Manager's Options of Clients

Artist managers being relevant beyond the scope of music is not too far fetch when you consider the entertainment industry overall. There are many different types of artist that needs some form of representation that sale a product or service other than music. So for the managers that work with only music artist if you find it’s not for you there are different options pertaining to clients. Managing an actor is one of them. They need someone to find them gig or a role. Not everybody can be an actor. Picking up a script remembering lines, body movement and the ability to adapt to any role is not a simple task. It’s a gift but actors make it look easy then it is. I must warn you though because of the different roles they play some actors have insecurities issues about whom they really are. The second one I would like to bring to your attention is a poet. They need someone to find venues so they can perform or land them a book deal. A positive writing skill that when it is recited is effective as an acapella. Most poets find themselves entering the realm of music becoming a songwriter. There are very similar to each other one writes to a beat and one do not. Also they can be a double threat and perform their own material or just sell it. Poets are very deep intellectual individuals and will be interesting to work with. Last but not least comedians, the people that make us laugh until we cry. It is not to be taken for granted that it is a special gift to make millions laugh about situations that is not funny and of serious a matter. They also need someone to find venues and negotiate deals on their behalf. They may be the artists you have the most fun working with. Hopefully I have opened the eyes of managers that don’t have a steady clientele in the music industry to go broader and explore the entertainment industry.

Source:  Passman, D., (2009). All you need to know about the music business. New York: Free Press. Frascogna, X., Hetherington, H., (2004). The business of artist management. New York: Random House Inc. 

Artist Qualities

When searching for talent Artist Mangers need to keep in mind that a talented artist is not enough. They are other key components that play into an artist having an explosive career and becoming a superstar. A great place to start examining an artist is to see if they have the will power and desire to withstand what the job requires. One way an artist can demonstrate this is by showing effort taking initiative completing the task giving ahead of schedule. An artist that wont work for himself or herself is probably not someone a serious manager would wont to deal with. They must be willing to first help themselves before even considering. Which leads to my next point an artist efforts also shows that they believe in what they can accomplish and their art. A balance between confident but not cocky or bigheaded needs to establish. If dealing with such a cocky individual they must be dealt with early to bring them back down to earth. A polite and tact way to do this is simply stating that if they don’t adjust their attitude both of our jobs will become increasingly harder. Some may argue that an artist can blow up over night that is a fairytale. They are not counting the preparation and time it took for that artist to develop their craft before it’s even worth listening too. Commitment plays a major role in an artist success. They will be hard times you must almost expect them, things wont always go as planned and it’s easy to lose sight of the objectives when things do take place.  Being committed is only just not throwing in the towel it’s also knowing your priorities and having them in the proper order. A lying artist wont get far in their career either they are no substitute for integrity. Reason being is if a manager represents an untruthful artist his reputation can suffer from affiliation. That is why an artist sense of values must be thoroughly assessed before agreeing to work with them. The values of the artist and the manager must line up or be similar. Last be not least professionalism goes along way and an artist should act accordingly. At the end of the day this is a business that childish ways are not taken lightly


source: Passman, D., (2009). All you need to know about the music business. New York: Free Press.

Business Plan Part 2

After reviewing the two professional and their advice towards why a business plans is so important for start up companies I took both into consideration. I definitely will have an expert critique my business plan after I complete it. I understand that revisions must be made to my business plan frequently due to the advancement of technology in the entertainment industry. Staying current with trends and fine tuning my plan will produce more accurate effective results verses outdated information. It will decrease the headroom of mistakes for my business. I want investors to know I have done my research on my industry and to take my vision seriously. With other people reputation and money invested I can’t afford to begin my entity blindly. The professional aspect does increase your chances of someone financially supporting your vision because no one wants to gamble on someone that has not took self initiative. Also I truly believe that doing a business plan will help the survival and the operation procedures of my business drastically. I agree that my business plan will show investors what I’m capable of but only a small fraction. My intentions will match up with my personal values and morals to better society for a greater cause. For instances I have a very close friend that own a salon business venture with someone else and they are already experiencing major problems in the early stages of the business because they didn’t do a business plan. They really are blind and just going day-to-day trying to figure out knowledge about their business that they should have been figure out. Surely, if they don’t conduct a research assessment and put together a business plan they business life expectancy will not be long. To be honest I feel I have a better chance of managing their salon business with no prior experience because I know how to put together a business plan.

