Tips for Music Artists or Bands When Finding a Music Manager

A robust network with music producers and record labels. More time to practice your music. Increased sales and downloads. Music career and audience growth. As a music artist or a band, how do these sound? Aren’t they eye-glittering perks?

You can enjoy different benefits when you find a music manager for yourself or your band. Music managers can develop you or your band and take your career up a notch. However, their services are not free, and you must pay 20% of your music career income as the industry standard rate.

If you’re up for getting a music manager, be aware that finding one involves working harder and smarter, for it’s as elusive as signing a recording contract. To help you in your search, here are tips for music artists and bands when finding a music manager.

1. Create Quality Music and Electronic Press Kit (EPK)

Music managers usually prefer to take you on if you’re already ripe — a total package music artist or band. You should have already done great work to develop your music and style. If you’re just starting, you initially have to produce recordings, gain an audience, and manage your bookings and finances. You may want to accept gigs and perform at local venues.

Creating a website and building social media presence and communities will also help you make an electronic press kit. You can share your EPK via your website and social media channels. An EPK tells everything about you or your band, but not limited to:

• Biography
• Photos
• Album arts
• Music
• Music videos
• Social media
• Tour dates
• Press reviews

The EPK will serve as your pitch for your audience, fans, and business partners (agencies, TV shows, labels, distributors, etc.). You can create an EPK by yourself on free platforms, or you can get it from EPK services for a price. With a quality EPK in place, two things are possible: you can easily approach and get immediate approval from a music manager, or they will approach you.

2. Develop and Explore Connections

You may find a music manager from your friends and relatives, but with your EPK, you certainly have a following already. You can build and nurture connections from your website, social media channels, and communities, and find a music manager who fits you or your band in one of them.

Connect with Contact Databases and Agencies

Another way of finding a music manager is through booking agents where you can view music manager contacts. Booking agents have a network and do business with various music managers, artists, bands, labels, etc. Many music managers list their names and contact details on these booking agencies, and communicating with them may help you, being requested to submit samples.

Adjust Your Search Focus

If you or your band have been active in engaging with your audience, website, and local and social media communities, you might be on some music managers’ tracking system. If you’re not, you or your bandmates may have friends who are also music artists or band members. Ask them if their music manager would take you on their team through cold calls, premeditated emails, or referrals. Performing as a guest in some gigs may also be a way to meet their manager.

However, if you’re not ready for big-time music managers, you might climb the success ladder by partnering with start-off music management agencies that hunger for real work experiences.

3. Ensure a Musician-Manager Fit

You can succeed as a music artist or a band if you and your music manager are a good fit.

Assess Manager Success

A music manager helps and brings you, as an artist or band, to expand and succeed in your career. You also need successful music managers to get you to where they are. They propel you forward since your success and income are also theirs. You might want to set a contract so both of you can call it off when you need to.

Keep Everything in Writing

Remember that the musician-manager relationship is a business. It will be beneficial for both parties if you put everything in writing. You can track all your business transactions and targets if everything is kept in writing.

4. Discuss, Negotiate, and Sign a Contract

Once you have found a music manager, have a coffee with them and discuss your career goals, steps to reach them, target audience, responsibilities, strategies, and fees. You might want to find and meet more of them so you can choose the best manager that fits you to a tee.

You may draft a contract with them, review it, and discuss changes if necessary. Negotiate with the manager’s service fee and finally, sign the contract after both parties agree with all its terms, conditions, and details.

Ready, Set, Go for a Music Manager

To successfully find a music manager for you as an artist or band, ready your electronic press kit, and set an appointment with them. Finally, go sign the contract and embark on your journey to a successful music career!