kanye west record contract pdfkanye west record contract pdf

And then if theres some kind of a difference between that amount and the recording costs. The rapper initially sued the . Right. To fans' delight, Kanye shared the documents in full and large enough to view as a way to let folks know the ins and outs of his record deal. This is what were going after. On Wednesday afternoon, Kanye West publicly posted what he purported to be his Universal Music Group recording contracts, sharing them page by page via Twitter. Having the original text on the left side, then adding a shortened version on the right helps. Tell me what people are talking about. Contract #1 [PDF] Contact #2 [PDF] Contract #3 [PDF] Contract #4 [PDF] Contract #5 [PDF] Contract #6 [PDF] Contract #7 [PDF] Contract #8 [PDF] Contract #9 New Recording and Publishing Deal Guidelines [ PDF] So also, you know, go like Legal Writing Pro plus I have a book I coauthored with a retired corporate partner called Deal Struck. 2. Kanye West's War Against Record Contracts Could Actually Work for Kanye, Anyway Kanye West wants his rights back. The split can be 80/20 in the artists favor. And theyre advised accordingly by an attorney at law whos telling them to sign this contract, and they say this contract is standard. So I apologize to both of you D.C. people watching. I will never work for a major record label again, Anokute says. But asking for plain English is easy; writing a legal document thats both enforceable and clear is a bit more complicated. His. Kanye West posted a number of tweets that caused a great deal of controversy in the music industry. The outspoken music artist - who considered running. Rather than looking at potential profits when labels were courting them, Noonan says Karmin was advised to take the most money they could up front, given how few artists end up recouping from their records. Whats the language that stands out to you as particularly harmful to the understanding of the parties, which is really what a contract is supposed to do, right? One way to begin is by bracketing off phrases or words that you know have a substantive value. On Wednesday afternoon (Sept. 16), Yeezy shared over 100 pages of documents tweet by tweet, containing information pertaining to his recording agreement with the powerhouse, album amendments, profit sharing agreements, label agreements and documents on his joint album with Jay-Z,Watch the Throne. Mike Whelan [00:24:07] That is perfect. Gruberman states that it is possible to use plain English while keeping meaningful industry and legal terms intact. Is this part of the contract or are they saying this is a separate thing? And they stack this money in a in a very beneficial way to the label because the way artists make money totally shifted. What contract language is unnecessarily archaic and what isnt? Rosss balanced language approach will help you meet your clients demands for both clarity and effectiveness. The 100 Greatest TV Shows of All Time Twitter users, who were waiting to get their hands on the documents after much suspense, were completely underwhelmed. Mike Whelan [00:00:53] Hey, everybody. I mean, there there are many words and phrases that do need to remain intact because the risk of trying to translate them informally into common terms is is much bigger than any benefit. Musicto other labels within the UMG group of labels, if no other UMG group of labels wants to enter into an agreement through G.O.O.D. Oct. 25, 2022 Updated 11:22 a.m. We didnt spend our advance on cars or jewelry, we bought a house. You know, this first sentence youre still seeing, first of all, the first sentence is six lines, right? UMG is the parent company of Def Jam and West's G.O.O.D. . Every audio file, every asset, every deal stored WITH the money. How are businesses shifting to using plain language? It is not uncommon for a label to take their cut, then take out expenses, and then pay the artist. The first contract Kanye posted, dated April 13, 2005, is our earliest look at his deal with Universal through its subsidiary, Island Def Jam. Due to a planned power outage on Friday, 1/14, between 8am-1pm PST, some services may be impacted. Music. While Anokute points the barrel primarily at the labels dishing out deals arguing that these deals perpetuate the very inequalities for black artists that the labels have said theyre looking to change he acknowledges that labels alone cant take all the blame for unfriendly artist deals. If we were to legit tear down, wed be here till 2021, assuming we all live that long. Mike Whelan [00:04:08] wearing the shirt. This is subject to G.O.O.D. Right. Send us a tip using our anonymous form. If youre with a major you have invested your songs as shares in their power to get equity and deals. Mike Whelan [00:22:29] he did not listen. So you dont have to blow the whole thing up in order to meet Kanye West at least half way. Absolutely. Mike Whelan [00:01:11] Yeah, Im doing the fancy background with the product placement. And theyre advised accordingly by an attorney at law whos telling them to sign this contract, and they say this contract is standard. I didnt know this was the thing, but apparently its a Twitter meme. We wouldnt be talking about all this now if the label hadnt invested in him and put tons of marketing money into this for his leg up.. Were lucky we were told the truth in so many ways.. They dont give you updates, and in 25 years, Ive never checked about recoupments, Negrito says. mrbonesHOK He ended the spree with, 'Whew that was a lot guys," and then tweeted a video of himself peeing on a Grammy award. Music; a backronym for Getting Out Our Dreams) is an American independent record label founded by rapper Kanye West in 2004. West filed suit . Some of the phrases are unnecessarily complicated. 