Today we’d like to introduce you to Nick Minniti.
Nick, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
Proper One is an independent music licensing company and boutique publisher founded in 2019. Our aim is to give indie artists a voice in the music industry while providing ease of access and easy clearances for music supervisors. We have reinvented the meaning of a ‘one-stop’ company by guaranteeing peak production value bolstered by a thorough A&R process. Our diverse catalog spans across numerous genres, vocal types, and languages, assuring clients will have a global reach with their product. At Proper One, we treat every artist and client like family because we are a family-owned business with deep roots in the music industry. My career in the industry started at the young age of 15.
While most students were enjoying a multitude of extracurricular activities such as sports or debate, I was starting my own business, a record label to be exact. What started out as burning CDs and selling mixtapes in the parking lot quickly blossomed into a full-fledged production service. By senior year I had a business license, website, and clothing brand, selling creatively designed t-shirts (with the help of some kids in the art department). My trend had evolved into a burning passion and I knew I had to carry this venture into college, along with an inner mantra of ‘Why stop now?’ In college, I enrolled in the music industry program, which was equal parts music education and business curriculum. On campus, I was head of the sales division of Wild Oak Records, the student run record label, and also helped create the school’s first-ever Songwriter’s Guild. Outside of campus, I continued to grow and expand my independent endeavor. I now had ten artists on the label and had rebranded to include multiple genres. The clothing line had also matured. Boasting men’s and women’s fashion, we had developed to offer shirts, hats, hoodies, tank tops, sweat pants, and a variety of merchandise such as stickers and lighters.
Around town, we were known as the crew that would host elaborate house parties with wild performances on hand built stages. Those were good times. By the end of my collegiate years, I took pride in many achievements. A few of those included producing and releasing over ten albums, headlining the Bay Area Arts & Music Festival, and having a six weeks TV run on Comcast On-Demand’s ‘Battle of the Bands.’ I knew at this point it was time to take my experience to the heart of the music scene and in 2012, I moved to Los Angeles. I got my start in Hollywood by interning for a prominent music supervision company. There I learned a lot about the inner workings of a high-profile Hollywood music company, even if my tasks were restricted to taking notes and not screwing up lunch orders. On the creative side, I was exploring more of a solo career, and in 2013 released both a solo album and composed the soundtrack to a video game. That game would go on to be distributed on the Nintendo Wii U and in retail stores across Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.
At this point, I was at a crossroad. Do I pursue a career as an artist? Or do I continue down the path of business and administration? I chose the former. I decided to take some time off to promote my new album and landed an opening gig with hip-hop group Souls of Mischief on their ’93 till Infinity 20 years anniversary tour. Along with booking my own side gigs in between, I took to the road on what I dubbed my Personal Business tour, playing in such cities as San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Las Vegas, to name a few. After things settled down it seemed I was back at the same conundrum. Reflecting on my college years, I had learnt that there are three main ‘pillars’ of income in the music business: touring, merchandise, and licensing. Although I had the time of my life on tour, I learned that life on the road wasn’t for me, nor did I see myself pursuing a career in the fashion industry. Once again, I was left with a choice of a career as an artist or the path of business. This time I chose the latter. I spent the next several years learning about intellectual property rights and working in copyright administration, where I helped such clients as Amazon, Microsoft, and SoundCloud monetize their platforms.
From there, I went on to learn even more about music licensing, publishing administration, and royalty allocation. Working in licensing, I assisted on TV programs such as Gotham, Cloak & Dagger, and Pennyworth. Finally in 2019, I decided that I had gained enough experience and obtained a large enough network over the years to branch off and start my own licensing company. It was time I gave back to my roots by representing the independent artist and entrepreneur. What started as a tiny company with a handful of artists has since erupted. We now rep close to 60 artists and their catalogs and pitch music for sync opportunities in film, TV, advertising, trailers, video games, and new media. I still flex my creative muscle as well and co-write with pop group Bitterpants and hip-hop groups Project Grizzly and Title.Wav. I’m so very grateful to be where I am today, working with such high-level talent and clientele. It’s been a long and arduous journey, filled with dark caverns and glistening treasure, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
Challenges include moving to a new city, overcoming stereotypes, and building something from nothing. Lessons include don’t take business personal, never burn a bridge, and get everything in writing! Looking back, I would say that the road has many obstacles and diversions on the path to your goals but with perseverance and a bit of creativity you can overcome anything in your way!
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
What sets Proper One apart from others is that we operate as a collective and really treat all of our artists and clients like family. We take pride in hosting a very diverse and all-inclusive catalog, encompassing artists from all around the world comprising of many different races, religions, and sexual orientations. We take a team approach to our decision-making and are always transparent with our actions.
What has been the most important lesson you’ve learned along your journey?
Stay consistent with the material or service you provide and persistent in your approach.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: www.properone.net
Image Credits
Logo design by Brandon Redenius
