TPS #036: The 3 Stages of Artist Management
Author: Andre Mullen - 2 min Read
Read Time: 2 minutes
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💡 Big Ideas:
1. There are 3 stages of management all managers go through in their management careers.
2. The stages include inspiration, growth, and maturation.
3. Artist managers who know what stage they are in will ultimately know how to achieve success.
4. The most successful artist managers understand their business moves through stages.
Let’s Talk About Developing Artist Management…
In today’s newsletter, I want to talk about the 3 stages of your journey in artist management and advice on managing yourself at each stage.
Artist management is one of the toughest and impactful positions in the music industry. In this current music climate – where supply far exceeds demand – being self-aware is very important.
Managing an successful artist requires you to have some awareness of where you are in your own journey as an artist manager.
Knowing what stage you are in will help you in how you interact, engage, and ultimately achieve a series of successes with and for your client.
This self-awareness aspect is critical and without it, many artist managers fall short in managing their client effectively.
Time to change the narrative.
“The most successful artist managers understand their business moves through stages.”
It is my strongly held belief that artist management must go through stages.
Stages of artist management speak directly to how your management business and your artist client’s business change throughout the course of your relationship.
In my years as an artist manager, I have personally witnessed my management business move from one stage to the next. These stages play a significant role in your development as an artist manager and the success of your artist client.
As an artist manager, your management business goes through the following 3 stages:
1. Inspiration
2. Growth
3. Maturation
Each of these stages require you as the artist manager to adopt a mind and skill set to meet the needs of each particular stage. Both the mind and skill set you incorporate will give you the ability to build yours and your client’s business.
Let’s look at each stage and what you need, one by one.
Stage 1: Inspiration
Inspiration is the first stage of artist management.
Inspiration is important because, well, after all, it’s the reason you are managing an artist or a number of artists.
It is your WHY.
In most cases though, the “why” of most artist managers is short-sighted and doesn’t have enough to sustain itself during tough times and adversity. Having your “why” firmly rooted in several questions provides a both a commitment to the work and a persistence to push forward.
Support your “why” by working with an artist whom you’re passionate about inspired by, and genuinely believe in.
In my early years as an artist manager, I have worked with a number of artists with whom I wasn’t inspired by. It ultimately showed up in the quality and quantity of work created and done for my client.
Talent and work ethic don’t mean as much as an artist with a messy character. Consider your client your muse -they should be inspiring you to work on their behalf.
Stage 2: Growth
Growth, the second stage of artist management, is a very important stage in your artist management career.
This is the stage where mindset and skillset meet.
As you begin to grow yours and your client’s business, you will have to adopt a mindset for growth. This mindset will include preparing yourself for the long game.
Overnight success doesn’t happen overnight.
Just as you have to prepare your mindset, you will need to prepare your skillset to accommodate growth.
This entails building systems that help you organize and manage yours and your client’s business. These systems include some of the following:
1. Idea systems
2. Content systems
3. File management systems
4. Metadata systems
In order to experience growth and gain momentum doing so, you will need to have systems in place, giving you the ability to achieve and surpass your goals.
Stage 3: Maturation
The final stage of artist management is maturation.
Maturation is the process of maturing.
The artist management process is one that is continually developing and growing. It’s organic. As such, it is important for you to embrace that growth.
Go all out with fine tuning your systems and processes that provide the foundation for you and your client’s business. Examples of this including building out your newsletter, starting a podcast, and/or building and showcasing your website.
Establishing your client and your authority is a sign of maturation.
Hope this helps.
✋🏾When you’re ready, there are 3 ways I can help you:
1. Schedule a 1:1 Growth Strategy Call with me on growth, strategy, content, and monetization.
2. Promote your business to 500+ artists, artist managers, and founders by sponsoring this newsletter.
3. Here on my website, I have resources that can help. Check out The Playbook for more information.