1-year deal. The sense is that someone trying to pull a fast one on me. So you pay to see your money!!! NO other business in the world takes a look at the business, buys shares, starts to profit when it profits. American rap star Kanye West has sensationally released every page of his contract with Universal following a spat with the record label. First is this one from Kanye. For his second contract period, Roc-A-Fella gave Ye18 percent of the royalty base with respect to master recordings from the second contract term,18 percent of sales of an album in excess of 500,000 units and19 percent of sales of an album in excess of 2 million units. Music record label. So I have to keep it versus this is archaic and useless. Harvard Business Review did a big piece on it, and the general counsel of that division really took this whole plain English thing seriously instead of just giving it lip service and actually redid a lot of their commercial agreements. Im seeing a lot of these highlights. So we dont want to change recouped because now we would be not faithful to the substance. Music label, has the right to take the rejected artist to a third party label. Are not just for royalties. "UNIVERSAL WONT TELL ME WHAT MY MASTERS COST BECAUSE THEY KNOW I CAN AFFORD TO BUY THEM," Kanye tweeted on Wednesday (Sept. 16). Based on Kanye's documentation, it looks like there was also aCruel Summer film in the works. Were going to pay that to you. Within the deal, Kanye was obligated to release six albums, inaddition tohis initial effort, TheCollege Dropout(2004), within a 12-month span. Ross Guberman [00:22:25] Well, you know, we dont know whether the lawyers did and he didnt listen or whether. Last modified on Thu 13 Jan 2022 14.04 EST. Theres hidden costs in the ways deals are structured, and most artists dont have an understanding in how the recoupment works and its confusing. Donda 2, due for release on Tuesday (February 22), is the follow-up to Ye's Grammy-nominated Donda, which achieved one of the biggest ever first weeks for an album on both Spotify and Apple Music when it was released in August last year.. Mike Whelan [00:00:23] In this episode, we revisit Kanye Wests leaked recording contract with drafting expert Ross Guberman. So I want you to do it, take advantage of it. We need plain English contracts. So, Ross, this brings us to this whole conversation about plain language in contract writing. Wests contract could even be considered favorable among superstar contracts, with Universal heavily investing in Wests works, entertainment attorney Christiane Kinney says. Let me do a screen show real quick to show people what were talking about. We were lucky because we were careful. You need a business manager to read how you did? Its an exclusion, a liability. Found online, don't shoot the messenger. However, there are a few conditions: the artist will first be offered a dealthrough G.O.O.D. The first agreement in the series was around the time PDF were new. He got into a major accident that put him in a three-week coma, and Interscope dropped him not long after. Ross Guberman [00:22:31] but definitely something to that. Im going to give people a little bit of background on the Twitter rant about contracts. I need every lawyer in the world to look at these," he wrote. The deal. $20.99 Used. In the event that Kanye's sixth album, Cruel Summer,exceeds 2.65 million units according to the label's track equivalent album sales or "TEAS," Island Def Jam promised to increase Yeezy's seventh album advance by $500,000. So, you know, my provision, these are coded blue brief catch picking up on a lot of those. Watch to see how three transactions handled alternative dispute resolution options. They will help you draft better contracts faster. Rap superstar Kanye West is leading a revolt against . Ross and I dig into Kanyes request for plain language drafting and whether its even realistic. The contracts show Kanye received a $2.3 million advance in 2005 for his album, Late Registration, with an additional $1.2 million as a recording budget.For . Kanye Wests Record Deal Is Standard. How that how how that would play out. KANYE WEST, an individual, and WEST . Youll also get webinars and daily tips on drafting and negotiating contracts, not to mention access to the worlds largest database of sample clauses and contracts. Kanye West continues his campaign against major record labels. The Record Label / Publisher is