Well, It's a Site. Mostly.
Creative Control – Who Actually Decides Now before we go any further, there is something I need to make very clear. This is a non-negotiable term of engagement for me. Everything we’ve talked about — money, contracts, morality provisions, royalties, reversion, buybacks — all of it eventually leads to one question: What is allowed to…
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Marty: There was another Ozzy concert we were going to see. I can’t remember everybody on the bill. Chris: Was Whitesnake there? Marty: Whitesnake was one of them. There was another band too, but I can’t remember who it was. Chris: That was probably one of those three- or four-band arena shows. Marty: Exactly. My…
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Up to this point in the series, we’ve talked about money. We’ve talked about licensing, royalties, audits, residuals, merchandising, and all the different ways an intellectual property can make—or lose—money. Now it’s time to talk about something that can affect every one of those revenue streams almost overnight. Morality clauses. These clauses are often misunderstood…
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Now we’re getting into the part everybody wants to hear about. Royalties. This is one of those areas where you have to be very mindful because every industry handles royalties a little differently. Books. Music. Film. Television. Merchandise. Licensing. They all have different customs, different accounting methods, and different contracts. That’s why you should never…
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The Fun Clauses (That Can Still Screw You) Now here’s where things get interesting. This is the part people think the whole game is about. Travel. Accommodations. Flights. Hotels. Expenses. Because when someone wants your intellectual property, a lot of times they want you there, in person. And that? That’s the deal before the deal.…
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Some ideas don’t start on a computer. They start with a pencil. They start on the back of a notebook, a napkin, a legal pad, or whatever happened to be sitting in front of you when your brain decided it was time to build something. This sketch is almost forty years old. Back then, there…
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There is something that has become increasingly fashionable over the last couple of decades. We have become obsessed with changing the words. Not necessarily the problem. The words. Somehow, we’ve convinced ourselves that if we soften the language enough, the reality underneath it will become easier to live with. I’m not buying it. An umbrella…
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There is a reason I have become increasingly vulgar when I talk about some of this shit. It is not because I am trying to be edgy. It is not because I suddenly discovered profanity and decided it makes every argument stronger. It is because I am old enough to have watched the same stupid…
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There are certain situations where everybody needs to remember that more than one person is working. I went down to a well-established hotel to drop off passengers. At that point, I am still responsible for getting those passengers out of my vehicle safely. Once they step out, they become the hotel’s customers again. That handoff…
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