By On behalf of ChaseLawyers

Many famous music stars become brands in and of themselves. Take, for example, the popular Latino and Florida native Armando Perez – better known as the rapper Pitbull. Aside from making hits with other worldwide stars such as Jennifer Lopez and Christina Aguilera, the artist has recently taken corporate America by storm, securing multiple endorsement deals with major brands such as Dr. Pepper.

In a recent expose aired on the popular television show “Nightline,” Pitbull provided some insight into his life, highlighting the value of leveraging his popularity into licensing and merchandising deals. For the artist, his work is focused on two major areas – doing business and creating music. The two are certainly not mutually exclusive, as he has clearly leveraged his success in the music arena to build a business empire. Companies appear eager to engage artists like Pitbull for celebrity endorsements as a way to reach a particular segment of the population – in this case, the growing Latino community.

Pitbull also noted how his success maximizing his public persona has helped him privately. For example, the artist is helping to build a new charter school in his hometown of Miami to serve the local community. At this point, he is not even sure what the limits on his potential merchandising opportunities are – a great place in which for any musicians or athletes to find themselves.

Like Pitbull, musicians here in Florida can look to optimize their public image into lucrative licensing opportunities. However, despite the potential, work still needs to be done to ensure that any prospective deal is appropriate. After all, leveraging one’s rights can be as much about the current offer as future potential, so those hoping to boost their profile may want to navigate any endorsement deal offers with the help of experienced counsel.

Source: Huffington Post, “Pitbull Describes Endorsement Empire And Road To Stardom In ‘Nightline’ Interview,” Jonathan Munoz, July 31, 2013

Source: http://www.entertainmentlawyermiami.com/blog/2013/08/entertainer-leverages-music-success-into-endorsement-deals.shtml