Talent
To actually draw a paycheck from the music industry as a manager you’ve got to participate in the music industry.
New or aspiring managers often start out with little to no business resources so it’s important to build a solid relationship with musical resources. This is most often done by finding someone with musical talent.
Who Needs Management and Who Should I Manage?
Whether it’s a band, artist, songwriter, producer, session musician or anything else, anyone with a potential career in music, whether recorded or performed, has a need for management.
You’ve got to somehow wade through the ocean of aspiring musician to find the talented ones that:
1. Have the best chance at becoming a working musician
2. Will Generate the most revenue
You’re not just looking for talent, but authentic talent. You ideally want to find talent that:
· * has a true love of music
· * has realistic and manageable expectations
· * is willing to be managed
· * has focus
True Love of Music
It may sound corny, but if you don’t have some kind of love of music it’s pretty hard to become a talented musician.
Why would someone even start playing music or writing lyrics if they didn’t have some love for music?
Lust for fame and money motivates some people, but the people with the best chance of not only becoming working musicians, but also going further and becoming all out ‘stars’ are those with a love of music.
Expectations
Understand that being and remaining someone’s manager is a race to results; if you don’t get the talent where they expect to be, whether musically or financially, you’re not going to be able to hold on to your talent. This issue is compounded when you can’t manage the person’s expectations.
Potential deals fall through, and deals get made, but don’t provide the boost you thought you’d get. This stuff is completely normal, but you’ve got to be able to toe the line between keeping your musician excited about the future despite the road bumps you both face.
Willingness
There’s no point in managing talent that doesn't really want to be managed by you.
Signs that your talent doesn’t want to be managed by you:
1. They don’t want sign paperwork
2. They consult with other people about career moves and don't involve you in the conversation
3. They think that everyone is trying to take advantage of them
These may seem obvious, but I’ve seen managers work with talent for years under these conditions and all it does it create more work and cause more of a headache, often without generating more money.
Trust is definitely earned over time, but if you find yourself in anyone of these situations for a prolonged period of time you should cut ties or have a serious business conversation about where the relationship is going.
Focus
Most people have no idea how long the road is to success; what appears to be overnight success is often a lifetime in the making. It takes focus from the talent, and manager, to ensure that the music and financial goals laid out are achieved and sustained.
The managers who have a new plan every 6 months and haven’t even executed their old plan and the musicians that can’t maintain a creative vision are trying to get rich quick.
Managers and musicians must be able to adapt to change, but your overall campaign should remain consistent.
To actually draw a paycheck from the music industry as a manager you’ve got to participate in the music industry.
New or aspiring managers often start out with little to no business resources so it’s important to build a solid relationship with musical resources. This is most often done by finding someone with musical talent.
Who Needs Management and Who Should I Manage?
Whether it’s a band, artist, songwriter, producer, session musician or anything else, anyone with a potential career in music, whether recorded or performed, has a need for management.
You’ve got to somehow wade through the ocean of aspiring musician to find the talented ones that:
1. Have the best chance at becoming a working musician
2. Will Generate the most revenue
You’re not just looking for talent, but authentic talent. You ideally want to find talent that:
· * has a true love of music
· * has realistic and manageable expectations
· * is willing to be managed
· * has focus
True Love of Music
It may sound corny, but if you don’t have some kind of love of music it’s pretty hard to become a talented musician.
Why would someone even start playing music or writing lyrics if they didn’t have some love for music?
Lust for fame and money motivates some people, but the people with the best chance of not only becoming working musicians, but also going further and becoming all out ‘stars’ are those with a love of music.
Expectations
Understand that being and remaining someone’s manager is a race to results; if you don’t get the talent where they expect to be, whether musically or financially, you’re not going to be able to hold on to your talent. This issue is compounded when you can’t manage the person’s expectations.
Potential deals fall through, and deals get made, but don’t provide the boost you thought you’d get. This stuff is completely normal, but you’ve got to be able to toe the line between keeping your musician excited about the future despite the road bumps you both face.
Willingness
There’s no point in managing talent that doesn't really want to be managed by you.
Signs that your talent doesn’t want to be managed by you:
1. They don’t want sign paperwork
2. They consult with other people about career moves and don't involve you in the conversation
3. They think that everyone is trying to take advantage of them
These may seem obvious, but I’ve seen managers work with talent for years under these conditions and all it does it create more work and cause more of a headache, often without generating more money.
Trust is definitely earned over time, but if you find yourself in anyone of these situations for a prolonged period of time you should cut ties or have a serious business conversation about where the relationship is going.
Focus
Most people have no idea how long the road is to success; what appears to be overnight success is often a lifetime in the making. It takes focus from the talent, and manager, to ensure that the music and financial goals laid out are achieved and sustained.
The managers who have a new plan every 6 months and haven’t even executed their old plan and the musicians that can’t maintain a creative vision are trying to get rich quick.
Managers and musicians must be able to adapt to change, but your overall campaign should remain consistent.