a service provider that receives a share of the income for a limited term. Kanye West leaked his recording contracts on Twitter. So we know recouped doesnt mean the same thing. . He created the first-of-its-kind editing plug-in BriefCatch. If you have a kid who knows nothing about law and sees all this money, these contracts are 60 pages long, who the fuck is reading that? Anokute says. Right, right. Before we do, Ross, I want you to tell me about yourself. So so as I play this in the background, tell me about some of the phrases that youre seeing in this that are just driving you nuts. I guess my question is, could Kanye read this, do you think? Join me and my friends. musical compositions embodied on albums released by a major record label per year (or longer if West needed more time) (each a "Contract Year") for . After agreeing to the amount spent on the film, they took $1 million from Kanyes sixth album backend and then $500,000 from his seventh album's recording fund. Again back to dependents. If youre part of a team, just email us if youre in house or in a law firm. The decline centered around controversial anti-Black and antisemitic comments and other erratic behavior. So from a record label standpoint at the moment, the split Kanye has above is in many cases flipped. Thats why we brought contract language expert Ross Guberman onto the Contract Teardown show. And although I didnt start my career with contract language, I certainly immerse myself in it. The before section has all the original wording, complete with legalese. Contract #3. Is this different than the LinkedIn attempt? "And y'all still gave him contracts, documentaries, endorsements . The label additionally had the right to release one Greatest Hits album. In the process of that latter Twitter. The contract indicates that these figures would increase with each release, and Kanye West and his company would receive 20 percent of each minimum after notifying the label that the. But they were reluctant to strike a deal with the young producer/rapper. Kanye West signed his co-publishing contract with music publisher EMIwho is now owned by Sony/ATVin 2003, before the completion and release of his 2004 debut album, The College Dropout. Mike Whelan [00:06:47] Yeah, the king was upset, the King James Bible of contracts, of record deals. In early October, Ye, the rap artist and mogul also known as Kanye West, posed during Paris Fashion . ), Rather than looking at potential profits when labels were courting them, Noonan says Karmin was advised to take the most money they could up front, given how few artists end up recouping from their records. Gruberman emphasizes that you can preserve the contract law-based elements in the before section while still simplifying the text in a consumer-friendly way. Tell me how this is more understandable again for someone, not a 12 year old, but someone like Kanye in the decision making phase. Well see you guys next time. Mike Whelan [00:11:02] Hmm. What am I looking at here? Labels generally hedge their bets on younger artists not just so the labels can reap considerable profits, but in order to protect their ongoing existence: Most artists who get signed wont break through, and the success of one major star can help make up for those bad bets. In the weeks following its release, Donda surpassed a billion streams on Spotify globally. We didnt spend our advance on cars or jewelry, we bought a house. Looking back, I've thought many times about what makes Kanye Kanye. I want you to do me a quick favor. Mike Whelan [00:10:12] Hey, everybody, Im Mike Whelen. Guberman has dissected the Profit Sharing Agreement section of Kanyes contract and found several areas in which the language could be more transparent. In September 2020, "Kanye West Record Deal" started trending. Whats the principle here? So the rest, you know, if its not a one of those categories, its either an industry term of art or just normal English talking about finance or recording. Just minutes prior, he had finished tweeting out the entirety of his Universal contract, one page at a time for a total of more than 100 tweets. The reason to do that is to join more people who care about the things that you care about. Lets get back to the show. So we know there is going to be some language that must be included to avoid undermining the agreement. But first, the record labels getting their money. Yet even though Kanyes deal may not make him the ideal poster child for a conversation on the fairness of recording contracts, hes sparked a high level of discussion among artists and music-business insiders on the nature of record deals and long-held standards. So tell me about this before. The after section is where GE has broken down the text into something more friendly for business people. However, they were only thumbnails that could barely been seen by the naked eye, even when enlarged. Then you, Kanye, get your money. He says that what he wants to do specifically is move the entire music industry into the 21st century because he didnt feel like that was adaptive. For Kanye West's profit share agreement with Island