Conflict Resolution and How It Relates To The Music Business

Conflicts are a large part of any successful business. In the music industry, conflicts can make or break many different aspects of how and why a project can be, or is considered a success. Learning to manage these different types of less than favorable situations can greatly improve working relationships within the business as well as pre-negotiate many aspects of up and coming agreements.

Not long ago, the project with which I travel had a major conflict with the booking and management agent for the group. Frustrated over tour routing and percentages, the entire group was ready to walk if the conflict didn’t get resolved in a timely manner. Luckily, the performers and tour management were professional enough to have a very “Civil” meeting with the booking agent and owner of the project and calmly discussed each of the frustrations, in effort to resolve the situations.

Ultimately the group got a great education on what could be done, contractually, and then based on the issues, were included in the decision making processes, also creating a great means to permanent solution(s). The group still retains the same management and booking, however, the routing, percentages paid to the agent, and performer compensation has all been addressed to mutually benefit the entire project.

The booking agent, hindered the situation by trying to exude power and authority, but was then reminded he worked for the project, not the other way around. Internally, the situation was resolved two separate ways. 1) By granting power and also accommodating the project, and 2) by using the collaborative approach and including the entire group in the decision making process.

Similarities and differences in styles both help and hurt the negotiation process. The agent, in an effort to retain 100% of the exaggerated commissions that the group had originally agreed to, tried to display power over the finances of the group, but still not addressing the issue of not having a group to book and promote at all. This didn’t help the situation and also prompting the group to look elsewhere for booking and contract management.

On the internal side, the owner, being understanding and willing to put his own personal goals on hold, was able to manage the conflict very professionally, and still be able to retain the controlling power of the entire group and command over the booking agency.

Some of the greatest tools a group has to offer is its’ intelligence:

The overall positive outcomes of the conflict resolution approach, to the group frustration and management negotiations were handled through a series of A) Compromise, B) Integrative agreements, and C) Structural Improvements within the corporate structure.

Specific examples of these would be 1) The agent not booking shows if the routing doesn’t make sense; and working harder to find shows between cities when the drives are long. 2) Agreeing to add seats in the vehicle to make the performers more comfortable, in conjunction with a trailer to tow the performance gear. And 3) improving the group’s salaries, based on the growth schedule of the project and performance compensations, while lowering the agent’s commissions overall and penalizing him, financially, for bad booking decisions.

The solutions are short-term, with long-term affects; meaning, the group is comfortable for the upcoming bad routing, but, understanding in the fact that overall the entire situation will improve and be better for years to come.

Stories such as this one, can offer a conflict, negotiation and resolution strategy without having to be in the middle of a disagreement. Studying different cases and historical events will also give the researching group or manager the ability to learn and understand how to better approach and (or) resolve serious situations before they become very serious.