Source:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p71isDrdp6Q

http://www.artistshousemusic.org/videos/loyola+university+new+orleans+business+plan+seminar

The Importance of a Business Plan

The first professional I reviewed is a professor at Loyola University in New Orleans named Brenda Joyner. She addresses the topic on why a business plan is necessary. Although it’s the beginning of a process to raise capitol for a business it’s a blue print. It shows investors that you’re serious about the business you’re attempting to start up. It give you respectability with the investors because its evidence that you actually took the time out to do your homework before presenting your proposal. A business plan demonstrates knowledge and awareness of what your doing. The benefit of having a fine tuned business plan is it increases the likelihood of getting the funding your seeking. Having one shows preparation and wherever you may go to raise capitol it gives off a sense of professionalism. That means the quality of a business plan should reflect. Being realistic and as accurate as possible in every section will lower the room for mistakes. Also including the potential risk in your business plan can assist the valid information. The second professional I reviewed is a professor by the name of William H. Crookston. He expresses the importance of having a business plan and why this step should not be over looked. Like your first child, if you can’t develop or write a solid business plan just imagine how your second child the actual business is going to turn out. A business plan is like a resume for your business. It shows a pervious track history and what you as the founder is capable of. It also gives potential investors a little insight on your intentions for a company from start to end at a certain point in time. A business plan helps them to figure out where your going and people are more willing to support you if you have one. It takes on the role as being a sale, financial and startup guide document all in one. With out one your blind folded just stumbling around in the dark.

Source:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p71isDrdp6Q

http://www.artistshousemusic.org/videos/loyola+university+new+orleans+business+plan+seminar

Management Interpersonal Skills

The Artist Managers that have a great set of Interpersonal Skills are more appealing to an artist work with. It makes sense nobody wants to work with someone that’s grumpy and complains everyday. Negative energy can rub off on people in a good mood and create problems in a productive work environment. This can have a major impact on creative levels and affect the outcome of important projects. Mutual trust is first and foremost. If an artist and a manager can’t trust one another they don’t need to work with each other. The artists that a manager represents trust that their career is in better hands by accepting this relationship. The manager is responsible for all aspects of an artist career. The manager on behalf of the artist will make many important decisions and that takes a great wealth of trust. Communication is vital key element that can’t be taking lightly. After all, the manager primary job is to articulate their artist vision and make it reality. Without proper communication that job can’t be done effectively and leaves room for even greater error. The ability to compromise is another essential factor. Artist managers can only control so much and every offer presented may not always be exactly what you expected for your artist and you. This is where Opportunity cost comes into play acknowledging benefits over others. Taking a step back looking at the situation from different perspectives will allow a manager to find value in suggestions and opinions over a firm commitment taking them into consideration. Dealing with change is another one and it kind of go hand and hand with the skill previously mentioned. A manager must be able to adapt and overcome in every situation. Solving problems during at a moments notice is normal in the field of artist management. It’s like a weapon at the gun range. If your not hitting the target accurately you probably want to adjust the site post, aim and control your breathing. That same analogy can be applied for problem solving in the realm of artist management.

Source:

http://sydney.edu.au/science/uniserve_science/projects/skills/jantrial/interpersonal/interpersonal.htm

http://www.musiccareer.com.au/index.php?title=Artist_Manager

Making it happen behind the scenes

I like to refer to artist managers as the engine under the hood. They are the power horse of the operation. Artist managers stand in the shadows of their artist most of their entire career being the artist alter ego. That’s because it’s all about the artist and advancing them to the next level not the manager. Making the necessary moves behind the scene so that the artist appears to be perfect. If you are a jealous person then artist management is probably not the job for you.  It’s the type of job where as you only get attention and acknowledgement when you make an error. Most artist managers in the music industry that are successful have a team effort mindset with a humble attitude. The quiet storm it’s a secret race trying to get to the top and doing it quietly. Giving credit when credit is due is just a phrase in the profession of artist management. Many times fans of superstars listen to their favorite artist from childhood and never know who manages their career. When it’s because of the jack-of-all-trades these artist are able to maintain and have an outstanding career. In the past a lot of artist felt an artist manager was getting paid to do nothing. Also in the past many artist managers was vindictive and conniving. They would actually use the artist to get money. Once the artist discovered that out got token advantage of enough artists to become untrustworthy. Today more contracts are being utilized and enforced so the betrayal has decrease a bit. Although the work that the artist manager does is still a mystery for some people it is clear that they play a major role. The relationship between an artist and a manager must have trust and great communication in order to succeed its like a marriage so its always a working progress. 

