Confidence in a disaster. – Music Enterprise Worldwide
Andy Saunders has seen the music business at its messiest.
As founding father of Velocity Communications – celebrating its twenty fifth anniversary this 12 months – he’s spent many years constructing tales and shaping methods for a few of music’s most distinguished corporations. However there’s one other aspect to his work that not often will get mentioned over well mannered business lunches: disaster administration for artists whose worlds have all of a sudden imploded.
“My first query is at all times, ‘Did you do it?’” Saunders tells MBW. “I’ve to be 100% assured they’re telling me the reality. As a result of when you don’t inform me the reality, I can’t provide help to.”
It’s a stark opening to our dialog, nevertheless it will get to the guts of what Saunders does when he’s not selling the newest signing or business deal. He’s on pace dial for artists (and their reps) when accusations floor on social media, when tabloids come knocking, or when a second of poor judgment threatens to derail all the pieces they’ve constructed.
Saunders’ ‘reputational administration’ shoppers fall into two distinct classes: (i) those that’ve been falsely accused of misdeeds and want their reputations defended, and (ii) those that’ve genuinely transgressed and need assistance navigating the ensuing fallout.
As you’d count on, this sees Saunders wade into difficult territory. But he’s steadfast about his ethical boundaries. “I by no means wished to be Max Clifford; I don’t defend the indefensible,” he says. “In case you’re a racist, a rapist, or an abuser, I don’t need to know you, not to mention work with you.”
With typical straightforwardness, he provides: “You’ll be able to’t come again from one thing unforgivable that harms one other individual. You can come again from being a fucking fool.”
Beneath, Saunders discusses the ethical strains he gained’t cross, the methods that truly work in disaster conditions, and why social media has basically modified the sport for anybody within the public eye…
You’re employed with artists accused of significant issues, however you say there are strict ethical limits to the circumstances you tackle. What are these limits?
I’m very clear on this: I don’t defend racists, I don’t defend rapists, and I don’t defend abusers. I might take the lawyer/solicitor view – ‘everyone deserves a protection’. However I’d be mendacity to myself. Some individuals, some actions, are indefensible.
My position is to mitigate conditions for individuals who have made real errors, or who’ve been falsely accused. I’m right here to work with artists to articulate an apology if wanted. And I’m right here to assist them navigate the unhealthy actors within the media who want to exploit their fame – their ‘fall from grace’ – for clicks.
I’ve turned down far more of this work than I’ve taken on. Why? As a result of I’ve bought a spouse and daughter, as a result of I’ve bought a various group of mates, and since I wish to assume I’m an affordable, first rate human being.
What offers you the arrogance that an artist is being falsely accused – that they’re not mendacity to you?
First, I look them within the eye and say: ‘Did you do it?’ And even when they then say no, I ask: ‘What have been the circumstances behind this even turning into an accusation?’
If, on the finish of that dialog, their story appears credible, I start a technique of proof constructing. That may be so simple as web analysis or as advanced as working carefully with legal professionals and personal detectives.
One of the crucial severe circumstances I ever took on was a rock band who have been accused, by way of an nameless social media account, of assaulting one in all their followers. This account principally mentioned: ‘They assaulted my good friend at this explicit resort on this explicit city.’ However having performed analysis in tandem with the band’s administration, we concluded it couldn’t be true.
In the meantime, the [accusatory] tweet was getting amplified, and the band’s profession was all of a sudden in free fall. Cowl shoots have been drying up, gigs have been being cancelled and other people have been piling in on social media with feedback like “I at all times thought they appeared like mistaken ‘uns”.
We have been finally capable of determine the individual behind the nameless account, and so they agreed to publish a public apology, having confirmed the data they obtained was incorrect. The band then requested their followers to not bully this individual, accepted the apology, and everybody moved on.
It blew over, inflicting speedy however restricted harm. However it’s not an exaggeration to say that if it wasn’t handled rapidly, it might have destroyed careers and lives.
Nameless accusations on-line are a uniquely fashionable challenge: anybody can publicly accuse anybody of something by way of social media whereas masking their id.
Social media has made individuals lonelier than ever. After we work together with different individuals via our units greater than we do in actual life, actuality can turn out to be a bit blurred. We’re definitely seeing that with AI and ‘deepfakes’ now.
Social media permits you to simply ‘different’ individuals, to deal with them as commodities or one-dimensional beings. It’s additionally gamified outrage in a means that may incentivise individuals to stretch the reality – or overlook it completely.
Individuals who lack company and energy in their very own lives can see it as a means of attracting consideration or being within the highlight. It makes them really feel like they’ve affect.
What about when artists have carried out one thing mistaken? One pop star you labored with a number of years again broke Covid guidelines, which rapidly grew to become tabloid fodder.
Reassurance is an enormous a part of what I do, taking the warmth out of the state of affairs. When somebody is in the course of a reputational disaster, it’s normally the worst day of their life. It’s straightforward to lose perspective when all that’s going via your thoughts is: ‘What the fuck am I gonna do?!’
My job is to place a metaphorical arm round their shoulder and say, ‘You’re not the primary individual this has occurred to, and also you’re unlikely to be the final. Let’s not enable emotion get in the best way of pragmatism.’
