7 Qualities to Look for in a Good Music Manager

Now that you’ve got a solid band, and some songs to back you up it’s time to look for a manager. Of course, you could try managing your own band, but if you want to get places and make money, searching out a good music manager is essential.

The band manager’s responsibilities include financial planning, publicity and marketing and acting as your personal advisor in all band-related business ventures. There are many qualities you can look for when looking for an excellent manager—someone who will stand by your band and help you find success.

1. Experience

When you’re first starting off you may come across or be approached by potential managers looking to get into the business. While it’s always great to help a friend out, you need someone with the experience and knowledge of how to make it in the music business. Music management covers everything from booking your tours to making sound business decisions, choosing your label to helping you pick out the right songs to put on an album—and everything in between.

Check your potential manager’s roster, and see what other artists they’ve managed or are currently managing. Ask a lot of questions about their plans and aspirations for your band, and make sure they’re not just talking out of their backside.

2. Trustworthiness

Your music manager will take care of nearly everything for you, from transportation to bookings and beyond. Choose someone you feel good about, and know that you can trust with your career. If you’re not 100 per cent sure, keep looking. The trust factor has to be mutual for this relationship to work.

Some of this you can rely on gut instinct, and some of it you can attribute to the above category: experience. Ask yourself if this is the person you’d trust to run your life for you, transport you around the world, and book packed shows. Do they seem humble, but able to stand their ground against pushy salespeople and promoters? See how they conduct other business relationships.

3. Enthusiasm

Your manager will act at times as part of the band, helping you to pick songs for the album as well as marketing your product! You want someone who is excited to be there, and is interested in the music you’re making. Your music manager’s input, especially if they have experience in the business, can be essential in getting radio play or press coverage. A great manager wants to be there with you every step of the way, kind of like a dad.

4. Well-Connected

This can tie into experience. A music manager with good connections in the industry will not only get your career going faster but will also lend to better publicity, and ins for live performances. They should be able to find you a studio, a booking agent, PR rep or a gig without any wasted time. Someone with good connections, and this means good connections and not just being able to rattle off a list of names, will be able to find you opportunities you would not be able to find yourself.

5. A Good Human Being

This factor can often be overlooked when choosing a music manager. Someone who is a good human being, is liked by people and is accessible and approachable signifies a person who will be trustworthy and reliable. Oftentimes a band manager will step in and act as the cheerleader, psychiatrist and shoulder to cry on, and someone who does this well will make your whole team feel closer. A close knit team is solid and can withstand hardships.

6. Financially Responsible

Pick a manager who knows how to handle finances, above all else. Many, many bands have unfortunately lost a lot of money because of irresponsible financial management. This includes everything from signing with a label, to touring and recording expenses, to their own cut in your income.

A music manager makes their money from part of your income. If you don’t see any money, then they shouldn’t either. Do not get wheeled and dealed into some contract that offers them more than you receive.

7. Firm Business Person

Experience will bring a manager knowledge of how to make sound and profitable business decisions. Personal traits, education and good business instincts may be the difference between your band making it or breaking up. Make sure your manager is not a push over, or has the overeager need to please—unless it’s you they’re dealing with. Choose a manager who knows how to get what they want, where they want and when they want it. Negotiation skills are key.

Above all, you want a manager who will work with you and has your best interests at heart. This can be a lifelong relationship, so think of your manager like family. How will they fit in and lead your group to success? By looking for these seven essential traits and skills you’ll be on your way to not only making great music, but great music that everyone hears.

Source: Music Marketing [dot] com

Want to stop the decline of music sales? Then do this…

Source: www.pampelmoose.com

What you see above is the Brian Eno double-vinyl, double-CD plus hardbound book and free MP3 downloads package that I ordered a couple of months ago from Bleep in the UK. All the above was only $54.00 plus shipping. I say only because I believe this package and the added value it brings to the musical experience is worth far more than $54.00.

So here’s a question for musical artists and music fans – is it better to sell 1,000 value-added music packages at $54.00 for a gross of $54,000, or is it better to try and sell 5,000 regular CDs at $10.00 for a gross of $50,000?

