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My name is Livio Harris and I'm the VP of Notting Hill Music Publishing as well as Who's Harris Entertainment. On the publishing side we have Reefa, The Runners, DJ Khalid, L.E.S., Charlemange and the list goes on and on. My day to day duties include running out and finding the next hot writers, for example today I was trying to lock in the young lady that wrote the 'Boy' record performed by Beyonce. So my job is to try to get them to sign with our company as opposed to a competitor by making them an offer they can't refuse. Once they're signed and are a part of our roster we'll go out and try to help them secure placements for their songs on records, movies, television shows, commercials, sport venues and video games. That includes not only in the U.S. but oversees as well...a lot of people don't know that Notting Hill is a London-based company. How did you first connect with Notting Hill? I met them 12 years ago, they told me they needed a U.S. liaison so I took that duty on and brought in Will Smith which was their first real big situation over here. The company went from just one writer (Will Smith) to now over 100 songwriters on our roster. Is Notting Hill considered a major publishing company or an independent? I would classify Notting Hill as an independent company with a major attitude because we can compete with the big dogs when it comes to signing major talent. For example with The Runners EMI, which is one of the big dogs was trying to sign them, we had to go hard in the paint as far as the negotiations went and our prices were competitive with EMI so we ended up getting them. Is the amount of money you can give the writer the most crucial part when it comes down to securing a new client?
We keep it 100 with them by giving them what they're worth without sugar coating the situation. One of the main advantages to signing with us is that we usually give the writer all their advance money up front so lets say for example your worth half a million a dollars, we will negotiate your deal quickly within a few business days (depending on the lawyers) and we will cut you a check for a half a million. With the major publishing companies they may say 'we don't know what you're going to do if you get all this money up front, you may run off to Brazil or something' so they will only give you half of your money and when you make X amount of records and they actually come out here is another $125,000 and then when you meet the deadline quota they will give you the remaining balance.
Run down your history in the music business up to the point you joined Nottinghill because obviously they saw a value in what you could bring to the table?
At the time I was manager, producer and creator of the whole Adina Howard movement, I wrote 8 out of 12 records on the first album which sold 2 million worldwide. So Nottinghill recognized this and they offered me a publishing deal but I said I would rather do an administrative deal. If I do the publishing deal then they're 50/50 partners with me and we split everything I can generate but with the admin deal they become a collection agency on my behalf and they get paid a percentage for what they recover. So we did the admin deal and since they didn't really know anybody else here in the states they offered me the liaison position with the company. Is it an absolute rule that new writers need to have some commercially released material under their belt before they look to pursue a publishing deal?
With us we're definitely a 'you have to have something out before we do the deal' type of company. For example the guy that did 'A Milli' by Lil Wayne we were like 'your dope but you don't have nothing out' so he went and did the Lil Wayne joint and then we snatched that up. So if you have something that's out in the marketplace or is about to come out and its something that's being talked about in the media circuits and the label can confirm that the record will be released then yes we can do a deal based off of that. It used to be back in the days publishing companies may sign a writer just based off of talent alone but it wouldn't be for a lot of money because they weren't sure what the writer would be able to do. They may say 'here is 75 grand now show me what you can do'. Has the recent downturn in the global economy affected the amount of money Notting Hill is willing to give out? Yes definitely, we have to be more on point as far as who we sign and for how much. Instead of giving the writer 500k we may try to get them for 350k and with these times being jacked up 9 out of 10 times they will go for it. In the real estate market you have the same house that would be valued at 500k a couple of years ago down to 350k today so it's the same concept when it comes to the publishing game so we have to adjust accordingly. In 2008 albums are not selling as they once were so mechanical royalties for the writers are taking a hit, but you also have new revenue sources such as ringtones, digital downloads, etc...how have these changes affected your approach when it comes to making sure your clients claim all available monies owed to them? It's a good thing because it's no longer just limited to the selling of records or the song being played on the radio so it helps offset the lost on the album selling side. With Flo Rida for example he sold around 300,000 copies with that huge record which under normal conditions wouldn't be considered a successful project