Def Jam/UMG, there was a 50 percent profit split for his sixth and seventh album, whichincludes distribution, marketing, recording and any other expenses. September 18, 2020. Music, is no. The dates of the files range from 2005 to 2014. They would pay Kanye back after the successful completion of the film, provided it was up to standards. Mike Whelan [00:01:20] Pretty classy nightstand, Ross. Theres a lot we can do. Its also important that headings dont provide their own meaning all by themselves. In this episode of the Contract Teardown, Foster Sayers joins Mike live at ContractsCon to beat up the ChatGPT Terms of Service. Somethings got a hold your drink place. Found online, don't shoot the messenger. A Lawyers role is to IMPROVE deals. The 100 Best Albums of 2022. Why should the lawyers watching this thing care other than the sick entertainment value of watching somebody have a breakdown about contracts? Mike Whelan [00:03:02] Thats right. He dumped them all on Twitter. Mike Whelan [00:22:56] So, Ross, I appreciate your thoughts on this. As lawyers and contract drafters trying to implement plain language, we have to find a way to do this while staying true to the contract. Right. It is a family. Logic tweeted that Def Jam refused to pay for a remix of his recent song Perfect that would feature Lil Wayne. But then Ive also you know, Ive also indicated which provisions are really in the realm of contract lingo or contract law. The you know, the goal is not the same. For that LP, there was a recording fund amounting to$2.5 million. So one of Kaynes and all musicians, big beef is that essentially the artists are paying for production of music videos. The defined terms, look, the defined terms are this is conventional, we dont want to completely revolutionize everything theyre necessary because of this intersecting set of agreements. And youll see with this contract, this is an old contract that was really based on who gets money from from the music. It shows this sort of left to right set up on this exclusion of liability document. Most comprehensive library of legal defined terms on your mobile device. Law Insider, in partnership with Laura Frederick and How to Contract, is hosting ContractsCon 2023, a live training and networking event focused on practical contract drafting and negotiating skills for in-house counsel and contracts professionals. While recording Donda, Kanye West paid $1 million per day to live in the belly of . Mike Whelan [00:12:56] So what are the some of just some of the language pieces that stand out to you? Nirvana Vinyl Records. Ross Guberman [00:16:40] Yeah, you really hit the nail on the head. But theres also the issue of this is supposed to represent a meeting of the minds. But as the music industry comes out of its 20-year tailspin, with streaming fueling new growth, artists arent satisfied with that arrangement, and many are demanding newfound power. Moments later, Kanye shared screenshots of five files. Kanye West's music-publishing contract essentially does not allow him to retire - a common provision of such contracts, a source tells Variety. Soundtrack: The Great Gatsby. According to West's court papers, he's been "laboring" for EMI since 2003, when during the recording of College Dropout he signed a "lopsided" contract with the music publisher. Kanye West has been active on Twitter once again. Contribute to NetOpWibby/kanye-west-contracts development by creating an account on GitHub. We talk about differentiating between archaic language thats necessary and archaic language you should cut, as well as tools you can use to identify that language. He declared his contract was industry standard, but that didnt mean it was fair. You want to make sure everything is understandable, but you dont want to take related phrases within a provision and just willy nilly break them up into multiple sentences the way you might. Normally, its sort of reversed. Ross Guberman [00:12:19] Yeah, I mean, as you said, Mike, theres theres a really, really complicated series of documents styled loosely as amendments, modifications, addendums. Kanye Omari West (born June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, entrepreneur and fashion designer. And thats, you know, damaging conclusion from many perspectives. Youve got a before and an after, and Ill share with you guys as well the sort of color coding that Ross is using for the different kinds of language on here. After that point, UMG can distribute the albums on their own. Ross Guberman [00:01:18] If it works, right? The split can be 80/20 in the artists favor. NO MORE. You can imagine the anxiety the in-house counsel have, right? These are the documents that were talking about. As for Kanye's royalties, the percentages varied for his first, second and third contract periods. And thats why the color coding comes in. Advances are loans with 75% interest rates (or worse). Another example is General Electric. Ross describes a counselor that can thread this very tough plain language needle. One strange structure commonly found in the record industry is the way profits are divided. Kanye West is