Artist managers in the music industry – do you really need one?

Managers: are they even still a thing in the music industry? And what exactly is their role? But just as important: what is the artist’s role? A lot of artists and bands don’t know when the right time is to start working with a manager. Usually, they still need to practise much harder and gig more often before it makes sense to bring in management. On top of that, musicians often jump in far too quickly when they’re approached. Manager and lecturer Martijn Crama shares his advice!

Artiesten-managers in de muziekindustrie - Heb je die wel nodig?

Push and pull

“A lot of bands think the manager does all the annoying jobs, because the musicians focus on the music. They are the artists. In a way, that’s true—but first make sure you can handle your business yourself. Later, you can bring in a manager to add structure, organise and professionalise things. Bands often feel they belong at the top and that the manager should get them there. That’s not the point. Managers with a strong network can open doors, but they’re so selective. They won’t come knocking on your door—you have to be really, really good. What it comes down to is your musical quality. Nothing is easier than putting yourself on Spotify. But often it happens too quickly—music comes second. Only a few people realise they still need to put in the hours, ask for feedback more often, and work harder on tightness or songwriting skills. Once they’ve done that, the impact is much bigger. Management is almost secondary then. Take a true breakout talent: there’s often no business document or management trajectory mapped out for them. They’re focused on the music, they make a few songs with the right people around them, and those tracks reach the right ears. Then a band like that is very easy to manage. It’s a pull instead of a push strategy. Pull means you get pulled in everywhere: do you want to be on my show? Do you want to sign with my label? Then the manager just has to say yes or no. With a pull strategy, it’s about getting the audience interested in you. Pull is the easiest—but it’s the exception. 90 percent of management is push. Basically, going out and pitching a band. But that’s exactly what makes it fun. You’re standing at the gateway to possible success. A manager has to have faith in the artist or the band. My credo is: I have to get it, believe it and feel it. There are managers and bookers who think: there’s money in this and I couldn’t care less beyond that. You see it with some children’s acts. Is a manager really going to feel much for that? It’s business. They drive off in a big car.”

Don’t bite straight away

“Does the manager want your band? You can ask the question the other way around too. If a manager shows interest, don’t bite straight away. See whether there’s more interest. Do some field research. You don’t need to do that if an established manager with a proven track record gets in touch, but if someone turns up claiming to be a manager and you Google them and nothing comes back, don’t go for it. The first isn’t necessarily the best. If a so-called manager says: ‘You’ve got a hit on your hands, I’ll take you to the top’, it makes artists glow inside. Reeling in naïve musicians is easy. They’re extremely sensitive to recognition. But the best response is: ‘Do you really believe that?’ Also, be careful with a manager who does have a good reputation—say, someone who managed a successful band back in the 80s—but then spent 25 years working in telecoms or consultancy before picking it up again. How much feel do they have for today’s scene? How much time do they spend in it? Holding back and a healthy dose of self-criticism are not a bad thing in the music industry, especially if you want to attract the right people.

Fewer managers

Not only for musicians, but for managers too, a lot has changed due to recent developments. I’m thinking of the collapse in CD sales. There’s simply less money to be made. Large, traditional management offices are much rarer than they used to be. In the UK and the US, there are still bigger management companies, but a lot of the day-to-day reality is smaller, boutique outfits—one-person businesses that manage four or five acts. In the early 2000s, the industry was a lot bigger than it was a decade later. Making money before 2000 was very easy. You only needed a calculator: this much exposure, this many shop sales at £15 a CD. In short, you had a business case. Now you have to wait and see. If you go through the roof, you can earn serious money. The managers behind major acts do well—but they also have a lot to manage. I believe in innovation in pop music. Surprise me. In the 60s, far fewer people had the opportunity to make music. Real talent stood out immediately. The supply has grown enormously. That makes it hard to spot and hear the real gems. 80 to 90 percent sounds pretty nice. Then I’ll say: they can play a bit. But is it distinctive? Is it innovative? Is this a flavour I’ve never tasted before? No.”

