Every artist is an artist first and everything else typically is a distraction. Although this may be the way we artists feel and reflect on the amount of passion we have for our art, all artists must expand beyond their art or eventually it will come back to haunt us. The music business is riddled with stories of ignorant artists (Billy Joel, MC Hammer, Toni Braxton, etc) who let someone else take care of everything except their art and got screwed in the end. So where you may want a manager, you must first acknowledge that even if and when you get one, you still need to be involved in the management of your music. How much you’ll be involved is the good news.
With a manager you won’t have to do all the painstaking booking, travel arrangements and biggest of all a good manager will lighten the marketing load so you can focus more on your art. But (this is a Big But), big decisions that have to do with money and career should always be discussed with you and your bandmates if you have any and this should be understood with the manager and preferably in a written contract.
Where Do I Get A Music Manager
Ok so you’re cool with having a little bit of responsibility beyond your art, but this manager guy, where oh where and how oh how can you get one? Of course this is the million dollar question, but the answer is only worth about 50 cents because the answer is: Typically they will find you. While this doesn’t apply 100% across the board, in the majority of new manager artist relationships it is. We can discuss this in a bit, but keep in mind whether they find you or not you’ll still have to meet certain bench marks.
Artist Bench Marks
Almost no manager these days will take on an artist without you meeting certain bench marks or criteria. Having grown up with David “Beno” Benveniste, manager of System of A Down, Cypress Hill, Pepper and many other notable bands, I learned straight from the managers what they are looking for. Basically it comes down to your draw and/or your sales. If you’re drawing over 300 people consistently in your home town, word will get out on its own and if it doesn’t, any smart manager will lend an open ear to come listen to your set. And if you’re crushing over 10,000 CDs per year in sales or 100,000 downloads, once again the same applies.
This isn’t Rocket Science
You’re either hitting these marks or not. Now the big question becomes: How do you hit these marks. This requires years of training and action… touring, marketing, etc. This is the reason Music Launch Pad was created. To teach you how to hit your mark and get a manager. If you haven’t already, sign up on the right for Free, get 3 killer reports and get in on our Beta launch. You’ll learn from the pros how to market and book gigs to hit your mark in less time than you thought imaginable.
– Keith -MLP Staff wrtier