Music Business Handbook and Career Guide

1. Music Business Handbook and Career Guide Part 3: Managing Artist Relationships

2. Artist Management Chapter 9

3. Start Thinking. . . • What should an artist look for in a personal manager? What kinds of skills, competencies, and personality traits should a manager possess? • What is the goal of personal managers? How are they to go about accomplishing that goal?

4. Chapter Goals • Gain awareness of the importance of a good working relationship between an artist and manager. • Acquire understanding of a workable financial relationship between a manager and client. • Examine the role of the manager in producing the artist’s act. • Learn effective ways a manager can advance a client’s career and maximize income.

5. Discovering Each Other • Look for a manager who • Is well organized, systematic • Is straightforward and honest with good reputation • Is an effective communicator, writes well, articulate • Won’t try to fake expertise • Has good industry contacts • Believes in the talent of the artist • Shares the artist’s long-term vision and career goals

6. The Financial Relationship • Personal manager or business manager handles all finances • Accounting • personal manager’s first responsibility • engage accountant with artist’s approval • Controlling expense • spending constraints • put artist on weekly allowance • loan money to keep act alive

7. Manager’s CommissionGoing Rates • Manager principally responsible for the rise and fall of the client’s income • Rate = 10% to 25% • Several factors influence rates • Argument for reasonableness • Commission base • can be more important than commission level • adjusted gross income

8. Manager’s CommissionThe Money Flow • Anticipate problems of disengagement • Commissions on income from contracts manager negotiated • Publishing and recording contracts

9. Manager’s CommissionA Possible Compromise • across-the-board de-escalation of commissions

10. The Manager’s Role • Producing the act • polishing the act • established act versus new act • use video for objective examination • engage coaches and trainers • Coordinating the elements • engage a theatrical producer • Programming

11. Advancing the CareerManager’s main responsibility • Develop total campaign for artist’s success • Using all insider contacts • Gaining Traction as an Aspiring Talent • YouTube • Social Media • Develop local or regional fan base

12. Advancing the CareerLanding a Recording Contract • Prospects for the manager’s success • The process • make a frontal attack on the label itself • work with the songwriter-client’s publisher • focus on independent producers and production companies • arrange for third parties to spread the word • have music attorney approach labels

13. Advancing the CareerLanding a Recording Contract • The result • negotiate a recording contract • nudge label to promote recordings • possibly have to renegotiate contract with artist

14. Advancing the CareerCare and Feeding of the Media • Materials • promo packs • swag • Interviews • news conferences + exclusive interviews • professional flacks • Billing

15. Advancing the CareerControlling Performances • Determine frequency of performances • maximize income BUT • avoid exhaustion and overexposure • Select kinds of engagement offers • Determine when client is “ready”

16. Personal Management Agreement • Engage independent legal counselors • Manager issues deal memo • Artist counters • Negotiations begin Refer to the draft contract on page 170-177 of your textbook.

17. For Further Thought. . . • What factors influence a manager’s commission rate? • What are the basic responsibilities of a manager? • What are your feelings about an artist who drops a personal manager once a certain level of success is achieved? What factors might lead to this? What positive benefits might result for either party?