Inside the Playbook: Mauricio Ruiz on How Jessie Reyez’s First Song Sparked a Label Bidding War

In this clip from The Manager’s Playbook, Mauricio Ruiz breaks down the early days of managing Jessie Reyez and the strategy behind her breakout single, “Figures.”Mauricio shares what made Jessie undeniable from the beginning: her work ethic, voice, authenticity, and the team that helped build the foundation around her. He talks about the role of The Remix Project, Junia-T, Byron Wilson, Dana Meyerson, Spotify relationships, and how “Figures” gained momentum through FADER, Zane Lowe, and New Music Friday.The conversation also gets into the major label bidding war that followed, why the team chose Island Records, and how doing a publishing deal before the label deal helped create leverage.This one is for artists, managers, and young music executives trying to understand artist development, rollout strategy, publishing, record deals, and how to build momentum before signing.Simply put, a conversation like this doesn't come cheap.Want your music everywhere, properly? DistroKid is a straightforward way for independent artists to distribute globally and keep momentum moving. https://distrokid.com/Listen to the full episode here -Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/0EpX71F9JklAmZAEdXsRKA?si=877g60VXRImVmjV0j-ud6AWatch the Episodes On Youtube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@managersplaybookTopics include:Jessie Reyez, Mauricio Ruiz, artist management, “Figures,” Spotify New Music Friday, FADER, Zane Lowe, Island Records, publishing deals, major labels, artist development, Toronto music culture, and The Manager’s Playbook.