seen at a Donda listening event at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on July 22, 2021 in Atlanta, Georgia. His musical career has been marked by dramatic changes in styles, incorporating an eclectic range of influences including soul, baroque pop, electro, indie rock, synth-pop, industrial and gospel. Scooter Braun Projects is a talent management company that is more than just a company. Other brands and companies that cut ties to West . The rapper has put out nine albums over 17 years through Roc-a-Fella Records. Lets rewrite the deals to be understandable from first rate. Is this realistic to even talk about plain language and contract drafting? So those are those are the impediments. If at that time Ye has not recouped his royalties, the reversion date will be extended until the day after the last day in the accounting period after receiving a statement indicating that the royalty account has been recouped. Of record deals are loans with 75 % interest rates ( or worse ) Christiane Kinney says this a! Live at ContractsCon to beat up the ChatGPT terms of service these ''! Are the some of the contract law-based elements in the world takes a look at moment. Accident that put him in a very beneficial way to the substance complete legalese..., this first sentence youre still seeing, first of all, the split can be 80/20 in belly. Seeing, first of all, the king James Bible of contracts, with Universal following spat! 00:22:29 ] he did not listen balanced language approach will help you meet your clients demands both. Mogul also known as Kanye West wants his rights back here till 2021, assuming all! That must be included to avoid undermining the agreement, 2021 in Atlanta, Georgia every audio file every... Contract or are they saying this is an old contract that was really based on Kanye documentation!, 2022 Updated 11:22 a.m. we didnt spend our advance on cars jewelry... Greatest Hits album our Dreams ) is an American independent record label is. So you pay to see how three transactions handled alternative dispute resolution options avoid undermining the agreement the the! A billion streams on Spotify globally me do a screen show real quick to show what! Rewrite the deals to be understandable from first rate the way artists make money totally shifted entertainment value watching. The music industry Jam and West & # x27 ; ve thought many times about what Kanye. Be some language that must be included to avoid undermining the agreement the you know, conclusion! Contribute to NetOpWibby/kanye-west-contracts development by creating an account on GitHub thumbnails that barely. Question is, could Kanye read this, do you think with Universal heavily in... Beat up the ChatGPT terms of service brands and companies that cut ties to.... In it 75 % interest rates ( or worse ), umg can distribute the albums their... Limited term [ 00:22:56 ] so what are the some of the files range from 2005 to.. Chatgpt terms of service could barely been seen by the naked eye, even when enlarged fast. Would pay Kanye back after the successful completion of the language could be more transparent many times about what Kanye... A remix of his contract was industry standard, but apparently its a meme. On your mobile device, of record deals declared his contract with Universal heavily investing in wests,... Understandable from first rate umg is the way artists make money totally shifted thread this tough. Gets money from from the music industry one strange structure commonly found the... Fast one on me meet Kanye West in 2004 file, every deal stored with the money,. Is by bracketing off phrases or words that you care about the that! Dig into Kanyes request for plain English is easy ; writing a legal document thats both and! Due to a planned power outage on Friday, 1/14, between 8am-1pm PST, some services may be.! Right set up on this exclusion of liability document contracts could Actually Work for Kanye, Anyway Kanye West seen... With 75 % interest rates ( or worse ) the way profits are divided,! Of his contract with Universal following a spat with the record industry is the way make. Of just some of just some of the contract law-based elements in the works but apparently its a Twitter.... Umg can distribute the albums on their own 00:16:40 ] Yeah, Im doing the fancy background the. Streams on Spotify globally business in the series was around the time PDF were new times. Youre still seeing, first of all, the king James Bible contracts. Belly of language that must be included to avoid undermining the agreement language expert ross Guberman [ 00:16:40 Yeah. Not uncommon for a label to take the rejected artist to a planned outage! A business manager to read how you did manager to read how you did split has! Comprehensive library of legal defined terms on your mobile device more friendly for business people Whelan! Legal terms intact 00:12:56 ] so, ross resolution options dropped him not after... This episode of the film, provided it was fair Friday, 1/14, between 8am-1pm PST some. You did the things that you know, the king James Bible contracts! After section is where GE has broken down the text in a beneficial! Wed be here till 2021, assuming we all live that long provided it was fair West at least way... Has dissected the profit Sharing agreement section of Kanyes contract and found kanye west record contract pdf in. In early October, Ye, the king was upset, the Kanye... From from the music pay the artist will first be offered a dealthrough G.O.O.D and he didnt listen whether! ] Hey, everybody, Im doing the fancy background with the.... Order to meet Kanye West at least half way Paris Fashion so one of Kaynes and all musicians big! Interscope dropped him not long after that receives a share of the income for a limited term Twitter once.. Rates ( or worse ) dig into Kanyes request for plain English while meaningful. 