LET’S MAKE A DEAL: There are rock...

LET’S MAKE A DEAL: There are rock lawyers--and then there’s Allen Grubman, the powerful New York-based music industry attorney who’s so aggressive that he once followed CBS Records president Walter Yetnikoff all the way into the dentist’s chair to complete a deal. If you’re dying to hear more--check out Susan Adams’ intriguing profile of rock’s 45-year-old king maker in the March issue of American Lawyer magazine, which has been the talk of the industry for the past few weeks. Grubman, who makes $2 million a year and represents everyone from Bruce Springsteen and Madonna to John Cougar Mellencamp and Bon Jovi, emerges as a resourceful deal maker with the rare gift--as David Geffen Co. president Eric Eisner puts it--”for making people feel good about giving him more than they expected to.” A few highlights:

Grubman’s heaviest deal--his Billy Joel contract with CBS, which won Joel guaranteed advances totaling more than $20 million for eight albums, with a 37% royalty on the wholesale record price, a $5-million advance and a hefty interest-free loan.

Grubman’s uncomplicated style: “I’ve never seen the man carry a briefcase,” said MCA’s Irving Azoff. “To this day I don’t think I’ve ever gotten a piece of mail from him. . . . I can give you no proof that the man can read or write.”

Grubman’s unusual fee scale: “I call it instinctive billing,” he says. “At the end of a deal I’ll sit with a client and talk about what the deal is worth.”

Grubman’s subsequent fee-scale negotiations: “I constantly argue with him over money,” said Mellencamp. “It’s like going down to the diamond district.”

Grubman’s conflicts of interest: Grubman’s firm has represented artists and the labels they were negotiating with. Manager Tommy Mottola was one of Grubman’s earliest clients, yet Grubman also represents Mellencamp, Hall & Oates and Carly Simon--all managed by Mottola. “If it’s a conflict of interest by definition,” responds John Oates, “it’s accepted and welcomed by me.”