Contributor. Mena Mirhom, MD, shares the psychology of success at work.
The dedication to music shows up differently when you transition from being an artist to the head of a company. Andy Mineo is an incredibly accomplished artist who has sold millions of records, is a music producer, and an executive building out his own team. With a career in music that spans over 15 years, he has learned the art and business of the music industry firsthand. He’s navigated the creative process, contract negotiation, distribution, and scaling. We often see, in creative careers, that identity shifts from individual contributor to builder and steward of a larger vision.
Andy’s style blends personal authenticity, openness about his mental health journey, and humor. He is not afraid to take himself lightly, often expressing that through his music and his content creation. This is on full display with his latest highly anticipated album, The And. Andy’s team consistently speak about his creative process and his example as a leader who is empathetic, personal, and attentive to detail, which are traits increasingly recognized as core to effective leadership in modern organizations. Research consistently shows that authenticity is strongly linked to psychological well-being and sustainable performance over time.
The business side of music can sometimes be overlooked when an artist focuses solely on the music itself, rather than the business behind the product. To ignore the business side of creative work in the name of purity of passion is to miss the ability to maximize that artistic expression. This is a common mistake across creative industries, where talent alone is often mistaken for sustainability.
I spent a lot of time with Andy, observing how he speaks with his friends and about his music, and it was evident that it comes from a place of secure identity. Often, as a new entrepreneur, there is a tendency to appeal to the masses to be productive or to sell. Andy was particularly aware of this when it came to how he is defined or what his brand looks like. He rejected one particular label that would box him in or force him to monetize his faith, as he puts it.
Instead, he explains that even as a child, it was difficult to get him to do something unless he was convinced it was the right thing to do. That trait has served him well when thinking about the creative process and the output he wants to produce, being sincere and genuine, not seeking to please an audience, but rather producing work that is the product of his own passion and naturally resonates with listeners. This aligns with self-determination theory, which shows that autonomy and internal motivation are central drivers of creativity and long-term engagement.
“I want to make meaningful art with people I love, without pretending to be something I’m not.”
– Andy Mineo
Ownership is critical
For Andy, he had to understand what many artists take a long time to learn: ownership is vital. This is true in all areas of business, but particularly in the music industry. We’ve seen this play out with artists like Taylor Swift fighting to own her own masters. Ownership ultimately dictates the long-term decisions about the music.
Ownership is how you escape the rat race. If you trade time for money, you’re capped. Time only gets more valuable as you age. Assets multiply your time.Andy Mineo
Without understanding this key principle in any industry, one may find themselves creating a lot, but owning nothing. Whether this is intellectual property or physical property, there is significant value in having a real piece of the pie. Magic Johnson famously recounts being offered his first deal, comparing a large cash-up-front offer with another that offered him less cash but more ownership. He later regretted not taking the equity in a little company called Nike.
Negotiation is as important as the lyrics
Negotiation is always about leverage. In the music industry, this is especially true in an era when anyone can publish their work on YouTube, Spotify, or other public platforms. If you’re able to build your own fan base organically, you create leverage to negotiate your first contract. Without that leverage, every contract will inherently be skewed toward the label that is taking on the risk and providing the capital. Over time, the question becomes whether you are aware enough to renegotiate certain elements of that contract, as Andy explains.
Early on, you don’t have leverage. Labels do. Over time, if you sell records and build demand, you can renegotiate, but only if you understand what you’re actually fighting for.Andy Mineo
In the entertainment industry or any other career, the art of understanding the leverage you have in a negotiation is a skill that must be refined over time. Not every negotiation needs to end in a raise or bonus, but the key to creative negotiation is understanding which elements can be adjusted to create mutual incentives for growth.
Living Below Your Means
Any time there is an opportunity to live a lifestyle beyond our means, there is a temptation to impress strangers with things we cannot afford. Often, the most expensive thing we try to buy is other people’s attention or approval. Andy made a conscious decision early on to be cautious about investing in his business’s growth rather than the next shiny object.
“Only rapper you know live below their means…”
This may not be as flashy on social media, but it is a sustainable principle of career growth. Debt is one of the crushing problems for most Americans today, and the career skill of delaying satisfaction to build out growth over time can be the difference between having a shiny new toy and having a thriving business.
Contracts, Lawyers, And Learning The Business The Hard Way
One of the most consistent themes in Mineo’s career has been the recognition that artistic talent does not translate to business fluency. “Artists know music. They don’t know business. Labels know that,” he noted.
That asymmetry shows up most clearly in contracts. “You can’t just have a lawyer. You need a music business lawyer,” Mineo said.
He is blunt about why confusion persists.
A lot of contracts are intentionally confusing. That’s how people say, ‘Well, you had representation.’ If someone can’t explain a contract to you like you’re in fifth grade, that’s a problem.Andy Mineo
These lessons mirror a broader pattern across entertainment and sports, where early-career deals prioritize access and visibility while quietly limiting long-term autonomy. The cost of not understanding those structures often emerges years later, when leverage finally arrives, but ownership is already gone. Daria Rose, an experienced entertainment attorney in this space explains:
Aspiring artists should understand that a contract isn’t just about the money in front of them — it’s about control, duration, and ownership over their work. In today’s creator economy, artists are brands and IP holders, yet Black and other historically marginalized creators are still often pressured to sign early deals without full transparency. The biggest mistakes happen when artists don’t understand how long rights last or how hard it is to unwind a bad deal later. A good contract should grow with the artist, not trap them before they’ve had the chance to evolve.Daria Rose is an entertainment and media attorney at Paul Hastings and a content creator.
Faith in Business
“I am being held to a higher standard,” he said. When reflecting on how he approaches his work as a businessman, Andy considers not only industry standards but also the higher standard set by his faith.
I’ll tell you about the impossible record on The And: “Forever.” We originally made “Forever” for For Promotional Use Only. That studio session is something I won’t outlive. I cried. I danced. I worshiped.Blaine Taylor, A&R, engineer, and in-house producer/writer Miner League Records
Whether a person is of faith or not, there is incredible value in a leader who leads with integrity and cares for their team in a personal way that goes beyond productivity. Ironically, data show that productivity improves when employees feel valued as people, not just as producers.
Bottom Line
Careers in the creative space require attention to the entire production process to ensure longevity. There is no escaping the business of entertainment, and rather than avoiding it, it is wise to embrace it early as a critical part of the creative process.
