A good manager can take you far, and a bad manager can destroy your career and much else besides, so here’s a few pointers.

Let’s say you have a band, you’re a tight unit with a fan-base and are playing a local circuit. Just to get to this stage takes a lot of work and commitment, and the gig is often the icing on the cake after the ge-zillion phone calls to make sure everyone can rehearse at the same time and place, plus setting up the gig, and then a ge-zillion more to do as much advertising as possible. Or you might be a solo artist with a great voice who wants to find songwriters and producers, and are plugging away at every lead possible. A manager takes the pressure off all of this work, and if they know their stuff and have true enthusiasm for your music, can help guide you toward success.

Artists on the whole love the creative side and are rubbish at promoting themselves. Which is where the manager comes in. However, a lot of the horror stories are true, with bands being ripped off left right and center, or simply being managed by a fan or friend who has no idea about the business. For, bottom line, if you want to be a professional musician, in whatever genre, it is a business, and a very competitive one. So try and find out as much about the business side as you can before you decide on a manager. Go and see a music entertainment lawyer or solicitor, and find out your options. Keep your ear to the ground. The higher up the ladder your go, the higher the stakes, the more devastating it can be when you find out you never read the small print. I know this reads like a lurid B film, hey kid, I can make you a star, but all of that stuff resonates because it’s based on truth. A positive attitude, love of music helps enormously (and honest communication within the band – every band becomes a matter of politics at one time or another), but so does being practical, knowing your stuff, and turning up to rehearsal knowing the songs and not simply getting stoned out of your gore every practice night. If you don’t do this early on, and are solid about it, then it’s very easy for everything to fall apart once the pressure is on. All basic stuff, but quite often overlooked until it’s too late.

If you’re a great band and have a good work ethic, then a fan base grows naturally, and word of mouth will get your name out there. This is often when the friend or fan offers to manage you, or a local manager hears about you and comes to the gig. If you’ve done your homework, then you’ll know what to look for. Then ask around, and find out what you can about them. If they promise you the moon, then don’t let that blind you to what you see in front of you.

Many bands and artists have found a manager from getting a promotion package together and sending it out. Bear in mind that professional managers get many, many promo packages, so it has to be presentable and to the point to grab their attention. Make a demo (see the article “Making A Demo“), get some 8 x 10 photos made (as flattering as possible and ones that represent the vibe of the band), and write a brief bio. Cold calling and sending out circulars is usually a waste of time, and will only attract the sharks looking for a quick meal, if you get any response at all. You don’t have to spend a fortune to get a package together, but it must be reasonably professional for the band to have any credence. Either send it yourself, or even better, if you have a connection with a music lawyer or solicitor, let them send it in for you. Wait a week or so before a follow up call. Professional managers are usually very busy, but will get back to you eventually with a yea or nay if they’re worth their salt. If you’re lucky enough to get interest, then first of all go to see them at their office, then ask them to a gig and go from there.

If you’re a solo artist, then the same thing applies. Get a promo package together and send it out. If and when you get a promising response, first and foremost see what their connections are, and how they see your career developing. No point signing with a manager who deals with only Emo when you’re a died-in-the-wool Country music singer. They need to put you in touch with producers and writers in your genre. Once again, ask around, try to get as much information on them as you can.

So here are the main factors to take into account:

1. What’s your instinctive feeling about them? Do you feel you can trust them? Remember, in essence, your career is in their hands.
2. What’s their history? Have they successfully managed other artists?
3. Do you respect their opinions, and do you have similar taste?
4. Could you spend a lot of time in their company? For example, an extensive tour (although, if it’s a big manager, they won’t be going on tour with you, they simply won’t have’  the time).
5. Are they a good negotiator? Have good people skills? This can work for or against you. A bulldog might get the deal done, but they also might alienate a lot of people in the process.
6. What’s their reputation in the business?
7. How long have they been in the business?
8. Are they “connected”, i.e. who can they put you in touch with? Record companies?  Producers?
9. Have they worked for a long time in the business, and do they have a lot of experience?
10. Are they a “business” or “creative” manager? Ask yourself if you need creative or business guidance.
11. See if you can find out of their other artists are happy with them, and, most importantly of all, trust their judgment!
12. Are they open to suggestion, or a control freak?
13. If they’re mega busy, will they have time for you?
14. How enthusiastic are they about the band/your particular talents?
15. Do they use well-respected and competent accountants and solicitors?
16. What about their other contacts? Promoters, publicists, agents etc.
17. Do they have working relationships with other managers?
18. How organized and professional do they seem?
19. Do they have their fingers on the pulse of what’s going on? Do they “get” you?
20. What sort of management agreement are they offering? At what rate of commission? How long is the deal for?

ALWAYS take the contract for a second and even third opinion before you sign anything.If you are happy with even a third of these questions (and actually get them answered) then that’s a wunnerful thang. There’s never any guarantees, and this might be a short term thing or they might be in it for the long haul. If you’ve done your homework, feel good about them, and are confident of what you’re signing, then that’s a great start.

Tags: business_manager, contracts, creative_manager, entertainment_lawyer, finding_a_gig, finding_a_manager, making_a_demo, producers, promotion_package, solicitor

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