| If you live on Earth, you have heard about the | | | | "prize." If you give up your rights and your label |
| deal between Country Music Legend Garth Brooks | | | | shelves the project and drops you, anything you |
| and mega super store, Wal-Mart. Brooks, who has | | | | created is theirs, even if you wrote the music. |
| always proved to be a marketing innovator, has | | | | You can't take it with you unless you have a lot |
| inked a deal that is sure to set the music industry | | | | of money and a really great lawyer. But even so, |
| on fire. Recently parting from his label, Capitol | | | | the label has the final say.There is a lot we can |
| Records, the deal grants sole distribution rights to | | | | learn from the masters and this is one lesson I |
| Wal-Mart.What can we learn from Garth? First, | | | | hope everyone is able to hold on to; learn the |
| he's all about the business, his fans, and | | | | business and always get legal advice and counsel |
| marketing, something I speak about repeatedly | | | | before you go into contract negotiations. If you |
| both on my weekly radio show as well as in my | | | | don't know a really great entertainment attorney, |
| book, The Indie Guide To Music, Marketing and | | | | I have a few I would highly recommend. Here is |
| Money. While Brooks has not recorded a new CD | | | | their contact information: Jordan Keller and Miller |
| since 2001, his least successful by Brooks's | | | | Hogan of Lassiter, Tidwell and Hildebrand (615) |
| standards, this marketing genius still captures | | | | 259-9344. To find out more about these two |
| headlines, creating urgency for his music.How does | | | | lawyers go to: Jordan, whose clients include the |
| he do it? Brooks learned from his time in the | | | | Backstreet boys will be on my show in a few |
| trenches, when every label rejected him | | | | weeks, so don't miss it! To a better day in every |
| sometimes twice, it's all about the business. | | | | way ~ Jaci Rae "The Rae of Hope" Copyright |
| Brooks took the business very seriously and | | | | 2005 Jaci RaeJaci Rae is the #1 Best Selling |
| handled his contract negations with incredible | | | | author of "Winning Points with the Woman in Your |
| savvy and skill. One of the most important | | | | Life One Touchdown at a Time" ISBN |
| negations he made was to make sure he owned | | | | 0974622907 and "The Indie Guide To Music, |
| the masters to his own music.Because Brooks | | | | Marketing and Money" ISBN 978-0-9746229-4-1 |
| owned the music, he received a higher | | | | as well as the host of the Jaci Rae show. Dubbed |
| percentage of the gross, which helped insure he | | | | by the media as "Racy Jaci" because of her quick |
| covered the recoupable costs the labels receive. | | | | wit and "The Rae of Hope," for her powerful |
| Ultimately, whether he was still with Capitol or not, | | | | insight, please make sure to check her out at: To |
| he owned his music and that enabled him to be | | | | hear Jaci's popular show, with some of the top |
| able to do whatever he wanted with it.A big | | | | behind the scenes as well as famous bands go to: |
| mistake label seekers make when in negotiations | | | | click on the weekly show link. |
| is to let go of their rights in order to get the | | | | |