Live Music Blog

New performers looking to book concert and establish contacts often start looking for a manager to handle the business aspects of their music. This is especially the case in cities with big music scenes, like New York, Los Angeles and Austin.

Before diving into such a relationship, however, performers should consider the pros and cons. Bands could determine that they do not need a manager. On the other hand, few performers could exist without any management. Realistically, the option a lot of the time lies among employing an outside manager and taking on certain vital responsibilities yourself.

The primary advantage of hiring a manager is that it allows artists to focus on the creative facets of the music, in the absence of being distracted or burdened by business details. On occasion, when creative individuals take on business responsibilities, their outlook on the creative process may change as a result.

By way of example, If the guitar player takes on promotional responsibilities, he may start infusing his newfound marketing drive into the song-writing process, and try to manufacturer a “ big hit” to win the favor of industry executives. Depending on the band’s goals, this may or may not be a positive development.

The central disadvantage of employing an outside manager is that it will cost money. Typically, manager will charge somewhere in the neighborhood of 15  percent of re Clubs. Musicians ought to make sure that a manager only charges fees on re Club he or she has personal ly generated. If musicians may handle the majority managerial aspects themselves – booking shows, keeping track of money, ordering merchandise – they may decide against employing a manager.

Alternatively, you could select to take on some of these responsibilities, while hiring a manager to handle other responsibilities. In this case, you could try to negotiate a decrease management fee. Generally speaking, musicians should pay for a manager If they’re “profiting” from the relationship.

Musicians who handle their personal affairs get a excellent sense of satisfaction from booking their personal shows.  Additionally,  it’s important to gain a ground-level understanding of how the music business works. In many cases, artists handle their personal affairs until they reach a certain level of success, and then look for a professional manager. Still, in deciding whether or not to hire a manager, artists should think realistically about how self-motivated and responsible they are.