Source:

http://www.artistshousemusic.org/videos/getting+started+with+artist+management

http://www.artistshousemusic.org/videos/artist+management

   

History and Trends

Do history really repeats itself in the entertainment industry or how new is our current trends?  I feel no matter how much progress or growth is accomplished returning back to the roots and basic fundamental is inevitable. For example when was the last time you saw a great movie with a new story line. When I say new, I mean a brand new story line not a sequel or prequel. To bring it to your attention here are a few X Men, Spider Man, Planet of The Apes and Captain America. No wait I have better examples like vampires, zombies, love story or somebody gets kidnap and one-person try to find them.  My point is that what’s new to us is ancient. Is it that Hollywood writers and directors are running out of fresh ideas or just to lazy to create new material? What ever the case may be the people that make these films always return back to the product origins. It’s the same pattern with fashion these days. Hairstyles, clothes and shoes are all brought back from the dead. Like Mohawks, Snapback hats, Throwback jerseys and all of Michael Jordan shoes. Although, I must say that the first time when these trends came on the scene was the good ole days. I guess by bringing them back it replicates a sense of good feeling we experience at that point in time. With music it also takes place when producers use sampling in their productions.  Sampling is when apiece of music is taken and use in another creation. Some producers use current songs when sampling. Although, one of the hottest trends in beat production is sampling an oldie song pattern or vocals incorporating it with another beat. What this does is revives the out dated song and give the creation a groovy feel like the old days. So to answer the question history does repeat it self and our current trends are ancient like our ancestors.   

Source:  Passman, D., (2009). All you need to know about the music business. New York: Free Press. Frascogna, X., Hetherington, H., (2004). The business of artist management. New York: Random House Inc. 

Music Distribution

Getting music distributed without a record deal use to be nearly impossible. Now due to technology advancements online music distribution channels has made it possible for independent labels and artist to generate revenue from their music. Today there are many different types of business models packages and platforms that cater to the needs of an artist. Industry professionals did not always look upon it as a positive thing. Illegal file sharing sites like Napster caused problems in the music industry and some say is the reason for a 31 percent revenue drop in physical album sales back in 2000. Music consumers did not complain because they downloaded plenty songs of their favorite artist free of charge. Then record labels started fighting back attacking those types of websites that condoned digital piracy until they were banned and filed lawsuits against music fans that were caught on the websites. Music consumers complained that the quality of the songs on the albums being produced was not worth the retail price. So they downloaded only songs that appealed to their interest. A business model was desperately needed in the music industry. Apple answered with itunes and it was a great success. They are many positives about online music distribution. Artist and songwriters get a higher royalty percentage, its very cost effective, convenient and allows music consumers to purchase songs at the click of a button. Some online distributors offer licensing services.  Although, online distributions has been a primary music outlet for independent artist and labels because of financial reasons this particular business model has become quite attractive to the major labels. Reaching the masses or a target market is more achievable due to the number of Internet users. Technology has evolved and now mobile devices are Internet capable keeping us connected anywhere we dwell. Viral marketing has become essential for the success of both independent artist and major labels. 

Source:  Passman, D., (2009). All you need to know about the music business. New York: Free Press Frascogna, X., Hetherington, H., (2004). The business of artist management. New York: Random House Inc. 

       

Entertainment Attorney Expert Blog

This blog is an interview between a professional Entertainment Attorney and me. The purpose of the interview is to get advice from an expert that has the necessary skills and experience in my sector of the entertainment industry. As an artist manager there are times where I will need to seek legal advice from a industry professional not only for my clients but also for myself.

The Entertainment Attorney I chose to interview name is Gregory P. Eveline. The founder and head attorney at NOLA Entertainment Law has provided his services to many known famous acts. So his creditability is not an issue for the most part. To make this interview go smooth as possible I prepared some question relevant to my field to ask Mr. Eveline.

J: Tell me a little about yourself and how you got started in the Entertainment Industry?

Mr. E:  Okay where do I start? I was a record retailer, distributor and producer before I became a successful manager and concert promoter for 10 years. I’ve worked with artist such as R.E.M., Billy Idol, Marianne Faithful and the Dead Kennedys, to name a few. As time went on I felt my wealth of knowledge would make me a great Entertainment Attorney so I became one.

J: So what type of services you provide that’s relevant to Artist Management?

