Negotiating with Records

     I had the chance to interview a good friend of mine in order to get some insight on negotiating contracts. His name is Mr. Dustin Sortor, he is the owner and operator of Ryder Records. Mr. Sortor recently graduated Full Sail University with a bachelors in Recording Arts and has moved his studio back to his hometown of Portland, OR. His studio provides various services such as audio recording, professional mixing, audio mastering, video production, and numerous different audio and visual services.

   
     This first question I asked Mr. Sortor was how he separates the people from the problem when he sits down to negotiate a contract. Mr. Sortor stated that it is easy to do when meeting face to face with a client. He establishes a set of guidelines and contact details right away as to not have a constant back and forth negotiating. He said he likes to lay his contracts out in the simplest terms right away so his client know exactly what they are entitled to and it also helps minimize any confusion. “If this is done as the first step, the negotiating process is a whole lot easier and more professional” stated Mr. Sortor.
   
      Following up, I proceeded to ask him about how he would fit in a mutual benefit in a contract with a client. Mr. Sortor informed me that he sees a mutual benefit like a retail store reward card. He explained that in the music industry, the “reward card” should be some type of coupon or discount that is fulfilled at the end of a transaction. He offers clients a bulk purchase price that includes mixing and mastering of the entire album vs. song by song. Clients see these offers and consistently come back to him for more recording services.
   
     The third and final question I asked him dealt with any type of “dirty tricks” that clients might try to do. He told me that the most common one he sees is that clients ask for work to be done on an album or track after the services have been paid for. One example he gave was a client that did not like how a track sounded. Mr. Sortor had told the client that he would fix any issues, but the client took that as Mr. Sortor will work correct those issues for free. He says he will gladly fix any errors for free, but if it is an edit due to personal taste he will offer a discounted rate to fix it. He also informed me that since then he has also carefully worded his contracts with clients. Mr. Sortor now specifies with his client what is considered an error that would be eligible to be fixed for free, and what is eligible to be edited at a discounted rate.
   
     It was great to interview a close friend of mine and hear that he has been doing well with his business.  The information provided me with regards to contracts in the entertainment industry has helped me prepare for my future career in the entertainment industry. He has given me several tips on how to protect myself when dealing with clients and also how to ensure a contract is beneficial to both parties.