Everyday a star is born and is blessed with the opportunity to enjoy the finer things life has to offer. Television and other media outlets have always portrayed these artists to be a one-man army. As if they have achieved this high level of success all by themselves. This theory is not true, there are many hard working dedicated people behind the scenes that are responsible for these memorable projects and the artist manager is one of them. This blog is an insight on how important and involved an effective artist manger can be in the career of a client.
Having a manager shows the music industry that artist takes their career seriously. A manager is the first line of contact, representation and acts as a liaison between anyone who wants to conduct business with an artist. Artist managers handle a variety of tasks such as promoting, organizing gigs, using platforms, sales and recognition. The role of the artist manager varies widely within the needs of each artist. Which can be a key element of the artist’s success or failure. Most record label and industry professionals will not accept an artist’s work without a manager. So having a manager, if possible, is recommended before the submission of projects.
When a manager and an artist start a business relationship it’s a lot like having a best friend. They both share the same interest, which is to help each other become as successful as they can be in their career. Although, it’s a business relationship it’s similar to a marriage arrangement. They spend a vast amount of time together trading ideas and consulting with each other. Making sure that every move they make is best for the both of them. As with all relationships, communications between the two parties are very critical so that the room for error is low.
One of the most important tools that an artist manager utilizes is a cell phone. The ability to store information in a compact device that is mobile and operate like a computer gives a cell phone greater value. That is where most of the contacts from networking are stored. Also, more than likely, they use more than one depending on how many artists they manage. The workload can cause a manager to invest in a second phone to handle tasks better and be available when needed. A manger phone bill can range anywhere between 1,000 to 5,000 dollars. So it’s not out the norm for the cell phones bill to be one of the major expenses.
Prioritizing is another factor that can be the difference between an extraordinary and a terrible manager. Knowing what gigs or projects to take on at the right time is essential. Whatever task is at hand making as much revenue as possible, cutting down expenses, keeping their clients comfortable and happy is the default plan. That’s why eating as an artist manager are on the go majority of the time.
Resolving conflicts and mediating for the client and a third party can give an artist manager the cutting edge when doing business. The manager is always in the client’s corner when an issue arises but still displays a sense of fairness towards the third party. It does not help the situation to be rude or angry because that doesn’t complete projects. When the client and the third party are unwilling to work because of anger, the artist manger finds a solution that both the third party and artist, can be content with and can move forward.