Keep pulling the thread on Steve Stoute.
In a tense partnership meeting with McDonald's executives that was ultimately unsuccessful, Steve Jobs commented, 'Don't you guys know you make food that kills kids?'
Steve Stoute created the first-ever signature shoe deal for a non-athlete by launching the S. Carter sneaker with Jay-Z for Reebok.
Reebok offered LeBron James a contract matching anticipated offers from competitors, plus an immediate $10 million signing bonus if he agreed to forgo meetings with Nike and Adidas.
While still in high school, LeBron James turned down an immediate $10 million signing bonus from Reebok in order to take meetings with other potential sponsors.
The major record labels negotiated for and received equity in Spotify as part of their initial licensing agreements.
United Masters was founded with the business model of inverting traditional record label economics to ensure artists receive the majority of the revenue and retain ownership of their masters.
BigXthaPlug, an artist on the United Masters platform, has earned over $20 million in the past year while retaining ownership of his work.
Larry Page was the first investor in Steve Stoute's company, United Masters.
The RZA structured the Wu-Tang Clan's record deal to allow individual members to sign solo deals with different labels, a departure from standard group contracts at the time which bound all members to one label.
Joe Budden turned down a deal with Spotify and moved his podcast to Patreon in order to establish a direct financial relationship with his audience.
In terms of market share for new music releases, the independent music sector has surpassed the major labels.
Universal Music Group recently acquired Downtown Records, a company holding a portfolio of independent music assets.