Introduction

So to tell you a bit about myself, when I was in my late teens, probably about 16 years old, I started promoting parties in my local neighbourhood of North London. They eventually morphed into illegal warehouse parties, which is a bit of a contrast to what I do now.

Career Development

Slowly, I built my career:

• I got onto pirate radio when Kiss FM in London was a pirate station.
• That became legal, and I started making many records.
• Between then and now, I have probably released 300 plus tracks and remixes, if not more.
• Eventually, I got onto BBC Radio 1, and I began touring as a global DJ.

In terms of performances, I have:

• Performed about 5,000 DJ gigs.
• Set up two labels for Universal Music:
  • Manifesto
  • Serious Records

Both of these dance music labels did well, dare I say it. Additionally, I was a promoter in Ibiza for about 20 years for my own branded club nights, which also did pretty well.

Transition to Law

About 10 years ago, I decided I needed to do something a bit more sensible. I wanted to retain DJing, but also stop doing all the other stuff so that I could become a lawyer.

I qualified as a lawyer and have been working in the field since without going through the tedious qualification process. I specialize as a music lawyer. I dare to say that I am probably the only active artist and music lawyer in the world.

Unique Perspective

This dual perspective gives me a valuable insight into the problems and challenges facing the artistic and creative community, very much from the inside looking out.

Most of what I've talked about and what I will be discussing in this course relates to things I have experienced very personally, both as an artist and as a lawyer.

Having faced some negative experiences gives me a unique perspective, and it makes me take the representation of my clients all the more personally.

Importance of Business Understanding

I believe that understanding business affairs is crucial. I've suffered in the past due to wrong deals, experiencing financial, psychological, and career negative connotations from making poor decisions.

• You could say I am a bit of a soapbox disciple about business affairs issues.
• I take them very seriously because I know the pain involved.

Moreover, I've made plenty of the right decisions, too.

I believe it is essential for successful artists to embrace their roles as business people, not just creatives. Yes, you can delegate business tasks to others, but fundamentally, you must understand what the business is all about.

That's what this course is trying to achieve.