If you are a budding artist trying to find your way in the musical world, chances are you will face a lot of challenges and obstacles along the way. Making a name for yourself in the music industry won’t be a walk in the park, especially if you’re an aspiring artist with little to no experience.
For some, gaining fame isn’t too difficult. A small portion of lucky artists was discovered by a manager after doing a gig at their local pub. Some were even noticed because of their YouTube covers! God-given talent along with the help of a well-connected manager can help an artist become a rising star with a lot to offer the world.
Other aspiring musicians, on the other hand, need to work extra hard. They may need to pull out all the stops, from promoting themselves on social media to finding gigs where they can showcase their talents, to making a deliberate attempt to build a fanbase in order to thrive in the music industry. If you’re doing all of that yet you still haven’t made any headway in your career, you may end up questioning yourself and your ability to make it as a musician.
Perhaps at this juncture, you badly need a manager to help you make your dreams come true. But don’t fall prey to some random person who will only damage your reputation and take advantage of your earnings through commission. Here’s how to find a great manager who can help you take your career to the next level:
Social Media Platforms:
The truth is, social media platforms are a great avenue to showcase your talents, promote your gigs, and create a fanbase. However, having a following on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram doesn’t mean that you are successful. Perhaps you’re only known online but you’re ignored on stage at the local cafe. Having lots of followers on social media doesn’t mean much if you aren’t able to do your thing in the real world.
That’s where a manager comes in. There are legitimate managers working hard on their clients’ behalf, whether they’re posting on social media accounts, sending out emails, or lining up gigs. When you hire a legitimate manager, you could end up on TV, ready to release your first single before you know it. That’s why it’s important to hire someone who won’t take advantage of you and who will do everything in their power to help you get to the top.
Live Shows:
What better way to showcase your talent and promote yourself than to perform live? Don’t you want your fanbase to see you up close and personal? Live gigs will help you grow your following even more. The catch is that 99.9% of the time, live shows can break an artist or band if something goes wrong such as being terrible at performing live.
That said, you need a good manager who will help you build a team, which includes a booking agent and a record label, among others. When your manager is trying to get someone to join your team, he or she may have to let that person see you perform live. In fact, booking agents take in live music almost every day. Although this means you’ll have a great opportunity to prove yourself, it also means that you’ll be out the door in 10 minutes if you can’t deliver. That can also put your manager’s name at stake. So at the end of the day, it’s a collaborative effort. You do your thing and deliver great performances and the rest is up to your manager!
Find a Great Manager:
Finally, there’s a bunch of managers out there who can make you a star. However, that doesn’t mean they’re good. Some of them might prove to be unscrupulous. For every good egg out there, there are just as many bad apples. If you’re really desperate to go mainstream, you might eventually fall prey to one who offers nothing but an enticing deal. That said, you should be careful when choosing a manager.
Typically, management deals pull commission from almost every part of your revenue stream, and some will do so in perpetuity. Managers work on commission, which incentivizes them to generate revenue for you. Do you see how your performance as an artist has a ripple effect? If you aren’t earning and generating revenue, chances are your manager will not earn anything as well.
This is where the need to find a good manager comes in. Managers are your window to the rest of the industry. Your manager grants approval, talks to your agent regarding touring strategies, discuss album cycle assets and marketing with your label, and so on and so forth. There’s no doubt that a manager is heavily involved in every part of your career. You may want to get one that has the heart for it and the willingness to compromise just to see you succeed. When you do, it’s a win-win situation for both parties!
Promoly is a music promotion platform for musicians. If you’re looking for a music PR service to deliver music to your mailing list, get in touch to see how we can help today.