Selective managers

“Today’s manager is not only in it for the money. Their starting point is passion and love—investing time and constantly scouting. If I start working with someone, then I absolutely believe in it and I really dig in. I try to understand the artist. What drives them? Why do they make what they make, and do they have the guts to charge £15 for a concert ticket? If there’s a breakthrough, all that dedication and effort pays itself back threefold. It requires trust in each other and a long-term view. That’s why managers are so incredibly selective. There are, so to speak, 30,000 bands a month who want to be managed. But how many have the potential to truly break through? If you’re looking for a manager, be selective yourself too. Choose someone who fits your music—someone who knows your market. I often get emails along the lines of: ‘Hi, we’re such-and-such a band. Will you manage us?’ It frustrates me when metal bands email me. Then I think: look at who I represent—where my knowledge is. I don’t know metal labels, let alone metal journalists. To me, an email like that is spam. I’m in the songwriter corner: indie pop, little rock bands, that kind of world. I miss the mark sometimes. I’ve had acts on my radar early on. But they didn’t want a manager. We’ll figure it out ourselves, they said. Then when they grew, a bigger player jumped in. Then I thought: damn, I would’ve loved to have had them.”

Who’s the boss?

“The responsibilities of a manager are often vague. That’s why I put a gentleman’s agreement in front of the artist or band that we sign together. It’s agreements about how we treat each other. What can you expect from me? What can I expect from you? These are explicitly my tasks, and those are not. But even then, blind spots or gaps remain. That’s the dynamic. But you can make very concrete agreements about who registers neighbouring rights. Who’s the boss? That’s the best question. Not the manager, but the artist. If only because the artist can fire the manager. If a band or artist always disagrees with me, I don’t say: shut up, we’re doing it my way. I don’t rule over them. In that case we’re better off going our separate ways; then the match isn’t there. The artist remains the boss. The entire music industry exists thanks to the artist. He or she puts food on our table. Should I kick out a band member who isn’t performing? That’s not up to the manager. If something like that comes up, the group makes a collective decision. The manager safeguards the process and steers things where needed. I think it’s arrogant to say: I know a better one for you. If there’s dissatisfaction, if it starts to simmer and threatens to turn nasty behind the scenes, I step in: something’s going on, let’s talk about it.

Seen everywhere

A manager has to be demanding, especially when it comes to creativity. Play a lot, experiment a lot and dare to take risks—gig a lot, and master the skills that way. Makes sense to me. Quantity only starts to matter in specific situations, like launching an artist. An artist can play very selectively in a market and still create the impression of being “everywhere”. People will say: you see them everywhere—but that isn’t necessarily true. No, they were in the right place at the right time. Of course, that one minute on a major prime-time TV show matters—especially if it matches your timing. All the flags go up at the same time. You’re on a big BBC chat show and on a major radio station, you’re in a national newspaper, and you’re trending on Twitter. Some artists know all about it: their name is established overnight. But take the Irishman James Vincent McMorrow: fragile, miserable, with a broken voice. He gets some airplay, but he mainly benefits from a huge fanbase that keeps growing underground.”

Radio: for how much longer?

“If you want to become a massive pop hit, you can’t ignore radio—but for how much longer? I read somewhere that the manufacturer of the Ford Focus no longer builds in radios, but equips cars with a Wi‑Fi streaming service so you can load your own playlists. Suppose the car radio disappears—how many people will still listen to mainstream radio DJs? The power of that mass medium is so great because every day millions of people in traffic get those tracks pumped straight into their ears. What if advertisers notice that everyone is listening to their own playlist and no longer to the radio? Maybe it’s revolutionary thinking and I’m wrong. Then radio DJs will keep going until they’re eighty. But one thing is certain: we’re dealing with a playlist generation.

Ripped off

Band managers haven’t historically had a good name. ‘Band ripped off by manager’—who doesn’t know those stories? Pop history is riddled with them. I don’t want to trivialise them, but often it’s record labels that have held money back. Still, a personal manager—and that’s what we’re talking about—sits closest to the money streams. If they have shady intentions, they have free rein. They can change agreements or make sure information doesn’t reach the artist. Personally, I agree with artists that no money goes through my company. They receive the money from gigs into their account, and I, in turn, send them an invoice. And yes, fraud is possible. It happens everywhere, but you mostly read the stories from the music world. They make great stories for the tabloids.”