Chapter 4: The Artist Prepares to Be Managed

The Artist Prepares for Management: Manager's and Artist's Perspectives

Manager's Evaluation Process for Artists

• Initial Assessment: An artist manager typically begins evaluation with a public performance, private showcase, or listening to music, followed by a formal meeting to discuss potential management.
• Purpose of Interviews: These meetings resemble job interviews, designed to determine the pros and cons of managing an artist, representing a significant commitment of time and resources for the manager.
• SWOT Analysis: The questions and answers, combined with a Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT) analysis (as mentioned in Appendix D), contribute to the final decision.
• Artist's Preparedness: Artists must be ready to demonstrate their readiness for the music business.

Key Questions a Prospective Manager Asks an Artist (and their rationale)

1. Career Ambition and Fulfillment:
   • Question: "What do you want to do with your career as an artist, and not just some formal goal—what do you want for yourself that will make you genuinely fulfilled as a creator of music?"
   • Rationale: To understand the artist's true driving force and assess if their expectations for a music career are realistic.
2. Experience:
   • Question: "How much experience have you had writing songs and recording? How often have you performed live over the last couple of years, and did you enjoy it?"
   • Rationale: To gauge the artist's foundational experience and their enjoyment of crucial career activities.
3. Organizational Structure and Income:
   • Question: "How are you organized as an artist? Are your band members considered partners or are they hired as needed depending on what the performance requirements are?"
   • Rationale: To determine realistic income potential, as income split among five partners (for a group) is considerably higher than for a solo artist who pays band members as an expense.
4. Key to Success and Commercial Vision:
   • Question: "What do you think is the key to your becoming successful as an artist in the music business?"
   • Rationale: To identify the artist's perceived strengths and ascertain if their self-view includes a vision for a commercial career.
5. Previous Management Contracts:
   • Question: "Have you ever had a contractual agreement with someone else to manage your career? If so, have you taken steps to formally terminate it?"
   • Rationale: To prevent future claims by former managers to the artist's earnings and ensure any existing contracts are resolved before a new one is signed.
6. Artist's Business Ventures:
   • Question: "Do you have your own publishing company and record label?"
   • Rationale: To understand any existing independent business structures the artist might have.
7. Sources of Career Satisfaction:
   • Question: "What is it about being an artist that is most satisfying to you?"
   • Rationale: Knowing the source of an artist's joy helps the manager motivate them and sustain their career long-term.
8. Areas for Improvement/Avoidance:
   • Question: "If there was one thing about being an artist that you could avoid, what would it be?"
   • Rationale: To identify aspects of career development that will require specific effort and growth.
9. Financial Status and Responsibility:
   • Question: "How much money do you owe? Who do you owe it to? Have you been filing state and federal tax returns regularly? Do you usually pay your bills on time?"
   • Rationale: Financial information can signal potential distractions (e.g., bill collectors) or reassure the manager of the artist's financial responsibility, avoiding future issues.
10. Conflict Resolution Skills:
    • Question: "The last time you had a conflict with someone—a band member, a venue manager, maybe an audience member—how did you resolve it?"
    • Rationale: Provides insight into the artist's emotional maturity.
11. Self-Image and Fan Perception:
    • Question: "If a fan were to describe you as an artist in two sentences, what would that description be?"
    • Rationale: Reveals whether the artist possesses a realistic view of their self-image.
12. Desired Training/Development:
    • Question: "What training or coaching do you think would make you a better performer or songwriter?"
    • Rationale: A subtle way to uncover perceived weaknesses and identify opportunities for career advancement.
13. Understanding the Music Business Environment:
    • Question: "What is going on in the music business today that you think will be an advantage to you as an artist in the music business? What do you think will be the biggest threat to your career?"
    • Rationale: To understand how much the artist has considered the contemporary business environment they aspire to join.
14. Knowledge of Management Company:
    • Question: "Tell me what you know about our management company."
    • Rationale: To gauge if the artist has done their homework; a knowledgeable artist understands the seriousness of the conversation and is better prepared for contract negotiations.
15. Financial Independence and Work Ethic:
    • Question: "How will you pay for your living expenses until your music career generates enough income to pay for them?"
    • Rationale: Related questions help assess the artist's work ethic, strong commitment, and willingness to invest time and energy for career success.

Key Questions an Artist Should Ask a Prospective Manager

• Overview: These questions serve as a job interview for the manager, establishing expectations for a partnership.

1. Past Successes: "What artists have you managed and what was your success with them?"
2. Current Roster: "What artists are you currently managing?"
3. Career Outlook: "What do you think of my career possibilities? How do you think I fit into commercial music?"
4. Manager's Network: "How strong is your network—who is best suited to help guide your career?"
5. Financial Expectations: "What are your expectations of your earnings from my career? What do you expect to be earning commissions from?"
6. Expense Division: "What expenses will you pay and what expenses will you expect me to pay?"
7. Initial Career Plan & Timeline: "Give me an idea what the first six months will be like working with you. How will you use my time to get my career going? Can you provide me a timeline for our first year?"
8. Management Structure: "Will you be directing my career, or do you have others who work for you who will also be involved? What is/are their background(s) managing an artist?"
9. Client Services: "How involved is your management company in client services like publicity and digital media?"

Planning for Management: Essential Considerations

• Comprehensive Discussion: Artists should thoroughly consider and respond to each question, even if uncomfortable. All sensitive topics must be explored before a formal contract.
• Patience is Crucial: A label executive noted that artists often ruin their chances by expecting success too quickly. An example given was an artist with $5$ different managers in $5$ years, which strains relationships with labels.
• Avoid Undue Influence: External voices, like family members "whispering in their ear" with career guidance (Cassetty 2013), can make the artist-manager relationship difficult.
• Partner Wisely: New artists should find a manager who shares their vision, then patiently follow their direction and strive to be an excellent business partner.
• Manager's Role: The book aims to provide artists with insights into the manager's role and what to expect when implementing a career plan in partnership with them.

References

• Havighurst, Craig. "Nashville Band Leaves Label and Thrives." All Things Considered. NPR. WPLN, Nashville, $7$ Feb. $2007$.
• IFPI (International Federation of the Phonographic Industry). "Investing in Music." $2010$, www.ifpi.org. Accessed $20$ Jan. $2014$.
• Cassetty, Todd. Personal Interview. Dec. $2013$.