TPS #039: What Does the Artist Manager Represent?
Author: Andre Mullen - 2 min Read
Read Time: 2 minutes
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💡 Big Ideas:
1. The 3 aspects artist managers represent for their client’s business are opportunity, credibility, and sustainability.
2. Artist managers are essential to the business development and sustainability of their clients.
3. Great artist managers manage their client’s creativity and their business.
4. Managing an artist client’s creativity and business is the art of artist management.
“Artist managers, you are the business…”
“The only reason I work with you is because you deliver every time.”
After the music supervisor hung up, I was still in shock.
My client’s song was going to be in a feature film.
The placement was $25,000.
It was my client’s first sync placement from their catalog
And my biggest sync payout at that point in my career.
After he hung up, I realized something very powerful…
I AM my client’s business.
It was time to level up.
Managers, time to get serious about the business.
In today’s newsletter, I’m going to talk about the 3 things artist managers represent for their client’s business.
As an artist manager, you are essential to the business development and sustainability of your artist clients. Knowing and understanding business – especially the business of music – is important in building longevity for your artist client. Your responsibility to your clients is to create business models from their creative ideas.
When artist managers neglect the business, they neglect their responsibility to their client.
“A great artist manager manages their client’s creativity and their business.”
Managing your client’s creativity and business is the art of artist management.
As your client evolves and grows in their creativity, your role as the business representative becomes more and more vital. Your client will come into view and so will you as the face of their business.
Here are 3 aspects you represent for your client:
1. Opportunity
2. Credibility
3. Sustainability
The above aspects may seem “no-brainer”. However, when taken seriously and applied, each of them could change and elevate the career of your client.
Let’s look at each aspect in detail:
#1: Opportunity
Representing your client’s business with integrity increases opportunities for your client.
As an artist manager, you help clients oversee and meet their long-term goals. In the traditional artist management model, managers find opportunities to market their client’s music. In the current music climate, artist managers manage smarter by creating opportunities for their clients that yield a positive return on investment (ROI).
Additionally, these initial opportunities create more opportunities. These effectively increase your client’s visibility and exposure to their fanbase and possible business collaborations.
How you handle working with third parties connected with these opportunities is what directly creates and gives you access to more opportunities.
The rise in opportunities directly results from your consistent and diligent approach to your client’s business and overall career.
#2: Credibility
The main reason why most artists want an artist manager is due to the credibility a manager has with their own network as well as third parties.
Credibility is the QUALITY of being trusted and believed in. (emphasis mine)
Your position as both the middleman and representative increases your client’s credibility. Your own credibility with your network and resources augments that credibility a hundred-fold.
The way you have conducted business in the past and presently is what enables you to get in certain doors and opportunities for your client.
Your client is working with you because they understand you have a level of credibility they themselves do not. This is what makes you an asset.
How you consistently handle your client’s business with third parties increases your credibility.
#3: Sustainability
Every artist wants to be able to make a career doing music. Whether it is producing, songwriting, performing, etc., the goal is for music to serve as the means by which they make a living.
This is sustainability.
Sustainability in your client’s business is achieved when the business pays for expenses, salary/salaries, and generates a profit.
As an artist manager, this is both your duty and goal to achieve.
The music industry, as you well know, is made up of many moving parts. Many of these parts – i.e. publishing, booking, touring – are essential to your client’s financial picture.
Because of this, it is very challenging and even difficult for your client to achieve sustainability on their own. This is why your understanding and application of processes and systems become very important to their success.
The only way your client will achieve the level of success they desire is for their business to be in place to scale.
You are their business.
You have to be ready and equipped to do so.
I’m rooting for you.
Hope that 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 600+ 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.