This is a guest post by Christine Infanger from Thirty Roses. Want to write for this site? Find out more here.
No matter your taste, everyone likes music. Perhaps some are more passionate about it than others, but everyone has a favorite song; a song which they relate to more than any other.
Music is a powerful, almost mythical force. And, while you often read and hear about the amazing talent of the men and women responsible for the sounds that mean so much to us all, we seldom hear about the people who make it possible for us to hear them; their managers.
It may sound like more than a slight exaggeration to say that without managers, we would never hear music. But if you know anything at all about how the music industry works, you know this isn’t much of a misstatement.
The one thing everyone in the music industry agrees on is this: Management is everything.
Good management will allow a talented artist to realize their fullest potential and make sure the public becomes equally aware of it. They allow room for creative development, rebirth, and career longevity in an industry that is fickle on its best day.
Shirley Bassey Reborn Thanks To New Management
While no one would dispute the storied career of Dame Shirley Bassey, I highly doubt anyone anticipated her remarkable 2009 comeback.
After having been away from recording and performance for a number of years, Dame Shirley blew everyone away with her 2007 Glastonbury Festival performance. It was after this that former PR guru turned manager Paul Carey approached her with a concept for a new album. Not only had Mr. Carey been in touch with a number of top contemporary artists regarding writing tracks for the record, he had a plan for the entire project: from the album itself, to the marketing, promotion, and tour.
This is an prime example of two key traits any manager must have; foresight and organizational skills.
Mr. Carey thought out every aspect of the project before a note had been sung, and that played a huge role in its overall success.
As relaxed and whimsical as performers look on stage, a lot of difficult business goes into getting them to that point. This is why managers are so important.
While artists are establishing their careers, it isn’t uncommon for a band member or close friend to take on the management duties. While this is fine, in theory, there are a few things that are very important to keep in mind.
Being a manager is quite a lot like being a parent in that you assume many different titles and roles simultaneously, and are seldom fully acknowledged and appreciated.
When a band becomes really successful, you’ll have a bigger budget to work with and can delegate responsibilities to others to assist you. In the early stages, most of the work will lie with one or possibly two people.
For this reason, be certain that your manager possesses a few key qualities.
Key Qualities That A Music Manager Should Have
Here are some key qualities that your manager should have:
Your manager will prove to be the most important person in your career. Always. For this reason, you must be able to trust them with absolutely anything and everything. If you can’t, then you need to get a new manager. While it’s crucial for artists to stay abreast of the business aspect of their careers, they must also be able to rest assured that their manager is always looking after their best interests. Remember, this person will be handling your income, negotiating on your behalf, and representing you to the public. You need to feel confident that they are doing so honestly.If you want to hear more music business advice from Christine Infanger, check out her site Thirty Roses, a Music Industry blog advising on trends, technology, and more.
Hello Christine,
Great Article. You made some very valid points and you confirmed some of my own thoughts about management. I have a question though…Where can independent artist find a good manager? Getting in touch with an established manager or management firm is as hard as getting in touch with a major record label. So where do you start? How do you break through the clutter?
Thank you
Hi Mike, thanks for the kind words on my article. Finding a manager, especially a good one, can be difficult regardless the stage your career is in.
If you’ve had a difficult time finding someone in your market, have you tried branching out away from the music industry? Perhaps you have someone in your fan base with experience in management, accounting, or business who would like to help out?
Look at local colleges and universities (especially those with a music business program or several music business based classes)- Much of the time, managers new to the industry have a tough time finding artists to represent as they aren’t yet established in their careers. Maybe you can find someone who knows about the industry and what the managers role is but just hasn’t had a “break” yet.
If there aren’t schools who offer music business type classes or courses, perhaps try looking at colleges with business programs (most of them offer business), accounting, management, etc.
If someone has good business sense but perhaps isn’t up on industry news, those are things that can be learned as you go-especially if you are still establishing your career.
There is definitely a learning curve and, even if someone has studied music business/artist management, the realities of the industry will still prove different than what they learned in a classroom.
Hopefully I’ve offered you some advice that will prove helpful.
Thanks for reading!
Christine Infanger
@norabarnacle
I just went to lunch with another musician who advised me it was time to consider choosing a manager. I guess I thought I did not really need one until I became a household name. Now I realize it really is a good time to start treating my music like a business and giving this stuff to someone who can do it a lot better than I can.
Tyrone, as long as you’ve got talent, you should ideally try and get a music manager. They can help you get extra gigs and exposure, and you only pay them if you get paid. Therefore, if they don’t make you any money, they don’t get paid. So you may as well give one a go right? Just be sure to lay out how your business relationship will work first.