Mr. E: Entertainment Law, Copyright and Trademark Protection, Contracts, Licensing, Advertising, Merchandising and Branding.

J: What are some common mistakes or trends of Artist Managers that you have notice recently?

Mr. E: The most common mistakes I’ve noticed from Artist Managers are errors on copyright paperwork.

J: Are there ways I can protect myself in a written agreement between my artist and me?

Mr. E: Yes there are a number of clauses you can put in an agreement to protect yourself like option periods, having all monies coming from the label instead of the artist and earnings after the term.

J: What are some things to look out for when licensing Intellectual Property?

Mr. E: Yes the assignment of the copyrighted material. Never give full rights or ownership. Licensing the material for use would be the appropriate action to do.

J: What is a conflict of interest and how does it apply to Artist Managers?

Mr. E: Conflict of Interest is when two parties have the same person representing them. In most case this is not a problem until a legal issue arises. It depends on the professional field and preference. This applies to an Artist Manager because that role requires you to be just that. For example you can’t be the Artist Manger and the Booking Agent. 

J: Are there any other legal liabilities that may be of my concern being in the field of Artist Management?

Mr. E: Yes be prepared to be sued if your artist misses a show or uses copyrighted material without permission as long as you represent artist.

J: Well, thanks for taking time out of your busy schedule to conduct this interview. The information that you have shared with me was very informative. I really appreciated and look forward to doing business with you in the future.

Mr. E: You’re very welcome Jamar anytime. I love helping ambitious individuals that have the desire to learn more about their field or the Entertainment Industry.       

Industry Liabilities

Copyright infringement, starting up a studio and being an Artist Manager are things I see as a liability at this current time. There are options and other ways to protect you from liabilities. Hopefully after reading this will help and enlighten the people that need this type of information.   

Sampling music is a problem in today’s Entertainment Industry. Sampling is taking a piece of work that’s copyrighted and using it with another creation. Many people frown upon sampling because the work is looked at as a knock off and not authentic. Although, numerous hits have been created with sampling. Nevertheless if you are sampling parts of copyrighted material it’s a liability if you don’t obtain the permission or the proper license. The copyright owner/holder may file a lawsuit against you for infringement for millions.

Starting your own studio in the music industry is a liability. For one the economy is messed up and the big four has pretty much brought every successful independent record label. I feel it’s a monopoly between the four and even if you still manage to start a label you better have a good plan. Like lower prices than the competition, better equipment and a good list of clientele in order to pay the bills to keep it up and operating. Not to mentioned you would need to pay a staff to manage the sessions. For financial purposes and limited resources it’s better to rent at this time. It will save you time and money to allocate to other projects.

I feel being an Artist manager is a liability especially working with a new artist. It’s a lot of work, time and money invested into exposing an upcoming artist in the Music Industry. Time and money that you may never get back because there’s no guaranteed that the artist is going to make it. It’s not out of the norm for an Artist Manager to come out of their own pocket to help artists to accomplish a goal. Also if you don’t take the necessary steps like having a written agreement to protect yourself an artist can drop you right before they blow up. Then it’s back to square one.  

ATTENDED THE ESPN EVENT

Is Artist Development relevant in the Music Industry?

How relevant is Artist Development in the Music Industry? There are two answers to this question it is and its not. There are so many talented unknown artists undiscovered simply because it is relevant. These unknown artists typically try to handle all their affairs by themselves. So in most cases they are not represented by a manager and lack the business side of the Music Industry. Also with good not being good enough well that doesn’t help their situation at either. What these artists fail to realize is that without proper guidance and the absence of knowledge in their field actually reduces their chances to get into the Music Industry. Just like the juggernauts in the game the decisions these unknown artist make affect their preexisting career. Now lets examine the superstars that’s already established in the Music Industry. More specifically live acts and performances. Due to the advanced technology society we live in today music engineers have made artists that can’t sing hits records. Although, I’m not pointing fingers the engineers are just doing their job and are only a small element responsible for this issue. The issue is that after these hit records are created and its touring time or the artist have to perform live their performances are horrible. Leaving millions of their fans disappointing because they now know the truth. It might don’t be a problem in the beginning of the artist career because their spending majority of their time recording but later album sales will reflect. Labels can careless about an artist bettering him-self or her-self all they care about is the numbers so Artist development is not a priority. So with that being said these artists should take initiative instead of knowing and ignoring the truth. I propose that all the artists that have this issue find the time and seek vocal coaching after all they already have the income.


