched another new site which helps & allows other fellow producers to gain exposure & sales which is IndustryBeatz.com & it is already off to an amazing start getting many members & helping many get sales.