Do You Need a Manager??

As a musician, chances are you've considered getting management. After all, everyone knows the names of music managers who are just about as famous as the artists with whom they work, and it's definitely true that a band manager can help open doors for you. But how high on your to-do list should "find a music manager" be?

First, you should know that there are definitely things a manager can bring to the table even very early on in your career. In the beginning stages of your music career, the biggest thing an artist manager can offer you is the chance to focus on your music. After all, they don't call it the music BUSINESS for nothing - there's a lot of hard work that goes into building a music career.

For musicians, juggling all of the responsibilities of getting a career off the ground while trying to stay creative is a struggle. Often, musicians find themselves chasing down promoters or pitching to journalists all day long, at the expensive of practicing, writing new songs or recording. A manager can take all of that pressure off by handling the business side of things so that the musicians get to focus on being creative.

Of course, in addition to being someone who can take care of some of your business related responsibilities, a good manager is one who has some contacts that can help you in your music career. This is where it gets tricky in weighing up how important a manager could be for you. Finding a manager who meets both of these criteria takes one thing that is often in short supply for up and coming musicians - money.

So in my experience your best option for management are these:

·         Working with a friend who is a fan of your music who is willing to help you manage some of the business side of your career. This kind of manager can be someone who wants to get a start in the music industry themselves, and you can grow your careers together. Your friend will be getting valuable experience and making good contacts so they can move on to other management work in the future, and you'll progress more quickly in your music career since they'll be shouldering some of the work for you.

Happy April Fool's Day, See you on Monday....

Rory

http://www.thenextsoundyouhear.com/