for ARTIST and MANAGERS
Artist
Management in the music industry is a really big deal. As an artist, choosing a
manager is serious business. A manager to an artist is like gas to an engine in
a car. Without the gas, the car will not be able to get very far. Pushing or
pulling can move the car, but it will only take it so far before it loses
momentum. Gas in a car is the difference
between a car that is moving up and down the highway and a car that is sitting somewhere
stranded on the side of the road. This is how a manager should work for an
artist. A manager should help fuel an artist’s career. A manager should help an
artist get further in their career. It should be farther than they would if
they were pushing or pulling their career by themselves. A manager should be
the difference between an artist sitting idled or stagnant and an artist whose
career is moving forward. As an artist, the choice you make in a manager is as
serious as the choice you made to purse your career. You will not learn
everything about managers from watching television. Although TV can and will
give you some valid information, it’s not all true and it’s not all facts. It’s
always a good practice to talk to someone who has the experience you seek. A
couple of people I suggest you look up are Michael Blue Williams and MarcOswald who both can give you some valid information about artist management. Another good person to listen to is Professor PaulAllen. You should also do your own research. I’ve said it before and I’ll say
it again. However, daunting of a task it may seem, research can save you a
great deal of time and money. Here, I would like to discuss three things
concerning artist management: the relationship, the roles, and the results.
The
relationship between an artist and the manager is like a marriage. The manager
spends a lot of time with the individual they manage. There is a certain level
of intimacy between the artist and the manager. The artist has to share a lot
of personal information with their manager. Trust has to be established within
the relationship as well. Both the manager and the artist have to trust each
other and know that they both have each other’s best interest in mind. The
manager represents the artist, but the artist represents the manager as well.
For example, the manager may give their word that their artist has the
potential to meet a set number of objectives when negotiating a deal for the
artist. The artist then has the responsibility to fulfill those expectations,
otherwise smearing the reputation of both the artist and the manager for future
enlistments. Thus, trust is important along with integrity. Following through
and doing what you say you’re going to do is important as well as doing what is
right 100% of the time. Lastly, within the relationship communication is vital.
Either party can’t afford to assume anything. The proper use of all communication
has to be used via the telephone, cell phone, email, text, etc. All
communications should be confirmed and followed up as well as followed through.
The vision of the manager should be the vision of the artist. Wherever you have
two visions, division is not far behind. It’s so important to stay on the same
page and be in agreement even if it means you will have times when you will
agree to disagree.
The
roles between an artist and a manager are more like responsibilities.
Understanding each other’s role helps keep everything moving forward in the
right direction. As an artist you should try doing everything you can to be better
than just good at what you do. You should work at being better than the rest and
finding out what makes you different from everyone else. You should also have a
vision for your career. You should have an idea of where you want your career to
go. As for the role of a manager, there are very specific roles he or she must
play in order to effectively orchestrate your career. Sometimes the various roles are all wrapped up in one
person. Other times, these roles are spread out amongst several individuals. These
roles include, but are not limited to the personal manager, the business
manager and the road manager. Each role that is executed by the manager
requires different responsibilities. As an artist, you should be aware of each role
and understand each responsibility.
The
results are what you should measure a manager by. What he or she says is not as
important as what he or she does. It should be clear what things a manager has
done to help improve and move your career forward. You should establish a plan
with your manager. It’s even better if you have a written plan. This plan
should include set goals and objectives. It should also have a proposed way to
execute those goals and objectives along with a timeline. This way, you both
have a checklist of the things you accomplished over a set period of time and
the things you still need to work towards. This leaves less room for grey areas
and you can also know for sure whether or not your manager did an adequate job
as your manager. How a manager does what they do should also be equally
important. You want a manager who operates with integrity. The music industry
thrives on relationships. There is not a lot of room for burning bridges and
doing people wrong. So, you definitely want someone who will help you build
strong solid relationships that will help sustain you in your career.
The
main thing is that you do your homework and make sure you don’t take this area
of your career for granted. You also want to make sure you don’t make an
emotional decision, but a wise one. A manager can either be a meaningful step
or a meaningless stumbling block in your career. So make a wise choice. Get the
help you need. Get your career moving forward. This is how you will manage to
have a successful career!!!
-The Mike Sears
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