Inferno Music Group CEO Willie Covington

Inferno Music Group CEO Willie Covington

            Inferno Music Group CEO Willie Covington is one of the most well known music industry players in Southern Florida. Covington takes some of Florida’s best unknown, future mega-stars and grooms them in the business. He, along with his wife Gwen, cover musical genres from gospel to rock. Inferno’s website is http://infernomusic.net/ .

            Covington is no stranger to the music business. He is an accomplished professional drummer and record producer. During the past 33 years, he performed with many major music recording artists like Gladys Knight & The Pips, James Brown, Al Green, Betty Wright, The Ink Spots, The Commodores, Chi-Lites, Roy Ayers, Minister Randy Cotton, and his own R&B band known as Omari. Will recorded with B.B. King during the making of King's 50th Anniversary album; the single on that project, "MY GUITAR SINGS THE BLUES", earned a GRAMMY IN 1985.

            As CEO of Inferno Music Group (IMG), Willie enters into numerous negotiations with artists, managers, studio personnel and distribution entities. His primary goal entering into negotiation deals is to maximize benefits for IMG and protect relationships with the opposite parties. Covington states, “In the music industry, as well as in life, you go in wanting for the deal to be a win-win situation for all involved. Though that’s not always the case, especially in the music business. But more times than not, deals are mutually beneficial for both parties.” When asked about the effect that negative negotiation tactics, letting emotions into the process and bridge burning can bring to the negotiation table, Covington emphatically states, “No one wins if you burn bridges. It’s all about maintaining the bonds that you worked so hard to establish in the first place.” When asked if there is a thin line between relationship maintenance and getting taken advantage of, Willie replies, “Of course it is. But that’s the good thing about relationships, whether business or personal, it’s a give and take. Sometimes you come out with the better deal. Sometimes you leave feeling you got the short end of the stick.”

On the matter of who gets the better deals, new artists or more established artists, Mr. Covington states, “As a new artist, you have to prove yourself, show that you are worth the time and effort a label puts into your growth. You won’t get the same creative credit that an established artist would. Established artists have been through that first deal, and they’ve learned what to look out for, and learned what to bring to the negotiation process. New artists don’t have that ‘game time’ experience, so they are happy just to get a deal.”

 Mr. Covington's latest venture is an Orlando-based gospel music singing competition that gives the winner a recording contract.