Questions

Right now it feels like I am throwing everything against the wall to see what sticks, but I would like to narrow the focus a bit. Do I push more for promoting to festivals, licensing, viral social media campaigns, etc?

I am an attorney that has represented artists for many years now. I would like to build off Austin’s point that musicians are businesses. A good manager should first make sure that the business aspect of the band/musician is finalized and protected. Specifically, this means that you first need to make sure that your musician/band has proper band agreements in place, proper insurance, registered their copyrights, discussed trademark issues, understand basic bookkeeping, setup as an LLC etc., and other general business concepts. Once you are comfortable that your acts can effectively and efficiently run as a business then you need to find the best places to earn revenue. In my experience, musicians tend to make money in many different ways. For instance, I represented a band that made a living touring colleges. They have been very successful at it. However, they have not had a lot of luck at festivals and things like that. On the other hand, I have represented acts that tour clubs constantly and make a living selling merchandize. I think it depends greatly on the type of act and what they do best.

I can give some general advice though. I would make sure that the musicians have signed up with ASCAP/BMI and soundexchange. I have represented many clients that are not aware of soundexchange. For smaller acts, this can be a good source of income. Another piece of advice I generally provide to managers is that they should try to find a booking agent to book tours/shows/festivals. These agents will likely have a better grasp of what kinds of venues will be best for the musician and they have better connections to the clubs/venues. Then, I try to get my musicians/mangers to look into licensing their works. Many companies offer non-exclusive licensing services. You can start with these companies until the musician gets more exposure. This will reduce the time you spend trying to find licensing opportunities.

Lastly, you want to make sure you are providing enough support to each of your musicians. I would look to hire an intern to help with some of the more basic tasks. For instance, oftentimes I see managers utilize interns or assistants to do social media campaigns and things like that.

I hope this provides some direction. Good luck!


Answered 9 years ago

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