Source:

Passman, D., (2009). All you need to know about the music business. New York: Free Press.

Frascogna, X., Hetherington, H., (2004). The business of artist management. New York: Random House Inc.

The interview

Initially when given the assignment to interview someone, I planned

to take a trip to meet somebody in my field.

Before I was able to follow through with that idea, I found just what

I needed where I least expected it.

While discussing my insurance with a State Farm agent, it was brought

to my attention that in addition to insurance, they also provided

services for those with financial needs. Who would have thought? I

began inquiring, but realizing that her time was valuable, I wanted to

be considerate and I requested to arrange a time to discuss just these

things in more detail. She acceded and scheduled an appointment for me

the very next day.

When I arrived, I was warmly greeted and offered something to drink.

Once situated, I knew that I needed to use the next hour very wisely

as I had so many questions.

J: Tell me a little about yourself and what started you in the banking field?

SF: I started here as an insurance agent, but almost immediately I

became bank certified. After seeing how much the additional products

and services could benefit my customers, I jumped right in.

J: So exactly what kinds of products are you referring to?

SF: Beginning with multiple different credit cards, we also service

checking and savings accounts. Those are some of the more common

products anyways. I am also able to conduct loans for vehicles either

off the lot or a private party sale, refinances, and even personally

secured loans using a vehicle as collateral.

J: What kind of rates do you have and what does it take to get approved?

SF: Starting with the credit cards, anywhere between 11.24-20.24%. Our

Interest Checking accounts earn different amounts weighing in on the

amount in the account at any one given time. The possibility of earned

interest is up to 74%. With the savings account, again it depends on

your average balance, but the range is 12-81%. For an auto loan,

depending on the type of vehicle, year, amount financed, and term in

which the loan would be paid off. Starting at 3.49% and up, there are

various other facts that could determine your rate. Whats even better

though, is that we don't charge any application or origination fees.

J: Interesting. What else?

SF: Well, if you are into investing, we offer things such as CD's and IRA's.

J: What exactly is a CD?

SF: A CD is another form of investment vehicle. Money in different

increments is placed with the company where it earns interest for a

specified term. You choose the term that you are most comfortable

with. This can be as short as 3 months and as long as 60. Again,

depending on how long you leave the money with the company is how much

interest you will earn. It goes as high as 2.35%. I must say though,

if your looking for a larger return, planning a retirement for

example, I would recommend an IRA.

J: What is an IRA?

SF: An Individual Retirement Account. There are two different types-

traditional and Roth. Depending on if you prefer to pay your taxes on

the money when you place it in the account, or when you go to draw

from it is how you decide which one is right for you.

J: Why not just put money into a savings account?

SF: State Farm has partnered with some very well known and very

successful investment firms such as Blackrock who invest your money in

different stocks and bonds. This gives you a better return which is

typically much higher than what a savings account could offer.

J: But isn't investing in stocks dangerous? Couldn't you lose money?

SF: It's possible. The market rises and falls quite frequently,

however we take the trust you have given us very seriously. We are a

very conservative company, never making a move that is too risky no

matter what the gain might be. If your not comfortable with investing

this way, believe it or not, a whole life insurance policy might be in

your best interest.

J: Life insurance? What good would that do me if I'm dead?

SF: Good question. A whole life insurance policy not only provides a

death benefit, but it also incurs interest. There is a guaranteed

interest rate, but sometimes you can earn up to 6% interest which is

much more than that of a traditional savings account. You can borrow

against the cash value or interest of the policy as you choose. There

is also the possibility of receiving a dividend.

J: Can you explain to me what a dividend is?

SF: Of course! The rate you pay on your policy is calculated based on

the amount the company needs to conduct business servicing the policy

as well as paying out its claims. Sometimes the amount needed is over

estimated, or there are less claims, thus the money is given back to

the policy holder. This money can either be accepted as cash, or

applied to the cash value of your policy.

J: Thank you for your time and information. I really learned a lot!

Concluding the interview I felt like I had an abundance of

information. Useful information at that. I had no idea there were so

many options when it comes to investments and banking. I guess there's

an option out there for just about anybody depending on how much they

are willing to risk. A simple appointment with your banker and the

right questions is more beneficial than I ever thought possible.

