Many persons view the role of the music manager as a lifestyle filled
with excitement, glamour and glitter, but the real hardworking music manager
will tell you that his job is no bed of roses and definitely not an easy road
to travel on. The music manager of today is a far cry from the music manager of
the old days whose focus was mainly on getting gigs for the artist and
collecting money on behalf of the artist. Artists nowadays are much more educated
and not only do they demand a lot from their managers, they also expect them to
do a lot more than what they are contracted to do.
“The manager will do whatever else is necessary to effectively advance
the career of the artist.” (Allen 47).
This is exactly what the role of the music manager should be, a role
that effectively thrusts his artist into stardom as he advances his career. If
the music manager does not have this as his main goal then he needs to step
aside from his artist and let someone else who has the heart for this take over.
What does a music
manager have to do to be effective? According to David
Elkabas in his article, ‘So what does
a music manager do, exactly?’ “Being
a music manager requires drive, determination and a passion for music.”
A
music manager has to be organized, excellent with people and understand the industry
(entertainment) as it is today (Elkabas, 2013).
I agree with this statement
whole-heartedly, a music manager in my estimation should be a people person. He
should also be able to represent himself before trying to represent another
person. The music manager must be knowledgeable about the music industry; he
should know what is trending and what is not trending. He should also know when
is the best time to launch his artist onto the market. The genre of music, that
his artist is in, will also impact on the fan base that he is seeking for his
artist, so the music manager must understand the field of music that his client
operates in (Elkabas, 2013).
The music manager has to be creative,
informed and connected in the music industry.
He
has to network and build relationships that will enhance his clients and keep
them from ridicule. The music manager has to learn how to cope well under
pressure and when someone loses his or her cool he has to make sure he does not
also lose his. He has to stay calm and know how to be strategic and put out the
fires that have been started by others (Elkabas, 2013).
The music manager also has to be a team
player because he is the one who will be coordinating the persons who are
necessary to meet the goals of his artist and the recording company; persons
such as events promoters and publicity agents (Elkabas, 2013).
My goal is to be a Contract Negotiator
in the entertainment industry, however, I can clearly see that I am also
heading in the direction of artist management. In this regards, the knowledge
that I have gleaned so far is aptly preparing me for this role. I am even
looking at some talented persons who would benefit from me taking over as their
manager. A famous Jamaican singer, the late Peter Tosh, of the famous group Bob
Marley and the Wailers, once said in a television interview, “The managers are
the damagers”.
When it comes to the career of my artist I promise to manage my artist’s career
effectively and not be a damager.
Sadablue…….
Resource
Materials taken from the following sources: Allen, Paul. Artist Management
for the Music Business. Taylor & Francis, 06/2007. VitalBook file. Elkabas,
D. (2013, April 26). So what does a music manager do, exactly?. The Guardian.
Retrieved from http://careers.theguardian.com/what-does-a-music-manager-do. http://www.artistmanagementresource.com/,
http://ramennoodlenation.blogspot.com/2012/09/peter-tosh-lifetime-of-trick-
language.html. (2012, September 11). Retrieved from
http://ramennoodlenation.blogspot.com/2012/09/peter-tosh-lifetime-of-trick-language.html
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