Now that we have covered the basics of what everyone seeking to become involved in artist management needs to be aware of, let’s fine tune some of the elements that come with the job.

First and foremost, an artist’s manager—however trained, however skilled, however knowledgeable—is in the business of promoting their artist. Although they are technically an employee of the artist, most managers insist upon having a more involved working relationship with the artist so as to allow them the final say so as to whether or not a particular course of action is in the best interest of the artist. They have effectively set themselves up in a position in which they alone determine a course of plan or strategy to advance that artist. Most managers insist that they:

**Select the artistic material for the artist, whether it be musical, dramatic, or spoken-word.

**Handle, oversee, and approve all elements of the artist’s public relations, promotions, publicity, and advertising.

**Advise the artist on the most appropriate means and methods to showcase the artist’s talents or skills.

**Act as a liaison between the booking agent and the artist to get the best possible deal for the artist to perform at a particular venue.

**Develop a plan of action to diversify the artist’s talents and skills in other media, and advises which opportunity in that direction would be most beneficial to the long-term growth and stability of the artist’s career.

As I mentioned last week, the job of being a manager has few qualifications to it; nearly anyone can become a manager because all it takes it a vision or plan to advance an artist--and a willing artist. With such limited qualifications, a manager’s skill can run the gamut from brilliant to abysmally ignorant. A lot of managers find themselves deeply in over their head in complex situations and either quit or are fired. Those managers who have prospered in this field—as with any aspect of this industry—have taken it upon themselves to educate themselves thoroughly in all the nuances and particulars of artist management

Even with a firm understanding of what is involved in management, the position is still a very volatile one in that some artists seem to get a case of amnesia when they finally begin to succeed and they start to distance themselves from some of the people who facilitated that success. Savvy managers are aware of this and thus structure agreements with their clients to soften such “amnesia”. A lot of managers insist upon agreements which give them a percentage of the money the artist earns from whatever work is obtained while under contract with the manager.

This includes a percentage of the recording contract; movie and/or TV deals; book deals; endorsements; club or concert performances; merchandise; etc. This percentage has no flat rate but a “standard” of sorts has evolved over time to be approximately 15-25% of the gross of the items mentioned. Some managers even insist upon getting a percentage of any songwriting credits the artist has. This songwriting issue is hotly debated because many feel that a manager had little or nothing to do with the publishing deal. Some managers counter by saying that it was their work that got the artist to the point where the artist was bringing in the lucrative paychecks.

Some managers have used this rationale to justify an even larger percentage than what is considered the norm as their pay. One of the most famous examples of this involved Elvis Presley and his manager, “Colonel” Tom Parker. Parker got 50% of everything Elvis earned. When questioned about this, Parker stated, “Before I met Elvis he had a million dollars worth of talent; after I met him, he had a million dollars.”

The job of being a manager is not a regulated or licensed one, so determining who is or is not the best person suited for the job of management often relies on the gut instinct of the person inquiring. Since the bond between a manager and their client often becomes so personal, it is best for all involved that both parties entering into the agreement genuinely like and understand each other.

Some artists have even signed with companies which have a staff of managers and insisted on doing business only with a particular manager. They have further stated that if that particular individual ever left, they would either leave with that person or cease doing business with the company entirely. This is known as a “Key Man” clause and my advice is to have this inserted in your contract. If you feel totally comfortable with someone handling all aspects of your career, it would be foolish to think that just anyone could give you that level of satisfaction. Have the clause inserted even if you never see a need to use it.

Even though you may have crossed all the hurdles and located effective management, there are still issues and concerns that need to be addressed. Next week, we’ll examine those as we continue our discussion.