Learn How to Find a Music Manager to Manage Your Band

Learn How to Find a Music Manager to Manage Your BandLearn How to Find a Music Manager to Manage Your BandSo, youve decided you need a band manager to help you out. Now what? Finding an artist manager is not the hard part its finding a good band manager that can be the real challenge. How do you find a music manager? Heres what you need to know. Decide If You Need One Right Now Before you pass go, ask yourself this question do you really need a manager right now? A good manager can be a vital part of your music career, but they dont come for free. When youre just getting started, management may not be the best use of your cash. Before you go manager hunting, make aya you understand what they do and why you might need one. These articles will help Enlisting Your Friends What do you need a manager to do for you? If you are looking for someone who can help you book shows, send out some demos for you, set up some digital distribution and so forth in other words, if youre at the stage of establishing yourself then you may already know your manager. Look around your circle of friends. Is there someone who knows something about the music biz, whos organized and loves your music? Bingo The downside here is that this person may need to learn as they go, but the upside is that youll have an enthusiastic manager working cheap not a bad deal. Gather Recommendations A manager has an extraordinary amount of influence over your career, so this is not an appointment you want to take lightly. If you dont know anyone who can serve as amanager or if you are past the point where you can work with a manager who learns with you, then ask around for referrals to good managers. Ask fellow musicians, do some research to landsee who manages your fav acts, ask promoters and bookers when you do your shows and so on. If you are at the point where you need a professional manager, then you are at the point where you know people who can make these recommendations. Approach Y our Short List Getting a manager interested in working with you is much like approaching a label, agent or promoter. Be ready to provide your management prospects with Your goal is to provide your prospective manager with a good idea about the kind of music you make and how far along youve come in your career on your own. Music samples - not your whole catalog, just a few of your best songs that show off your sound and your versatility. You can treat this sample much like you would a demo you would send to a label.BiographyPress clippings, if you have any Follow Up Now, managers get inundated with pitches from musicians, so dont go calling them every hour, on the hour, the day after you send in your info. Give them a week or two, and if you havent heard anything, follow up. Ask if they have received the package and if they need any more info. It is ok to follow up at respectable intervals until you get an answer (or the impression that youre not going to get an answer, which ma y happen sometimes). Just try not to come on too strong and be sure to respect the fact this person is probably busy. Patience is your friend at this stage in the operation. Meet and Discuss Lets say you send a package to a manager who is interested in working with you. Your next step is to have a meeting with the manager-to-be to discuss your goals and how they would be able to help you reach them. You also need to know the details of the financial arrangement the manager is seeking. In addition to being sure that this manager is on the same page with you in terms of direction, you need to be sure that there is some kind of chemistry between you all. You may be spending a lot of time with your manager, and you all need to be able to have open and honest communication. Sign a Contract For your sake and for the sake of the manager, you should never enter into any sort of management deal without a contract. If youre working with a friend and you dont have the money for a lawy er, its ok to work on a contract together that makes everyone happy. If youre working with a manager with more experience and they hand you a complex contract, get legal advice. Never, ever, ever sign a contract you dont understand, and never, ever, ever work with a manager without a contract. Tips and Things to Know If possible, when you get management recommendations from people, get them to make an introduction for you. Things will be a lot easier if you dont have to cold call people. It is important to have the same sort of music industry philosophy as your manager. If your manager is more experienced in the business than you, then you will be able to learn a lot from them. However, if, for instance, youre seeking chart music stardom and theyre committed to the indie music scene, or vice versa, then the relationship is not going to work for either of you. Remember that you are choosing a manager while they are choosing you. You dont have to jump on board with the first manag er that comes along if youre not sure that it will work. A manager is almost like a member of your band - the best management relationships click on the professional AND personal level. Need help figuring out if you and your potential manager see eye to eye? Check out these questions to ask a manager. Before you approach managers, have a good idea of what you need from them. If youre trying to land a deal, then a manager who has lots of contacts at labels is a good choice for you. If you have a deal on the table and need someone to walk you through negotiations, then a manager with that sort of experience should be high on your list. Managers have lots of different styles, and some are more hands-on than others. Before you try to hire someone, make sure you have an idea of the job description. When youre putting together information for potential managers, dont try to create a package that you think gives the right answers. Yes, you do want to put your best foot forward. However, if , for instance, youre a folk band and youre approaching a hip-hop manager, dont go out and record some verses for your demo. You need a manager who gets what youre doingand the only way to find someone like that is to give them an honest representation of your work. Youll find the right manager. Spinning things to try to match yourself to a particular manager is never a good call. What You Need to Get Started DemoPress KitBio