Money After the Deal

As an artist manager it is important to keep your income after your management deal in mind when negotiating, to compensate for having no job security after your term. This is called Earnings After the Term. Every manager contract says what the manager gets paid on earnings after the term. If you are not aware of what you are entitled to the artist will try not to pay you. This negotiating point can make all the difference, helping you survive when you are out of work until you find your next gig or band. As long as those earnings are generated under ‘‘contracts entered into or substantially negotiated during the term.’’ The statement above means two things. As to records made during the term of the management deal, the manager gets a commission from sales of these records occurring after the end of the manger deal; and the manager is paid on records made after the term of your management deal, if the records are recorded under a contract signed during the term. Some strategies that the artist may use to prevent Earnings after the term are Sunset Clauses. These are clauses you want to watch out for because they end the day for commission. It’s great for an artist but not so great for the artist manager. Another important aspect of you management deal is called a key man clause. It’s more helpful to the artists but can be beneficial for a manager also. Although you may have a good relationship with an artist, the artist contract might be with a corporation or partnership if you work for one. You can be fired or leave the company and not be obligated to adhere to those terms. Leaving the artist to the next manager on the company roster. The key man clause protects the artists and says the person with whom you have a relationship must personally act as your manager, and if not, you can terminate the deal. The reason why it is beneficial to the manager is because if you do work for a corporation or partnership and have a great artist with a good relationship you would want that clause inserted into the artist’s contracts to keep representing your artist.

Source:

Passman, D., (2009). All you need to know about the music business. New York: Free Press.

Artist Management Income

You get what you pay for. The role of a personal manager can make or break an artist career. The most important aspects of a manager’s job are helping artists with major business decisions, helping the artist with the creative process, promoting the artist career by hyping them to everyone the manager meets, coordinating the artist concert tours by working with their agent to make the best deals promoters, pounding the artist record company to maximize the advertising, marketing campaigns for the artist record and generally being a buffer between them and the outside world. The income for personal managers is really arbitrary. The financial aspect depends on the deal negotiated with the artist he or she plans to represent. Commission for managers are typically from 15% to 20% of an artist earnings, with the majority getting 15%. These percentages are generally applied to the artist gross earnings, before deducting any expenses. For compensation managers that represent a new band or an unknown artist should aim and negotiate for 20%. The leverage in that negotiation or argument is that the risk is greater and it may be years-if-ever-before the manager gets paid. If the manager and artist cant come to an agreement on the 20%. It can be implemented in the deal that the manager gets 15% but it escalates to 20% when the artist earns a certain dollar amount. The term is another key element of a manager’s income. It simply means the management agreement and the period of time that a manager will work for an artist. Typically a management agreement is three to five years. It’s in the manager’s best interest to have the agreement as long as possible for job security reasons. If you are a manager your worst nightmare and the last thing you want to happen is work for an artist three years and get dropped because of the length of your term while the artist is about to finally see success.    

Source:

Passman, D., (2009). All you need to know about the music business. New York: Free Press.

TED TALK INSPIRATION

I was looking for some inspiration on Brand Marketing on the website Ted talk and after viewing several speakers I came across one that caught my attention. The presentation was called The Greatest Ted Talk Ever Sold. A small filmmaker named Morgan Spurlock gave it. His delivery approach of his content was humorous, funny, honest and explained in the simplest form. His speech on ted was about brand marketing to make a completely sponsored film about sponsorship. So he wanted to sell the concept of brand recognition naming rights of his speech on ebay and he posted ads on Facebook and Twitter. He talked about how when he did projects he always but his self into bad situations. With the whole goal being to examine societal issues to find out what makes them engaging, interesting, entertaining. Breaking them down to be accessible to an audience. For instance he went to prison, worked at a coal mine, filmed in a war zone and ate fast food for 30 days to see the results actually happen to his body directly. After pitching his idea to over 500 plus companies about getting their brand to the masses they all turned his offer down. He later argued that isn’t that the whole objective of Brand Marketing was to get your brand the attention of millions and to the masses.  So he set out to Pittsburgh to a company called Olson Zaltman Associates to find the problem with his idea and to study his internal brand personality.  An after the study was conducted they explained to him the characteristics of his brand which happens to be an up brand. Some of the elements associated with an up brand are playful, fresh/novel, edgy/daring, adventurous, inspiring, contemporary and adventurous. He realized the problem with his pitch was transparency.  The companies turned his offer down because ultimately they had no control over the outcome of the product and it was not sure to be a successful one. So he kept moving onto other companies that were interested and received the sponsors for to make the movie about sponsorship and sold his ted talk for $7100 dollars on ebay. His final thought and words of wisdom for his audience was to encourage an embrace risk, fear, transparency and within that opportunities will come.   