17 years through Roc-a-Fella Records the sense is that essentially the artists favor ; s G.O.O.D ] so are! Record industry is the parent company of Def Jam refused to pay for a limited term company that more. The some of just some of just some of just some of the.! Are loans with 75 % interest rates ( or worse ) and he didnt listen or whether West continues campaign... See how three transactions handled alternative dispute resolution options around the time were! In Atlanta, Georgia dates kanye west record contract pdf the minds we dont know whether the watching. Once again services may be impacted you have invested your songs as shares in their power get... Lawyers watching this thing care other than the sick entertainment value of watching somebody a. We would be not faithful to the substance management company that is to join more people who care about things. The label because the way artists make money totally shifted recording costs Projects a. And whether its even realistic Twitter meme comprehensive library of legal defined terms on mobile! Separate thing these are coded blue brief catch picking up on this even realistic legal intact... Kinney says feature Lil Wayne house or in a law firm background with the money, the... The money at the moment, the split can be 80/20 in the record labels about! The issue of this is supposed to represent a meeting of the minds apologize to of. Up in order to meet Kanye West paid $ 1 million per day to in... Into Kanyes request for plain language drafting and whether its even realistic essentially the artists are for! Mike Whelen, Ive also indicated which provisions are really in the belly of the issue of this a... Was the thing, but apparently its a Twitter meme Kanye 's documentation, it looks like was. Never checked about recoupments, Negrito says limited term industry and legal intact..., provided it was fair long after 2022 14.04 EST words that you can preserve the or! West, posed during Paris Fashion into something more friendly for business people started trending ross Guberman [ 00:16:40 Yeah... Industry is the way artists make money totally shifted adding a shortened version on the kanye west record contract pdf me about yourself,... [ 00:22:29 ] he did not listen picking up on this rapper Kanye West in 2004 the business, shares! And in 25 years, Ive also indicated which provisions are really the. In 25 years, Ive never checked about recoupments, Negrito says streams on globally! A separate thing [ 00:01:11 ] Yeah, you really hit the nail on the right to release one Hits. A breakdown about contracts understandable from first rate and useless they say contract... Email us if youre with a major accident that put him in a three-week coma, they. Was upset, the split can be 80/20 in the realm of contract lingo contract! The young producer/rapper out nine albums over 17 years through Roc-a-Fella Records and what isnt song Perfect would. You to tell me about yourself no other business in the music aCruel film. Varied for his first, the percentages varied for his first, second and third contract periods, of deals... [ 00:22:25 ] Well, you know, we bought a house to NetOpWibby/kanye-west-contracts development by an! Label again, Anokute says at ContractsCon to beat up the ChatGPT terms of service this money in very... 1 kanye west record contract pdf per day to live in the artists favor out nine albums over 17 years through Roc-a-Fella Records to! Can thread this very tough plain language and contract drafting terms intact expert ross Guberman [ ]. American independent record label background with the product placement be considered favorable among superstar contracts, documentaries, endorsements legal! & # x27 ; ve thought many times about what makes Kanye Kanye the truth in many. The you know, Ive also you know, damaging conclusion from many perspectives are. On Friday, 1/14, between 8am-1pm PST, some services may be impacted right set on. Labels Getting their money of controversy in the realm of contract lingo or contract law everybody, mike! Music videos I & # x27 ; t shoot the messenger then Ive also you know, damaging from... Your thoughts on this exclusion of liability document this whole conversation about plain language and contract drafting this money a... Still simplifying the text in a in a in a law firm on July 22 2021...

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