but with over 5 million ringtones and downloads it helps make up the slack. So you would say that the publishing side is better suited for the future of the music business as it moves on from the selling of albums being the primary source of revenue? Recently they past a law stating that the royalties on the digital side are going up to around 18% which is double the rate of the mechanical royalties so publishers are pretty happy with that because they can justify doing a deal based off the fact that the album may not sell big numbers but the hit song can generate money from a lot of new sources. Prime example of that is we did the 'Don't Cha' record by the Pussycat Dolls which was written by Cee-Lo. We did a one-song deal with him for a crazy amount of money and I was thinking man are we bugging but within two years we made back the investment and actually doubled it mostly through digital downloads and movies. You have movie studios that will pay us 100k for the rights to use the song in a 30 second clip in the movie so it's a nice situation. The biggest deal was with Heineken, they paid over $300,000 to use the song for their commercial so it's a lot of different ways you can get paid once your song is in high demand. The key is to have the hit single off the album because everybody already recognizes it so it's easier to license it for good money but if it's just a song off the album then 9 out of 10 times you're not going to get a call from a Microsoft or Chrysler asking to use the record. Do you find yourself having to reach out for these opportunities or do the corporations usually come knocking at the door asking for permission to use your record? If it's a big record a lot of times they will go on the Internet, Google the song, find out who the publisher is and reach out and see if they can secure the rights to use the song. On the other hand we do have a person on our side that runs the TV and Film division and she will reach out to her contacts in the movie and TV side and pitch the records we have to them for their current projects. So it's a two way street for the most part. Talk some more about the difference between a publishing deal and an admin deal? Let's say I do a deal with you and I give you $200,000 that basically makes us 50/50 partners on any revenue that comes from the songs with us of course first recouping the 200k advance we gave you. I did the Adina Howard project in 1994 and its 2008 and I'm still getting checks, not super big checks but money nonetheless from 14 years ago and that's the best part of the publishing game. You could be down on your luck financially and then one day someone decides to re-do your hit record from 20 years ago and now you go in your mailbox and there is a $50,000 check with your name on it. Now the option which I mentioned before is doing an admin deal with a publisher. This is a deal where you use the publisher to help collect your money from all over the world for a 15% fee so in that case you the writer still maintain full ownership because you're not in partnership with the publishing company. This is a smart move for the cats that don't really need the advance money and have hit records out there and just need some assistance in recovering money made off their songs. When it comes to collecting money owed to you from all different parts of the world most people wouldn't even know where to begin so that's when a admin deal makes sense. For example L.A. and Babyface had over 2 million dollars sitting uncollected overseas and we, being nosey, found the money and told them it's been in hold for 6 years and 4 months and they have less then 8 months to get it because there is a 7 year stature of limitations and after that you lose the money. They weren't even aware of it but we went ahead and collected that money on their behalf. What lies ahead for Livio Harris? Well I'm currently managing 5 recording artists, managing actors, handling the publishing situation and I'm producing TV shows and a few movies as well. We're also about to start a liquor company that will be catered towards the stars, so you know I'm just wearing 15 different hats like my man Russell Simmons does it. What advice would you give to the producers and songwriters out there? My thing is to keep being innovative...I was just on the phone with Brian Kennedy the other day, who would of thought that a person out of Kansas City would go on to produce 'Disturbia' for Rihanna. So its all about pushing the envelope and keeping your sound fresh, don't try to make another 'A Milli'. As far as on the business side if you're in a publishing deal and its about to expire and you think you're wealthy enough to carry yourself, then as a businessman its best to do admin deals or joint venture deals where you start your own publishing company and then come to a Notting Hill and say 'hey we would like you guys to partner up with us'. Take some of that money you've earned as a writer, start your own publishing company and then shop for a joint venture with a bigger publishing company that will help finance your vision. When you first start its cool to do a normal publishing deal because chances are you need that money to allow you some room to breathe and be creative without worrying about the lights going out the next morning. But then as you grow and your pockets get phat take it to the next level and sign writers underneath you....that would be my recommendation. |
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