Music Business And Managers

Image via WikipediaFor the purpose of this entry I am referring largely to independent rock bands who are performing on a regular basis. Hopefully, musicians working outside of this scope may find parts of this blog financially beneficial.


Most artists and bands want to achieve success in the music business, for instance earning enough from travelling and playing their beloved instrument to quitting their day job. Good administration is almost always necessary to achieve any measure of success in this tough business. Many musicians are intelligent and resourceful, and certainly have the capacity to manage their own affairs, but the artist that can handle all this and progress in his art without losing focus and/or sanity is rare.

The basic question is when do you need a manager?

The simple answer is....when you have something to manage. This sounds pretty obvious but it is the most

accurate answer I can give. Many artists and bands tend to seek business administration far too early in their careers, but others wait too long. Some artists and bands look for management to take over every aspect of the band's business so they can just "show up and play...". Even if the manager could do it all, bands must understand that the success or failure is solely the band's responsibility. Not the manager's.


The main reason an artist or band tends to seek a manager is because they want to be playing regular gigs as well as get extensive media attention to help promote the artist and their music. From the very first day, a good manager will be driven by an artist or band's achievements, which may be as simple as having a great song written or access to a decent PA or an opportunity to perform for an A&R scout. Any "successful" regional act will tell you that practicing and playing are only a very small part of the job of being in a band; meeting club owners, networking with other bands, and studying the music industry are just a few of many responsibilities. Remember, it's called the music business for a reason.


If you or your band is lucky enough to have a close friend outside the band with respect for the band and

music, some computer skills, motivation to succeed, and basic business knowledge, you're in luck! 


Most up-and-coming bands aren't in the financial position to pay a manager or even pay their rent for that matter, so be sure to respect the free labour you're receiving for what it is. Once your band is has established itself and written some material to perform live, utilize your resources to record a good demo tape, write a band biography, and have some professional pictures made. Basically, a killer press kit. Then, use those tools to help create some business to manage!

When you know you're ready for a manager and haven't got the full time to focus your attention on playing as well as your administration duties, its essential to find the perfect manager.

Related articles

• The Music Industry Whines About Stealing While Stealing From Artists (businessinsider.com)
• Music Business 3.0 Panel Discussion @ Full Sail University (virtualartistmanager.wordpress.com)
• DigiMusicBids.com Gives New Power to Indie Musicians (prweb.com)
• What is Your Role in the Music Business Industry? (thejrexpress.com)
• Can an artist really make a living as just an artist? (altavozdistroco.com)
• Google Music Has Unleashed New Feature: Music Artist Hub And Fan Application (subzinfo.wordpress.com)
• How artists/musicians should approach music journalists (via Julia L. Rogers & MusicThinkTank) ) (indieon65.wordpress.com)
• Musician Salary (celebritynetworth.com)

Tips To Selling Your Music Online.

In an era where digital music is frequently pirated and distributed freely around the internet, it might seem highly difficult to discover new methods of selling your tunes. Sure, there is always going to be listeners who download albums illegally, but allowing it to ruin your day or marketing strategy isn't going to help anyone. Finding true success within the digital market is by no means easy, but never impossible if you have a decent product and the right plan.

Right off the bat, you must ask yourself what about the music influences people to purchase it, and drop their hard earned cash on one of your creations. Obviously, writing material which is inspired and enjoyable is the first step, but even this might not be completely enough. Listeners need to love the music so much it's impossible to resist, and something they can't help but share with friends and family, hoping it will evoke a similar positive reaction.

Creating a deep, diverse selection of music is another critical step in making some cash off your tunes. Perhaps if some people aren't interested in one album, there's another with a slightly different style which will pique their interest. Building an impressive discography allows potential fans to experience multiple sounds and ideas, and with enough of them, they are bound to discover something they can jam to. Once someone purchases a few songs, they'll become inclined to download more, becoming thirsty for another taste of your music.

While constructing your discography, it's also significant to remember that quality will always outweigh quantity. Just because there's an extra five tracks or so you've been dying to dust off and post online for sale doesn't quite mean they're ready for public consumption. Capturing accurate emotions, feelings, and inspiring people is what truly pushes fans to spend money, and you're more likely to capture new audiences with top notch material, rather than some B-side you don't even enjoy. Making sustainable, powerful music should be the top priority, and always before a marketing or distribution plan.

Once a record or single is touched up, completed, and prepared for release, it's time to devise an effective strategy to create some buzz and compel more listeners to try out your latest product. Utilizing social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and MySpace is a free, easy method to spread the word and drive some more traffic to your web pages. Affordable and sometimes free press release services are available online as well, which help to distribute information to the appropriate music blogs, message boards, magazines and sites. Make contacts with other bands or record labels so you can reach their audiences as well. If you've created something special, people will be listening, and the reflection will hopefully become evident in your bank account.

As long as you're focused on writing and producing top notch music, there's always a way to create some income through attracting people and generating digital sales. Stay away from rushing your products out the door, and ensure each and every release is absolutely of the best quality. Marketing and promotion is equally important, but all the fancy Flash animation and website hits in the world won't make poor music profitable.

Why Sell Out Your Music Career?

Many independent musicians are known for their anti-corporate stance. It's not surprising then that the concept of "marketing" leaves a sour taste in many independent artists' mouths. The fact is though, there are ways to build your fan base and increase people's interest in and awareness of your music - without selling out. If you are an independent music maker, here are a few ways you can do some marketing without going corporate.



First, if your mindset is completely anti-marketing, you really need to change your tune. Marketing and administration does not have to equal selling out or going corporate. Finding ways to expose your ideas and creations through your songs and music to more people - marketing - shows that you believe in what you are doing.


Just stop and think about it for a moment. Doesn't what you create mean enough to you that you want to share it with other people? If not, why are you even pursuing music at all? Once you stop equating marketing and administration with these negative connotations, you can finally move on and start finding ways to promote your band that are still in-line with your ideals as an independent artist.

For starters, remember that your fans are not only your target market, but also your best promoters. Many independent musicians avoid pursuing marketing and administration because they think it means having to constantly deal with the media, promoters, record labels and other corporate types to help get the word out. If you're not comfortable with that, just skip it and go straight to the people who already are your best advertisers - your fan base. Provide them with ways to spread the word about you and your music. They will do the best job at it - and for free. Think about marketing in terms of your fans spreading their passion about you and the word loses even more of it's negative stereotype, doesn't it?


With that in mind, increasing your marketing simply becomes a matter of increasing your fan base. What could be better than that? Make sure to find out what it is about your music that attracts the fans you already have. Make sure you can describe your style of music quickly and clearly. With these tools it becomes even easier to find others who would also be interested in your music and your message. Reach out to them.


As you can see, independent music marketing doesn't need to be a dirty concept. Once you see it in terms of sharing who you are with even more people who will get pleasure from what you create, you can start using it to your advantage. Best of all you can do this using methods that don't require selling out or forgetting about your roots.

Grab your copy of "Mean Business" for ONLY $5 by entering the codeword thistle