“I at all times inform shoppers who’re in that preliminary panic mode that shouting ‘it’s not honest!’ will not be a method.”
After that, the answer may be so simple as issuing a press release: ‘I shouldn’t have carried out this; I apologize.’ And which means it!
Within the Covid artist story you’re speaking about, the transgression – severe although it was – was being made out by sure media retailers to be the top of the world, when anybody with half a mind might see that wasn’t the case. As soon as everybody understood the dynamics of that, our technique fell into place.
I at all times inform shoppers once they’re in that preliminary panic mode that shouting, ‘It’s not honest!’ will not be a method. It’s a must to work out what you could talk and who you could talk it to, after which execute.
Is it true that you simply’re working with Kneecap – the Irish band who’ve attracted media criticism for his or her pro-Palestine statements, in addition to some troubling public feedback made in years passed by?
I do know it’s boring, however I gained’t affirm or deny working with any shoppers. I’ll say this about Kneecap: I’m happy to see they’ve held their fingers up, and overtly remorse, a number of the silly – probably unlawful – issues they’ve mentioned previously. On the similar time, I’m happy to see they’ve doubled down on the political viewpoints they basically consider in.
These are two separate points that have been at risk of turning into conflated within the narrative.
It doesn’t matter when you strongly disagree or strongly agree with Kneecap’s political statements. Artists have at all times had the liberty to say uncomfortable issues, and I assist each artist’s proper to take action. I additionally assist everybody’s proper to problem these statements.
“Artists have freedom to say uncomfortable issues. I assist their proper to take action.”
We’re a poorer society after we begin clamping down on freedom of expression from any political ‘aspect’. ‘Cancellation’ in that means is pure cultural cowardice.
I bear in mind being upset about Morrissey [writing about and using imagery connected to] Myra Hindley. However I nonetheless assist his proper to do it. If we begin cancelling artists for expressing themselves, particularly once they’re saying issues we don’t like, the place does it cease?
You talked about working carefully with legal professionals on these circumstances. How does that play out?
Typically the legal professionals really deliver the circumstances my means, particularly if there’s potential media blowback.
I’m at all times snug getting referrals from legal professionals that I’ve numerous respect for, and who take the identical method to issues that I do. Russells is a superb instance of that, and I notably like working with their litigation specialists Steven Tregear, Dan Hoyle and Eliot Leggo.
Working with legal professionals can result in actually attention-grabbing philosophical conversations about why we’re doing it, what we’re doing it for, and what we’re hoping to
obtain. Typically I assist them soften the litigation edges, and so they give me a a lot clearer framework through which to function. In sure circumstances, the communications ingredient – the general public message – turns into simply as vital because the courtroom filings.
I’m an artist falsely accused of one thing – or in scorching water over a mistake. What are the primary three belongings you’d advise?
1) Inform me all the pieces. Why would this individual even assume of accusing you? It gained’t go outdoors this dialog; you’ll be able to NDA me if you would like. However I’ve to know all the pieces, as a result of with out all of the info on the desk, there’s no path to correctly figuring a means out of this.
2) Don’t remark. Don’t reply. Don’t publish. Don’t do something till we determine the plan. I do know each fibre of your being needs to publish on social media ‘I DIDN’T DO THIS!’ however when you do, you would fan the flames, particularly if it’s turning into a nationwide or worldwide media story.
3) Do you could apologise? In case you do, don’t faux it. I’m not going to simply provide you with a template ‘Yeah, sorry about this’ assertion. First, you’re going to understand why you could apologise. Then you definately’re going to inform me why you’re apologising, in genuine language – and what you’ve realized from this expertise. Then we go from there.
When executives fall from grace
Whereas a lot of Andy Saunders’ disaster work includes artists, he’s equally skilled in managing reputations for music business executives who discover themselves in scorching water. The dynamics, he says, are basically totally different from artist circumstances.
“With executives, the very first thing it’s important to perceive is the company actuality,” Saunders explains. “Artists can’t actually get ‘fired’ – executives can.”
He provides: “I had one notably high-profile exec case previously few years, a basic ‘my life’s ended, what am I going to do?’ state of affairs. I needed to inform him, ‘There’s no means your organization permits you to survive in your job after this. Sure, you haven’t harmed anybody. However you’ve been silly, and your employer gained’t defend you in any respect prices.’
The technique then shifts from harm limitation to planning for the long run, says Saunders. “As soon as they’ve accepted the truth, which isn’t at all times immediate, you’ll be able to have a extra trustworthy dialog about how they will come again from it – and the way lengthy that’s going to take.”
Working with American legal professionals on government circumstances brings further complexity, notably in what Saunders calls “adversarial conditions” between US rivals or former companions.
“Once I’ve labored with music business professionals who’ve discovered themselves in a legally adversarial state of affairs with an organization, it’s actually vital that they’ve a story that may play properly with the choose and/or jury,” he says.
“Typically, within the US particularly, one of the best ways to push that narrative into the broader world is definitely via courtroom filings. There are particular circumstances the place, when you get the messaging proper, courtroom filings may be one of the best ‘press launch’ you would hope for.”
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