Before you answer that question it’s worth contemplating the “added value” portion of it first. At first glance you could argue that of course it is better to sell 5,000 or more CDs but how do you put a price on perceived fan value? Think about how a fan would most likely always return to buy each new package you release if the fan perceives that the additional value is worth the extra dollars.

I know that I always do that.

[Update]
I decided to revisit this post after replying to some of the comments. The first thing that I want to make clear is that I was not expecting bands to start releasing a media package that costs $54.00. I was hoping to start a conversation around the idea of “added value” as an option rather than relying on the tired “CD-only in a jewel case option.” I also wasn’t expecting to hear from someone like Ben from Kill Rock Stars who left a comment below that includes this zinger “i think this idea works in the fantasy world where everybody works at ad agencies and has a lot of disposable income.” Really Ben?

I happen to work at a brand agency so maybe this is just a coincidence although I suspect not, but what discretionary income I have (and believe me it’s probably not what you think it is..) I spend mostly on music and hardcover books. Ben goes on to say “for those of us living off of under $1k a month these deluxe packages aren’t appealing.” I don’t buy into that argument as it really has nothing to do with my point. For anyone living on less than $1k a month I would expect that there would be very little if any discretionary spending beyond basic needs. But I have to challenge Ben, who by his email address appears to work for Kill Rock Stars: why does that label sell great albums by great artists on Amazon for $5.00? If that’s not devaluing artists’ work and also repeating the mantra that music must be almost free, then what is it? Where is the “value” in that, in the discount?

Another weak argument amongst the comments is the usual “well they’re big artists already so of course they can do that.” That is defeatism pure and simple. My original point is that by adding value you provide more reason for someone to purchase your music, you can most likely increase your margin on the sale, and you will also most likely benefit from word of mouth and further purchases from a satisfied fan. It may be as simple as deciding not to press CDs but to press vinyl instead and sell the record with a coupon to download free MP3s. It may be that if you have CDs for sale at your concerts you don’t put a price on them and you accept whatever the fan can afford to pay. Don’t take my word for it, ask this relatively unknown band – it works. Ben Taylor, on tour, did it and he sold way more.

I consider this a forum for sharing ideas about music and musicians; if musicians want to make a living selling music they’re going to have to start being creative and maybe record labels should stop devaluing their artists’ work?

Educational Articles

We stumbled onto a pretty helpful resource out there for Record Labels, Musicians, and More. The articles have been written by Peter Spellman and he also operates his very own blog that also provides tons of helpful posts. If you want some extra knowledge and insight from a professional in the Music Industry then these are great resources to help stimulate your brain. To access his articles click here. For his blog, click here

Sharooz describes how to run a digital label

SoundsToSample is a pretty great site for samples. They also post some pretty helpful articles pertaining to the music industry. We thought this would be a great addition to our Education section as it can definitely help new and established labels. The article starts: “So you’ve registered your label and you’ve got your releases lined up, but what’s the next step? DJ, producer and label boss Sharooz guides you through contracts, copyright and collecting your cash.” To read the complete article on SoundsToSample, Click here

When Two Bands Have Exactly the Same Name…

Often times we have seen some DJ / Producers stating that they had a name before another DJ / Producer. We found another great conversation / article on DigitalMusicNews.com that we thought might be helpful and explain what some can do, etc. The article is geared more towards Bands but it’s still a helpful article.

It starts out as: It’s one of those situations that you hope never happens to you. But let’s face it: with millions of bands online, there’s actually a decent chance another active band has exactly the same name as you. And the likelihood increases if you are managing or working with several groups.

So what do you do? Before this conflict occurs, proper trademarking and registration can go a long way. And, the band that understands these processes best has a better chance of keeping their identity – or choosing a better one from the start. The following is another excerpt from the upcoming book, The Future of the Music Business (3rd Edition) by Steve Gordon (pictured below), slated for publication in April. Hal Leonard is the publisher.

Warning: this is an extremely exhaustive review! Click here to read the entire review.

What to do when someone steals your song…

Our good friends over at DigitalMusicNews.com just posted up a very useful piece that we believe our Label Partners and Artists should read. From time to time, we see reports of music being stolen or “ripped off” from artists and labels we represent and while our contracts state that we cannot get involved, we do not hesitate to point our clients in the right direction and help as much as possible. With this said, what are the steps you should take if your music is stolen? Check this piece out by clicking here and you can find out more!

