Why You Need A Manager

           The joy of being a professional music artist comes with tons of hard work and credential building. In todays saturated music market the level of competition is enormous. Independent labels sprout like weeds on a summer day as more and more creative individuals embark on the path of musical success. Advances in technology have allowed musicians to create material in the blink of an eye in comparison to decades past. Furthermore, the need to work as a full-time musician has dwindled with the influx of tools to speed up the music creation process. Part-time schedules, typical family life in addition to having another full or part-time job have raised the need for a management team to handle the numerous business affairs of an artist.

            A competent music manager would likely handle multiple duties from business matters, booking agent, promoter, and personal assistant duties to name a few. Couldn’t you use help in these areas? If so then you should hire a manager today! Oh, but I forgot money is tight and there is no way that you could conceivably pay another individual while your barely making ends meet. Well there is no need to get overly excited since most managers are paid on a commission basis. Typically 15% of relevant net income is the commission fee, so a manager would not get paid until you get paid based on your contractual agreement. This alleviates any competing interest and you will know once your manager is contractual bound to your success that when you make money he/she will make money as well.

            As with any entity that you contract to work for you there should be a solid working relationship. You may not love your manager but you should respect the job that they can do for you music career. Another music industry standard for contracts with managers is to have a length of 4 to 12 months. This allows for flexibility especially in the early stages of your relationship with the respective manager/management team.

            Understanding your limitations is a vital part of analyzing your music’s financial potential. Viewing a manager as a part of that success is key. Often in the independent music scene managers are considered leeches. I think after reading WarStation TV’s article you will realize that an effective manager will leech others for your and their benefit. 

Outside Sources:

Greene, L. A. (2006). so you want to be a music manager?. Cosmo Girl, 8(6), 114. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.

Oliver, P. G. (2010). The DIY artist: issues of sustainability within local music scenes. Management Decision, 48(9), 1422-1432. doi:10.1108/00251741011082161

Sutherland, K. (2008). SPIN CITY. BC Business, 36(12), 99-106. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.

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Let Them Work for You - Managing Products and People

One of the core elements of the current music industry’s structure is the decision to go independent or seek out a major label. However, there is a major step that precludes that decision, and that step is deciding on what type of management team to work with. Its inherently understood that many artists go the independent route since it can be affordable and bring back instant monetary feedback. Can independent artists manage themselves? Of course they can but a better question is how successful can an artist be if they are responsible for every aspect of their career.    

Wearing many hats is a positive stance to have when an artist goes the independent route. Mainly since it leaves off an expense that a management team needs to be paid. Regardless, if a management team gets paid up front or if they get paid off of future earnings, their service will rarely be free. Therefore, doing the job of a management team on your own can save an artist in a key expense area. It’s important to note, that a particular artist may understand their creative work more then anyone else, but they may not have the expertise to navigate the economical landscape in the same manner that a management team would. Taking this into account an artist could be losing money in the long term due to their inexperience in the management field.

I find that many independent artists have found success working with small managements teams that offer packages such as silver, gold, and platinum packages. For example the silver package may include basic artist promotion with some exposure to local radio stations. Where as the platinum package may include, regional radio play, a listening booth in Best Buy, college tour inclusion and so on. Understanding your product or services value is important but having the right management team to show the outside world you product/services value is even more important.