July 1, 2010 How to Find A Music Manager
An incredibly poorly named article but one that seemed to be well received.
How do I find a music manager? How do I find a booking agent? I just need to find someone to get my music to the next level. I’ve heard these questions and statements before and fifteen or so years ago I sounded exactly like this. As it turns out I wound up on the industry side of the fence and traded in the crowded smelly van for a record company desk job but I do have some answers for you. Chances are you won’t like what I am going to tell you but I implore you to keep reading.
Let’s start at the very beginning – do you have anything to manage? I know – sounds like a stupid question, but is it? I’m not asking you if you have lots of work that you could use help with, nor am I making light of the pure volume of work that is the creation of both recorded and live music. What I am asking you is do you have something ready to bring to market that needs managing or are you still building out your product? There is no shame (I’ll repeat it again) NO SHAME in being in the developmental phases of your career. We live in an instant gratification kind of world, which is why when I write articles like this I know statistically that a majority of people won’t have made it this far because they were looking for a “get famous now” button. Take your time and develop your product – this will help you rise above the MILLIONS of other people who went out to guitar center purchased their first instrument and recording gear and had the first song they ever wrote up on MySpace the next day hoping for some kind of miracle won’t ever come.
Back to management – let’s talk about what you should have together before even considering approaching someone to invest in your career. *** Notice I said invest because whether or not they spend a dime on you management is an enormous expenditure of someone’s time*** Before approaching anyone to manage you- have most of these together:
- No apology recordings of your music
- Professional looking photos of you or your group
- A basic – findable website (custom URL) you can update yourself
- A Mailing list and a place where people can sign up on said list
- A social network presence (twitter, facebook, myspace, youtube)
- Live performance footage (preferably in front of a crowd)
- A well written bio highlighting your accomplishments
These are the building blocks and the marketing materials you will use over and over and over again. There are no words, no email sales pitch and probably not even naked photos of an executive in compromising positions that will get you taken more seriously than having the items above in place. Many of these items can get pricey so do your homework and shop around if you feel that any of these items are best done by work for hire. Having these materials will get your more gigs, will get you taken more seriously by your peers and potential fans and ultimately (if you have a product people want) will help you build a business in music.
“Okay – wait – isn’t this super basic? Does he think we are Idiots?” No, absolutely not. All I can tell you is that if you buy into Google querries as a representative sample of the population (I do) it would seem that aspiring musicians are searching for the wrong things to get ahead. Check out what people search for online for music related terms according to a Google AdWords querry in June 2010:
Term: “Get My Music Heard Online” Global Monthly Searches: less than 10
Term: “Get more people to my shows” Global Monthly Searches: less than 10
Term: “Make a Living In Music” Global Monthly Searches: 46
Term: “Marketing My Music” Global Monthly Searches: 110
Term: “Get a Music Manager” Global Monthly Searches: 590
Term: “How to Get A Record Deal” Global Monthly Searches: 18,100
Draw your own conclusions but I think too many people are looking for a shortcut to fame that barring an act of God or Justin Bieber just doesn’t exist.
I wrote several articles in this increasingly poorly named series on my website. Feel free to check out part two on how to get a music manager.
Reader Comments (68)
My Real Name is Fedner Auguste well this is my stage name for coming a new singer That will be amazing if i have one im from Ottawa, Canada im 16 years Old if i could have a manager because having a manager would help me and give me confidence to get to the next level of a music my email is ::::: Fednerauguste@outlook.com
HI ALL,
To those who say they sing and want a manager, you wont get one on here.
Make a video of your best song put it on You Tube,
It better be very good otherwise, you are wasting your time.
It takes years to write great songs let alone perform them.
Be prepared for lots of heartache even if you are great, and then lady luck plays a part.
Please do gigs, because if you dont you will never get anywhere.
