How to become An Artist Manager

• Band Manager
• Talent Manager
• Music Manager

What do Artist Managers do?

An Artist Manager would typically need to:

• Be an expert on the ins and outs of the music industry while holding auditions and interviews to discover potential clients
• Assess talent as well as the reliability of potential clients while determining their market potential
• Develop and negotiate contracts and deals that may help promote their client/s’ career
• Guide artists through the music industry and help develop or support their creative vision while ensuring their physical and mental health are at an optimum level
• Analyze data, set goals, track and measure results while drafting business, marketing, and product release plans
• Develop or coordinate marketing, advertising, and promotional materials while pursuing record deals, agency representation, and publishing contracts
• Book shows and tours, develop touring strategies with agents, and write grants and sponsorship proposals
• Create plans to cultivate and manage fan bases and media relations on behalf of their clients
• Inspect equipment and facilities to ensure they meet the artist/s’ specifications
• Collect revenues, fees or other payments stipulated in contracts to create and manage budgets and cash flow
• Work with and develop production teams that have keen insight into Artist rights and how royalties work

The work is office-based during the day; nights may see the Artist Manager working wherever his client/s’ professional commitments take them. Frequent out-of-town and international travel may be part of the job, including on tour. The dress code for an Artist Manager is usually business casual unless otherwise specified.

A career as an Artist Manager is time-consuming, with very little divide between work hours and pleasure hours. It suits passionate and driven individuals who are comfortable working around the clock. Most days are packed with meetings, small business transactions, and planning for the future; the nights are dedicated to live music and networking events.

As with many freelance-oriented jobs, it can be challenging to find one’s first gig as an Artist Manager. Some start their own management companies while others join an Artist’s team as a business manager, agent, or personal assistant before taking over management duties.

Artist Managers are generally employed by:

• Artists
• Music Bands or Groups
• Management Companies

Professional associations and organizations are a crucial resource for Artist Managers that are interested in pursuing professional development or connecting with like-minded professionals in their industry or occupation. Membership in one or more looks excellent on your resume to bolster your credentials and qualifications as an Artist Manager.

• Competitive field characterized by intense and stressful work hours
• Attendance at their artist/s’ performances in the evening or over weekends a must
• Maintaining work-life balance
• Voices and opinions of individuals outside the team may cause friction
• Need to learn new methods and network beyond the music industry
• The worsening disparity between established artists and new ones
• The short attention span of the public compounded by the need for continuous access to funding

Like most music careers, if you keep your head down and work hard, the right people will eventually notice. Volunteer to help bands you know, even if it means working for free while learning the ropes. Aspiring Artist Managers could also approach a management company and see if they have any internship opportunities available.

A bachelor’s degree in purchasing, procurement/ acquisitions, contracts management, or a related field will help you land a job as an Artist Manager. Most Artist Managers do not need academic training to qualify for this position. Although a college background is helpful since there are courses offered in the music business and music marketing, many artists prefer Managers with extensive industry experience and networks.

Certificate courses in Artist Management, both real-time and online, can help a prospective Artist Manager gain a better understanding and perspective of what the job entails.

In general, Artist Managers do not need formal certification, licensing, or registration. However, check to see if specific national, state, or local regulations demand a business license or an employment agency license.

Most Artist Managers advance by building a strong reputation for good client services and attracting more top performers onto their books. Some Managers possess little training or professional experience, falling into the career when a family member or close friend catches a break and needs a trusted adviser to guide their fledgling career.

Others start as entertainers themselves and gain knowledge by promoting their talent. Still, others gradually work their way up from managing local acts in their hometown, climb the corporate ladder at a management company, and switch careers from personal assistants, project Managers, or song pluggers. Long-standing Artist Managers usually manage multiple clients at a time, and the most successful among them can go on to found management companies or agencies based around their roster of clients.

Individuals who have a passion for music and an aptitude for business and marketing will have the best job prospects as Artist Managers.

Artist Managers seek out artists and build relationships with them. A huge part of an artist-to-Manager relationship is figuring each other out and working together collaboratively. It is about finding other talented people to fill any gaps for you.

As an Artist Manager, you need to keep abreast of your artist/s’ work to show it in the best light to potential buyers. Additional knowledge about why people buy the artist/s’ work by way of feedback from their clients helps develop better marketing plans.

In addition to the work that they do for a specific artist, a far-sighted Artist Manager keeps abreast of current trends in the industry and markets. They keep tabs on up-and-coming artists, looking to see who might be on the verge of success. This ability to spot trends will have a great impact on furthering their career.

Working for Signed and Unsigned Artists

The duties of an Artist Manager depend very much on the artist/band and where they are in their careers.

For signed artists, Managers should negotiate financial deals with the label for expenses like touring, recording, and overseeing other people working for the band, like accountants, agents, and merchandisers.

The Manager of unsigned artists should be the mouthpiece of the band, and their greatest ally, ensuring all stakeholders work hard to promote the band’s success. This includes sending out demos to labels, radio stations, local print media, and online publications, booking gigs and inviting labels and media to the shows, networking and talking to people about the band, helping book studio time and practice sessions, exploring funding opportunities for the group.

Writing Up an Agreement/Contract

Even if you are managing an unsigned band made up of personal friends, and there is no money involved, you need to write up an agreement. It does not have to be supervised by a lawyer. Still, it needs to include the expectations from both the Manager and the Artist/band, the percentage of income that will go to the Manager when money comes in, and what happens if the group and the Manager decide to part ways. When you are entering into a business relationship with a friend, a contract keeps the friendship safe.

The Expanding Role of Artist Managers

Over time, Artist Managers have increasingly become substantial Decision-Makers and Investors. With less significant record label existence and financial support, Managers frequently take on the record label’s role. Either by starting their record label or investing in the artist’s career financially, or increasingly taking on the roles of Marketing Directors or A&R (Artist and Repertoire, which means developing the artist, their music, and their brand). Now more than ever, the Artist Manager is more likely to fill those shoes.

Judging Opportunities Wisely

Artist Managers also need to be well versed at ‘protecting’ their clients. It’s crucial to be able to be a good judge of which opportunities your artists should and should not partake in. You have to always keep in mind that some opportunities could harm their career or reputation, and others could make their status thrive.

Marketing the Work of Clients

Marketing the artist/s’ work includes setting up promotional events and exhibitions, notifying clients of the events via newsletters, making phone calls, mailing postcards, posting information on the artist/s’ website.

Financial Duties

The Artist Manager takes care of the artist’s money, keeps watch on their earnings, maintains records, and ensures all the financial aspects of the artist/s’ business balance.

Andrew Gertler started managing Shawn Mendes and worked on getting him a deal with Island Records even before he was chosen to be Mendes’s Artist Manager.

The most successful Artist Managers are egoless, thick-skinned, and tenacious, ready, and able to advocate tirelessly behind the scenes on behalf of their client. While Artist Managers work behind the scenes and may not get the publicity of pop or rock stars, they still play a fundamental role in keeping a band together and keeping things on track. Being an Artist Manager can be a fascinating career, but is a hard profession to break into.

Management is, above all, a practice where art, science, and craft meet. What’s measured improves.