Today we’d like to introduce you to Kamal Moo.
Kamal, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
Ever since I was in high school, I wanted to be in the music business. Fortunately, I was accepted into USC’s Music Industry program and, while there, I interned at many record labels and music publishers. I then attended Southwestern Law school where my studies focused mainly on entertainment courses.
I passed the California bar exam in 2006 and was a full-fledged attorney. Then, something surprising happened: my brother’s two-man rock band was offered a record deal with an established label here in LA. They were in need of a manager and that role became my first real “break” in the music business. From 2007 to 2010, I was a full-time music manager who worked with various types of clients ranging from rock to hip hop. In 2010, my brother’s band broke up so I decided to stop managing full-time and I launched my law practice, then called Johnson & Moo. In 2013, Johnson decided to retire from the law, and I started my solo practice, the Law Offices of Kamal Moo.
I’ve worked with a variety of musicians and labels, but my primary client is Janet Jackson, who I began representing in mid-2018. That was a dream come true for me since I had been a longtime Janet fan. Nowadays, I’m working on very high-level deals for her and other clients. But, I’m always looking to work with fresh new talent who need some guidance navigating music agreements.
Has it been a smooth road?
It hasn’t always been smooth. When my brother’s band broke up in 2010, I wasn’t sure what I was going to do with my life. Managing that band generated the bulk of my income, plus managing had worn me down. As a result, the decision to start my first law practice was as much a necessity as it was a choice.
Alright – so let’s talk business. What else should we know about you and your career so far?
Mainly my duties include reviewing, drafting, and negotiating entertainment agreements with an emphasis on music contracts. Many times I’ll have a potential client contact me and ask me to explain what a contract says in plain English. Other times, I’ll represent them in the actual negotiations and try to get them the best deal possible.
As I previously mentioned, my main client is Janet Jackson, and it’s such a surreal experience to be working with such a cultural icon. I feel that all my hard work and experience has led to me to this point and I hope is to keep building my client list and have the opportunity to work with other artists I admire.
I think the main thing that sets me apart from most other music/entertainment attorneys is my background as an artist manager. Many attorneys close a deal and then their role is mostly finished. As a manager, I would close a deal for a client and then had to live with the terms on a day-to-day basis afterwards. So I became very familiar with things that work in an agreement and things that don’t. As a result, I try to approach contract negotiations from a real-world, practical standpoint.
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
The entertainment industry is in a profound state of change. The obvious difference is that media is now readily available to almost anyone. When I was young, if you wanted to hear a particular artist, you needed to go buy their CD or cassette at the local music store. Now, anyone with a Spotify or Apple Music account has instant access to millions of tracks simply by tapping a few keys. That of course has shifted the nature of the industry and how revenues are generated. The same is basically true about the movie business. And, it’s clear that as technology continues to advance, that more big changes are on the horizon.
Contact Info:
- Address: 6230 Wilshire Blvd. #1795
Los Angeles, CA 90048 - Website: www.johnson-moo.com
- Phone: 424-235-4798
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