A Brief History of Musical Disruption…

The following was written with Anthony Accardo.  Graphics by Mike Niemczyk. This post originally came from DigitalMusicNews.com, check out the latest industry news on their website by clicking here.

The music industry is certainly navigating though interesting times, but are these the most disruptive of times? Shifting from discs to digital is no small matter, though a stroll through history reveals some seriously seismic shifts – potentially on a grander scale than what we’re currently experiencing.

There’s no question that the physical music format has been ‘disrupted’ at least a handful of times since the gramophone first appeared. But moving from one playback mechanism to another is mostly small potatoes – at least on the larger historical stage of musical disruption. In fact, a closer look shows that the last time the fundamental economics and balance of power shifted so drastically was about 90 years ago. That was when Tin Pan Alley, a music publishing powerhouse rich with sheet music sales, first felt threatened in the Roaring 20s.  Within a few decades, publishers were playing second fiddle to the recording industry. This was a drastic shift. For starters, the fundamental way that people consumed music changed with the radio and the gramophone. Previously, having music in the household required an investment in a piano and then sheet music – that is, if you could afford it.

This next part may sound familiar. Although Tin Pan Alley saw this disruption occur, they didn’t realize the grave threat and didn’t make any significant changes until it was too late. By the end of the Great Depression, LP manufacturers were on their way to displacing centuries of publishing control and establishing their hegemony. This would remain unchallenged until the early 21st century.

Over the ensuing decades, one format bled into another. But these shifts were less dramatic: each physical format transition added something new in terms of quality and portability, but preserved two main elements of consumption. The first was that the consumer was typically forced into buying a physical bundle. And once purchased, the buyer couldn’t pirate beyond an immediate physical network of people.

Of course, that’s all history now. But if history is any guide, massive transitions take time. Recorded music first appeared in the 1890s, yet didn’t fully displace Tin Pan Alley until almost 1950. Looks like here in 2010, digital distribution is merely entering its adolescence.

Here’s a deeper historical dive…

Want to sound like the Swedish House Mafia?

Everyone is becoming a fan of these guys and for good reason! Their anthem filled music is being played from “Miami 2 Ibiza” and now you too can try and emulate and copy their sound! I bet we will see a ton of imitators here! Regardless, pretty cool and fun video here. The tutorial is just one of S/T/S’s many how-to offerings, along with wobble dubstep bass, producing Dirty Dutch leads, making FX uplifters and downshifters, and much more.

This Just In: iTunes moving to 90 second clips!

Great news for our label partners and artists. iTunes (and Apple) will be increasing the length of music clips on their system from 30 seconds to 90 seconds! We have just received the notification from Apple that this will be happening soon and are very excited to report the news as we firmly believe this is a decision that will show an increase of sales for our partners. Below is an excerpt from the email we have received.

“We are pleased to let you know that we are preparing to increase the length of music previews from 30 seconds to 90 seconds on the iTunes Store in the United States. We believe that giving potential customers more time to listen to your music will lead to more purchases.”

As stated, we believe this is great news for all involved as it provides the consumer more time to preview the material they wish to buy. We don’t have an official word if this is for the entire iTunes WW but at least for USA it is coming soon. Also, if you are a record label and/or artist and you would like to to market your material further on iTunes, then all you have to do is click here to create direct to release links!

iPod, iPhone, iPad, iTunes, Apple TV, and the Apple logo are trademarks of Apple Inc. For more information on Apple and iTunes, visit www.apple.com

SymBlog.com is the official blog and news source for Symphonic Distribution and its label partners. The blog is hosted on the SymIntranet.com brand which provides free education, marketing, and access to the in house systems built by Symphonic Distribution.

An interesting outlook on a record label

Symphonic Distribution recently signed up a new label by the name of Expat Records. We really are excited about this new signing as they have an interesting and unique outlook on how to run a label. We searched the net and also ran into a Q&A that the label owner had that we thought would be a good read for all labels. Check it out and perhaps consider some of what Jeff Libby of Expat Records is speaking about!

Click here to check out the Q&A