The underground music scene is evolving. New artists are being catapulted into mainstream success giving way to people who understand the culture to work behind the scenes. Music managers play a crucial role between the artist and the outside world. They build and manage the necessary relationships to facilitate the artist’s career whilst managing the diary, handling business enquiries, generating new business, and fulfilling the long term vision.
An artist is not a puppet, and a manager is not a puppeteer. A manager works on behalf of the artist, not the other way round. The only strings the manager should be pulling is in business, then getting out of the way to avoid becoming a ‘business prevention officer’.
More recently there has been a shift away from the old style music managers and a trend towards artists taking control of their own situation. This has led to a number of international megastars paying the manager a salary as opposed to the standard 15%-20% commission, and giving them a set remit and job description.
With the aid of technology and a clear understanding of their brand, these artists have, and continue to make their own decisions, create their own vision, and generate their own business. In this type of scenario a manager is an employee who oversees the artist’s business affairs.
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