Hi my name is anna . I love to singe alot it is my favorite thing to do .. I can sing english and brazilian so please help me call me (732)328-7765
hi im singer and i have 32 years old im living in marseille france and im looking for mannger in the us to help me to start my career.this my phone number to contact me0033753717731.and im waiting for ur answer with much patient.
karim rai.
trying to get my cd sold . iam on itues cd baby and more . the cd is called [beyond the stars] 4 songs so far . my artist name is ness cashman . need help getting notice . i draw watercolor sunset and more. that link is yessy.com art is under the real name.ernesto manfredonia also on fondmyself.com. is thair some talent agent or asome one who can help me get roll'en google ness cashman on cd baby check out my songs and art if you can. thanks!
hello i am a 26 year old ugandan rnb' english song writer and singer, i am in need of a manager/ promoter to help boost my career. my email is denivamy@gmail.com thanks.
Hi i am Nelly Baka an 11 year old girl turning 12 in three weeks. I am searching for someone out there is willing to be my manager. I am a singer, songwritter and a piano player. I have currently written six songs ready to realise an album. I currently live in Nairobi, Kenya. If you would love to reach me my facebook page is Nelly Baka and my number is +254733770879
Django Mega Star Artist of Music/ Band / Dance House/ i am my own Songwriter after 7 years doing Music now looking for a Manager...you can find more imformation about me in YouTube.com and Facebook or Soundclouud.com or just goole ( Django Star ) If you are Music Manager looking for a good Artist One
please contact me.
E.mail djangostar.show@hotmail.com
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Hi, great article . What if you're not sure of your talent level ? I truly haven't been able to find people to play with . Here's some of what I can do https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=776612105709670 thank you .
There has been a lot of good advice , but lets stick to the basics , you could do everything that people have commented about , and still not find a manager . Lets face it , i could have done everything possible , i then telephone several artist management groups and still have no joy at all. The key thing is the magic , artist managers want the magic ,and if you dont have the magic it does not matter what you have behind you , so lets slow down before we start confusing people who do have the magic , so 1 song and a cheap video can be enough if you have the magic.
I was wondering if I could in touch with a music producer because I love to make music but I would love it even more if over people got to hear my music I'm 11 years and I really want to make music for people to buy on iTunes or listen to on the radio
Contact me at my email address
angelavcuellar@yahoo.com
Hi I'm a student at Urban prep Academy Bronzeville campus and in a school choir trying to keep my talent alive and I just want a manager to help me have a dream in music period to have a dream and make it come true is so amazing to me like if I give up on myself I won't know what to do but hey it's the way of life we all got to deal with things so u just need a big push to set my goals off.My number is 773-571-4090 contact me when you get the chance. Email dbarksdale109@gmail.com
Helo Eliane 15 Year Old Im Looking For A Music Manager U Cotact Me On Razoblink@gmail.com or facebook; Lino Da Blink Jr Or Phone Contact;+237 74771333
I have a friend that is a very good singer. She's 14 Hispanic and has long black hair . If you would like to get ahold of me to be her manager my insta is JESSICAW0821.
Hay im a 16 years old and im looking for a manager please if your interested please contact me at yg_goy@yahoo.com hope y'all can help me . I would really like it if one of y'all would help me look for a manager also and i'll be much more glad of that so soon and thankso (∩ ω ∩) o
Are you a upcoming artist that is looking for Record Label deal, and you have a demo and you are looking for a record label to sing you
OHK record label is out by skales. if you are interesting of it contact Ohkskales@gmail.com or call manager in charge on +2348077513678
A lot to be said here. I have been lucky enough to have my wife manage my music career. She's my agent, advisor, roadie and drives. I have been a Singer-Songwriter -Guitarist-Recording Artist for well over 25 years now. Music has been our life. We've also seen a lot of the World and been to and stayed in places I would never had been able to afford. It has been a bit of work, but I will be putting out my 16th Album this fall. As for my lady she works very hard at it and always has my best interest at heart. I have used a few outside booking agents, but for the most part Mary handles everything, but the music. I would also like to say the agencies I have used to book gigs pretty much stink. And most Personal Manager's are never gonna put the hard work into developing a young artist. It takes special people on both ends of the spectrum. So my advice to younger musicians is to take it slow. You will not be the person you are now at 14 when you're 24. Enjoy life. Good Luck I hope you make it. Peace, M.A.