Artist Management Associations

As a result of artist managers and self-managed artist not being well educated in the music business The Indie Managers Association (IMA) was started. Formerly the independent Music Managers Association (IMMA). It was formed in August of 2002 as a private company with the headquarters being based out in the nations capitol Washington D.C. With intentions to educate and promote independent artist managers and self –managed artist they plan to offer a solid understanding/ foundation of knowledge about the music business in an overall sense. So a more efficient business can operate smoother and achieve better results for their clients and/or themselves.

The Indie Manager Association offers information and resources such as link to other relative web sites that are valuable to artist managers and self-managed artist. The IMA also provides a directory with a list of managers for artist seeking representation. The option to buy an e-book called Artist Management Manual for $19.95 is available. The Artist Management Manual covers third-party licensing, merchandising, sponsorships, endorsements, national and international touring, international licensing, international sub-publishing, paid digital downloads, creative regional and national distribution, and more. This book is suppose to advise, address questions and problems that come about on a daily in a artist managers and self-managed artist. The roles of music managers and responsibilities are clarified so that they’re no confusion between the titles for people who don’t exactly know which role they want but wish to be in the field of Music Managers.

There is an international organization called The Association of Artist Managers (AAM) based out of Australia. The AAM work along side with other organizations in Australia in the areas of education and mentoring. By partnering with other organizations in Australia The AMM hope to strengthen the management industry in Australia for the benefit of all Australian artist.  

Becoming a Artist Manager and finding talent

Becoming a manager and finding talent both can be a challenge, there isn’t a particular order for the two. It’s just professional and makes more since to start the manger process first so that the talent will take you serious. To represent an artist, there are a couple of different routes. Some people start off by being interns at an entertainment company or a management company. Some people may meet the talent and the talent will bond with them because of similar interest. They both might believe in each other and see the potential for success. So sometimes that’s how the relationship forms. Sometimes it’s the talent, they might be the smartest person the talent knows. So the talent may approach the person like ‘‘you’ve always been business savvy,’’ or ‘‘you’re great with the things that I’m not so I want you to represent me.’’ Finding the talent is the tricky part. First thing you want to do is find that talent that makes good music. I’m referring to the essence of the music. The product must be solid and have meaning if you want to have a successful term. That’s also something to take into consideration because if you’re the manager you are like the spokesman for the product. So try and find an artist that has star potential. Try and find that artist that has a special niche about them. Whether it is through their music, wardrobe or live performance. That special niche is going to make your job easier and separate your artist from the competition. Once you have a talent with the ability and a special niche the presence is there. With a little polishing the battle is half way won. Next thing to look for in a talent is do they have the drive or desire to excel. Everything isn’t always going to go according to plan. Having a talent with desire outweighs a talent with intelligence. Having a talent with drive will take you far and be able to handle obstacles better.  

Customer Satisfaction

To be a good artist manager and satisfy your customers the first thing you need to do is educate yourself about the music industry. You can accomplish this by reading industry professional books, doing intern work, attending seminars, music conferences and conduct research utilizing the Internet and other study materials. As an artist manager you are responsible for the business side of an artist’s career. You must thoroughly know your field inside out in order to convey the business aspects to your client who may only have a music background. It’s the same for communicating from your client to a label. Being intelligent, having good communication and charisma are ways that can benefit you and your client. Representing a client in a professional manner can also lead to customer satisfaction. Planning skills and being able to predict an outcome of a situation is critical. Efficient budgeting is also vital to customer’s satisfaction because planning smart can save your client money and cut down on their expenses. Time management is important because time is money. Knowing how to create a schedule and prioritize the sensitivity of appointments for your client puts they’re mind at ease allowing them to focus on just making good music. So from a business-to-business (manager to artist) standpoint above are some things you can do to make your customer satisfied. From a business to consumers (artist/label to fans) standpoint, it’s still connected with a manager when dealing with customer satisfaction. If a manager doesn’t do their job then an artist can’t do theirs, which is to make good music. A manager works for an artist and is suppose to provide their client with a sense of security. When an artist has a troubled mind and personal issues its affects the quality of projects. Thus creating unsatisfied consumers and fans. Customer satisfaction starts with having a good artist manager.

The life of an Artist Manager

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.