There is a lot more involved in becoming a successful musician then just writing and playing great music.  The many tasks that are involved from finding the right studio and producer to work with, through getting your foot in the door with the media to making sure you’ve got somewhere to seep after the gig; it all adds up to a lot of work.  Getting a manager is one of the ways the workload can be shared but it is not always a recipe for success and happiness.

The history of music is littered with stories of strained relationships and financial misdeeds that should act as a warning to anyone that it’s essential to go into these things with your eyes wide open.  

The truth is, however, that not all managers are sharks looking for easy meat.  Many are highly motivated professionals with years of experience and a proven track record.  In this case it’s not hard to see how your band would benefit of the skills of such an individual.

While good management is almost certain to be the difference between success and failure, whether that’s done by the artist or someone else is another matter.

Self management might seem a little daunting but could be the best way of achieving what you want in the short term, at least.  The main requirements are focus and a methodical approach.  Besides the day to day tasks, anyone wanting to successfully manage a band needs the ability to take a detached view of things and plan a strategy to move an act forward.  This is an area where relationships can become a little strained, especially with an ‘outsider’ to the band, if both sides don’t try to see the other’s perspective.  When asking bands to change something about themselves managers really need to remember what it was about them they liked in the first place and not ruin that.  The bands, on the other hand, need to keep in mind the reason they got a manager in the first place.  If this is an ‘in house’ decision it should be a lot easier but remember to leave your ego at home.  In band fighting is a problem with many acts and it can have both positive and negative results.  Most musicians have been in bands with people that they struggle to get on with but the tension can lead to some great music.  If this is something that you can immediately relate to then finding a way to keep a lid on that has got to be your first task in management.

Solo artists should find that a lot easier – it’s hard to have an argument with yourself!  It does mean, however that everything falls on your shoulders and it can be hard to find enough hours in the day to deal with all of the work necessary.  That said, it is possible with a little bit of structure. 

For everyone going into management structure is the key.  Years of planning and hard work are behind almost every overnight success story.  Just because the press never mentions it doesn’t mean it wasn’t like that.  It just makes for a better story if a band was so good they didn’t need to try to get signed, get chart success and go on and dominate the music world.  That’s the media for you!

While at the highest end management is more about contract negotiation and artist development strategy you need to get used to the idea that if you are self managed that you are also likely to be agent, tour manager, stylist and accountant too among other things.  As you become more successful it might be time to get someone in to fill one or more of these roles but try to understand how it should be done.  You are far less likely to be taken advantage of by unscrupulous management etc if you have an idea of how things work.

While it’s obviously a huge advantage having a manager with lots of industry contacts, it is something that you can replicate to some extent with a good industry directory (like The Unsigned Guide – UK or the Indie Bible – North America and soon, our own directory) and a ballsy attitude.  It is true that directories go out of date but so do manager’s contact lists. 

The one thing that you can’t replicate is the goodwill that the better managers will have built up over their career.  It is therefore essential that you are always as good as your word.  Be punctual, reliable and easy to deal with.  If you want to play at a venue again or need to promote your second EP it’s unlikely you’ll get a positive answer from your contacts if you were late or were a nightmare to deal with the first time. 

The job of the agent is basically to arrange gigs.  That said, there are many reasons that bands play so the idea of a management strategy comes into play once again: 

What do you want to achieve?

Do you need to get experience to perfect your live show? 

Are you trying to reach out to new audiences and need to break away from your own area? 

Are you trying to promote a self released single / EP/ album? 

Are you trying to set up showcase gigs for members of the industry to attend?

Each one of the above has a very different response.  If you are trying to perfect your live show then it’s a good idea to try to book support slots in your own town with already established acts.  They will guarantee an audience and with a bit of luck the presence of a few of your friends will give you a good response while you’re finding your feet.  When you have gained more experience book some headline gigs and try to increase the length of your set list with quality material.

If you have played your own town many times, have a good live presence and set list and feel it is time to hit the road then it may be time to think about support slots again. While this can seem like a step backwards the guarantee of a reasonable turnout is always preferable to playing a full set to an empty room.  This is doubly true if the venues that you play operate with a pay to play system. 

Build up a good relationship with promoters.  Many have myspace pages and use them to promote the gigs they have coming up. 

It has already been mentioned elsewhere but is worth underlining – be reliable.  Word spreads pretty quickly about unreliable acts and it is absolutely certain that if you get a bad reputation your opportunities will dry up. 

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