Key areas within the music industry: Artist management

For an artist, it is very important to have a manager. Without one, the artist would not be able to make the right career choices and things may get overwhelming. It is crucial, that an artist manager is hired in the beginning stages of the artist's career as he builds his/her team. They will act as the artist's parent, giving them support and help them make the best choices and guide the artist's career.

So where does one find a manager? That depends. You have Empire, Heavenly, LH, Midnight To Six, Big Life or 19 Management that are established artist management companies, so an artist can choose to go with one of them. Depending on their budget and expectations, they have to be careful when choosing one. It is an advantage to have a good relationship, somebody who cares about the artist and has a good plan of business development and some connection within the industry. 

It can be very usual for an artist to hire their friend at the beginning. A friend might seem like a good idea, but the artist needs somebody that can deal with any aspect of their career (getting a record deal, building the brand, booking shows, actively seeking any kind of employment for the artist) and somebody that understands the business and has connection. 

Up and coming managers with good feedback, genuine passion and connections might be the best bet. When selecting a manager, the artist should choose carefully, so meeting a few times might be a good idea. 

What exactly does the manager do? 

It is not an easy job, the manager needs to be passionate, determined, organized and hard working, willing to work long hours (that can include going to the artist's performances as well.) Generally, the manager promotes the artist's career and runs their business affairs. Below are some of the typical duties.

- Negotiating and signing a record contract or any other contract (with the help of a music lawyer.)

- Be up to date with the industry. Keep networking and building relationships. 

- Bookkeeping and budgeting. 

- Building and marketing the artist's image.

- Helping hire the rest of the team (such as the accountant, booking agent, tour manager, music lawyer etc.)

- Coordinating appearances and live performances.

- Making a career plan, having career goals. 

- Keep focus on the artist's career and stay away from being distracted by the frustrations or even the highly rewarding perks. 

- Be friendly, but professional. Being calm and resolving issues is very important.

Managing an artist requires interacting with people of all personalities (some with big egos) so it is necessary that the manager is composed and understands that he/she should not take some things personally. This also includes trying to find jobs for the artist. 

They have to work well under pressure and prepared to work anytime and anywhere. This can mean that there are no set office hours. 

It may seem like it is a hard job and very draining, however if the relationship between the artist and the manager is good, it doesn't have to seem like work at all. The manager gets to tag along with the artist and get a taste of the lifestyle and its perks from behind the scenes. And lastly, the salary is not bad at all. Usually, the manager gets 20% of the artist's income so depending how much work the artist gets, the manager can be very successful and make a lot of money along the way.