What is a Music Manager?

A music manager is a professional who helps artists with their music career. They provide guidance and support in areas such as promotion, branding, touring, negotiating contracts, and managing finances. The goal of a music manager is to help the artist achieve their musical goals and maximize their success in the industry.

A music manager typically possesses the following qualities:

  • Strong interpersonal skills to effectively communicate with artists, clients, industry professionals, and others
  • Good business acumen and financial management skills
  • In-depth knowledge of the music industry and the ability to stay current on industry trends
  • Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail
  • Strategic thinking and the ability to problem-solve and make decisions
  • Strong negotiation skills to secure favorable deals and contracts
  • Marketing and promotion skills to effectively promote and build the artist's brand
  • Passion for music and a genuine desire to help artists succeed

What does a Music Manager do?

A music manager smiling at the camera.

A music manager is a professional who helps guide the career of musicians and acts as a liaison between the artist and the music industry. They play a critical role in the success of a musician's career, working behind the scenes to help the artist navigate the often-complex music industry and achieve their goals.

There are several types of music managers. Each type of music manager plays a unique role in the success of a musician's career, and some managers may specialize in working with specific genres of music or artists at different stages of their careers.

Types of music managers:

  • Personal Manager: A personal manager works closely with the artist and is responsible for the overall direction of their career. They handle day-to-day tasks, such as booking gigs and negotiating contracts, and make long-term career decisions, such as selecting which record label to sign with.
  • Tour Manager: A tour manager is responsible for the logistics and coordination of a musician's tours and concerts. They handle tasks such as booking venues, arranging transportation and accommodations, and coordinating with the artist's management team and band.
  • Business Manager: A business manager handles the financial aspects of a musician's career, including income from recordings, concerts, and merchandise sales. They are responsible for managing the artist's finances, preparing tax returns, and negotiating royalty agreements.
  • Label Manager: A label manager works for a record label and is responsible for managing the careers of the artists signed to that label. They handle tasks such as arranging recording sessions, promoting the artist's music, and negotiating contracts.
  • Artist Manager: An artist manager works for an artist management company and is responsible for managing the careers of multiple artists. They handle tasks such as securing recording contracts, booking gigs, and promoting the artists they represent.

A music manager's responsibilities can include:

  • Artist development: Helping musicians develop their skills, refine their image, and build their brand.
  • Career planning: Assisting musicians in setting and achieving their career goals, such as securing recording contracts, booking gigs, and promoting their music.
  • Negotiating contracts: Reviewing and negotiating recording contracts, performance agreements, and other music-related contracts on behalf of the artist.
  • Promoting the artist: Developing and executing marketing and promotion strategies to increase the artist's visibility and build their fan base.
  • Financial management: Overseeing the artist's finances, including income from recordings, concerts, and merchandise sales.
  • Networking: Building relationships with industry professionals, such as record labels, booking agents, and publicists, to help the artist achieve their career goals.
  • Conflict resolution: Resolving disputes between the artist and other industry professionals, such as record labels, booking agents, and publicists.

Are you suited to be a music manager?

Music managers have distinct personalities. They tend to be artistic individuals, which means they’re creative, intuitive, sensitive, articulate, and expressive. They are unstructured, original, nonconforming, and innovative. Some of them are also enterprising, meaning they’re adventurous, ambitious, assertive, extroverted, energetic, enthusiastic, confident, and optimistic.

Does this sound like you? Take our free career test to find out if music manager is one of your top career matches.

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What is the workplace of a Music Manager like?

A music manager's workplace can vary depending on the size and type of music management company they work for, as well as the location and scope of their operations. They may work in an office setting, at a record label, in a music venue, or they may have a home office. They may also travel frequently to attend concerts, meetings, and industry events.

The work environment can be fast-paced and demanding, as music managers are often juggling multiple projects and deadlines at once. They must have strong interpersonal skills, be able to effectively communicate with clients, industry professionals, and others, and have excellent organizational and time-management abilities.

Overall, the workplace of a music manager is dynamic, constantly changing, and requires the ability to adapt to new situations quickly and efficiently.

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Music Managers are also known as:
Artist Manager