Artist Manager

In-Depth Explanation

What is an Artist Manager?

An Artist Manager (sometimes called a talent manager or band manager) is the CEO of an artist's career. While the artist creates the music and performs, the manager is responsible for overseeing the business, strategic, and logistical elements of the artist's professional life.

A great manager acts as a buffer between the artist and the often cutthroat music industry, allowing the artist to focus entirely on their creative process. The manager is the artist's representative, advocate, negotiator, and often, their closest confidant.

The Role of a Manager

The specific duties of an artist manager evolve as the artist's career grows, but generally include:

1. Strategy and Planning

The manager helps the artist define their long-term goals and creates the roadmap to achieve them. This involves deciding when to release music, what the visual branding should look like, and which target audience to pursue.

2. Team Building

The manager is responsible for hiring and firing the rest of the artist's team. This includes finding the right booking agent, publicist, tour manager, entertainment attorney, and business manager (accountant).

3. Deal Negotiation

While the entertainment attorney actually drafts and reviews the contracts, the manager is the one doing the initial negotiating for Record Label deals, Publishing deals, merchandise agreements, and brand sponsorships.

4. Day-to-Day Logistics

For emerging artists, the manager often acts as the tour manager, booking travel, advancing shows, managing the social media calendar, and answering all professional emails on behalf of the artist.

How Do Managers Get Paid?

Unlike publicists or lawyers who usually charge a flat monthly retainer or an hourly fee, artist managers are paid on commission. They only make money when the artist makes money.

The standard management commission is 15% to 20% of the artist's gross income.

This means the manager takes a percentage of everything the artist earns:

• Record sales and Streams
• Touring revenue and Guarantees
• Merchandise sales
• Sync Licenses
• Label Advances

Note: In professional management contracts, certain expenses are usually "carved out" before the manager takes their commission (e.g., the manager doesn't take 20% of the money given specifically for tour support or recording costs, only the artist's actual earnings).

When Should You Get a Manager?

One of the most common mistakes young artists make is seeking out a manager before they have anything to manage.

If you are just starting out, playing open mics, and getting 100 streams a month on Spotify, a professional manager will not be interested in working with you because 20% of zero is zero. In the early stages, you must be your own manager.

You need a manager when the administrative work of your music career (booking shows, answering emails, fulfilling merch orders, negotiating sync licenses) begins to physically prevent you from having the time to actually write and record music. At that point, you have a business that requires a CEO.