Lotte was 16 when she obtained her HAVO diploma and chose the HBO programme Human Resource Management. She found labour law the most interesting and took a minor in it. When she graduated at 20, she felt too young to start working. ‘Because I enjoyed labour law so much, I decided to study Law.’

Initially, Lotte considered becoming a lawyer. ‘At the beginning of my Master’s in Labour Law, I started to have doubts. I had already been working at a law firm for 3 years. But I often found the work negative: you are always solving other people's problems. I found that difficult.’

Football and music

She decided to explore what she really wanted. Her interests are football and music. ‘My sister already worked at Sony Music, so I had an entry point there. I asked my current manager if I could come by for a coffee to hear what he did as a lawyer at Sony Music. That conversation gave me a good insight into legal opportunities outside of law firms. He did very different things than the lawyers at my law firm. That planted the seed: a job as a corporate lawyer suits me better.’

Lotte then had a similar conversation at Ajax. ‘I was working on my thesis on sports law and searched LinkedIn for an Ajax employee with “legal” in their job title. I sent an enthusiastic message and received a positive response. During our pleasant conversation, he offered me an internship in the legal department. It’s great to be able to combine your work with your interests.’

Meeting with artists

During her internship at Ajax, Lotte saw a vacancy at Sony Music. ‘I didn’t expect to get the position. I was still working on my Master’s thesis and had no experience in the music industry. Ultimately, I think the good rapport and my enthusiasm to work here were decisive.’

Lotte has now been working at Sony Music for 2 years. At first, she had to get used to it. ‘In the beginning, it’s quite impressive to see familiar faces and then sit in meetings with big names, but you get used to it quickly. Artists come in weekly, and in the end, they are all ordinary, nice people. Still, I feel privileged to work with them and contribute to their careers in my own way. For example, we recently signed Emma Heesters.’

Negotiation game

Most of Lotte’s work involves contract negotiations. ‘We work closely with so-called A&R’s (Artist & Repertoire), a kind of scouts who look for artists. If an A&R thinks Sony Music can add value to an artist’s career, they come to our department to start the negotiation process.’

Lotte explains that it starts with conversations between the A&R and the artist. Together, they explore what type of deal fits best: does an artist need a lot or little guidance from us? What services are needed? ‘Based on those conversations, the A&R makes an initial estimate of the required budget for things like recording production and marketing. Then other departments come into play to estimate the potential income. If our calculations are positive, we make a proposal. Then the negotiation process begins.’

‘We first negotiate the basic terms. Once we agree on those, we move on to the agreement itself, including all legal aspects. This can take quite a while, as artists often involve a lawyer. We encourage that too.’

There are many examples of artists who signed unfavourable contracts at the start of their careers. ‘Often, they were young and not well guided, discovering later that the terms were unfavourable. In some cases, this eventually led to legal action. We always advise artists to hire a lawyer.’

Celebrating the deal

‘Once the contract is signed, we all toast with champagne to a successful collaboration. I missed that positivity at the law firm. Here, everyone is happy with the deal. From that moment, it goes back to the A&R who further guides the artist.’

Lotte’s work doesn’t end there. Depending on the deal, Sony also provides legal support for the artist. ‘Sometimes there’s a featuring artist on a track. We then negotiate the royalties (the fee) that person receives. If they are with another music label, we contact them to see if it’s okay for their artist to appear on our track and agree on a fee. We constantly switch between various parties, and I really enjoy doing that.’

Staying true to yourself We ask Lotte for tips for students. ‘Try to gain legal experience during your studies. That gave me a good insight into the legal profession and what I do and don’t like. Find something that suits you, so you look forward to going to work every day.’

‘Be proactive, as I did at Ajax and Sony Music. People enjoy talking about their work. For me, that really made the difference. If I hadn’t taken those steps, I would probably have done the lawyer training now.’