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[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ] an artist as manager and get all these details thrashed out at the start. If this friend remains the much-liked and trusted person you always thought he or she was, then you ll get your just rewards when the millions pour in anyway. If the relationship goes wrong, a contract might at least provide your with some compensation for the trauma you suffer as you watch your dedicated artist friend turn into a money-crazed monster! WHAT DOES A MANAGER DO? You ve heeded all the warnings, and are now in your first day behind the manager s desk. What does the day hold in store for you? In the music business the manager s job is not always that clear cut. For example, Status Quo s manager Bob Young plays occasional harmonica for the band, on record and on stage, and has co-written many of their hits. Most enjoyable for Mr Young: he gets some of the fun that can be had on stage but only a little of the pressure, earns writer s royalties as well as a manager s fee and doesn t have to suffer the consequences of being too famous a face. But such a position is rare. Most managers are in the background, sweating buckets over unpaid or late fees and royalty cheques; dealing with lawyers, record companies and PR people; coordinating tour dates with studio time and holidays; pushing for better record company deals; telling the temperamental artist that everything s going to be all right and smiling when the temperamental artist takes his or her temper out on the manager. Put off? Don t be. To manage properly requires true skill and a strong element of creativity. A manager has to find and negotiate the right record and publishing contracts. In collaboration with the artists, the manager must find the right record producer. When a record is to be released the manager must liaise with and, in some cases, employ the plugger. A manager decides upon and works with the concert promoter, hires a publicist and buys advertising. An artist s record won t succeed without good management, and in that case neither will the artist. 40 Artist management A manager is an employer, of a whole range of service providers including publicity people, lawyers and accountants. A manager is a guide and mentor where the artist is concerned, and a great handler of money where just about everyone is concerned. And a manager s reward, apart from the 15%, 20% or even 25% (a lot of money if you have a world star on your hands), is the knowledge that he or she has played a crucial role in the creation of a star act and a string of hit shows and records, not always a thankless task perhaps. CHOOSING YOUR ARTIST This has to be done at whatever level you ve reached as a manager and can happen in a number of ways. We ve talked about the two schoolfriends equation, the creative one and the level-headed one who are convinced that together they will make a good team. And they might. On the other hand, you are more likely simply to decide that you want to be a manager first, and then take on the task of teaming up with client or clients. Where do you find them? If you are part of an established company, then they will come to you. And it is here that your judgement can make or break your reputation. Choose an act destined for failure, or at least more than one act that s destined for failure, and your reputation as a manager will fail too. You will want to see gigs, hear songs and generally research an act and its relevance to the current market most thoroughly before you sign on the dotted line. Good instincts and a thorough knowledge of the music scene will be valuable here, and this is a key reason why when starting out as a manager it would be helpful to have gained experience of the industry, and the wider the better, in any way possible. THE DEAL Artists should bear in mind that managers are in it for the money. What else? That money usually amounts to around 15 20% of an artist s gross earnings. If the manager doubles as agent (Chapter 16) there will be a further 10% or so on top of that. So the struggling artist could end up saying goodbye to some 35% of his or her earnings. This should only be a cause for concern to the artist should the manager not be doing a reasonable job, in Management: doing the job 41 which case the contract should be terminated. Remember, therefore, that both artist and manager should check that such a termination would not be too costly for either party. And this is where your lawyers come in (Chapter 6). MANAGEMENT: DOING THE JOB In the case of a new act picked up by a manager, most of the work to be done will be related to the establishment of the act in question. Let s say the act in question is a band with a wide repertoire comprising the members own compositions; it plays live regularly and is building a large following. The manager taking on this band will want to consider these points: " The band s intended career path. What is the manager expected to achieve? A publishing deal? Record deal? Live appearances? Where does the band see its future? Does the band seek worldwide success, and if so to what extremes is the manager allowed to go in order to achieve these goals? " The terms of the deal. What is the manager s percentage, what is the duration of the management contract and what is the extent of that contract? Does it include management of all affairs, and if so will the 80:20 (or whatever) deal include all earnings? " Does the band want exclusive management? If so, the 80:20 might have to be stretched to, say, 70:30. " A business plan. This will be the manager s next stage, once the band and management have agreed terms. This will, to some extent, be cast in stone and used in situations where, for example, the manager might want to raise a loan from a bank or another investor. In the day-to-day running of a band, the manager s role can involve anything from talking with record company A&R people about record deals to lunching with publishers and meeting with concert promoters and booking agents. In the case of a band with all deals in place publishing deal, record deal and a deal with a concert promoter the manager s job will essentially involve seeing that the terms of all those deals are adhered to by all 42 Artist management parties and administering the deals on behalf of the band on a day-to-day basis. In the case of the record deal with an album in the making the manager will, on a daily basis, want to ensure that: " the record company s A&R department provides suitable support without interfering with the band s creative input; " the record company press office or hired-in PR company understands the band and its wishes with regard to publicity; " the marketing department times its campaign properly with the release of the album and that media advertising and instore promotions are properly targeted. In the case of a forthcoming tour which has been taken on by a promoter the manager will, on a daily basis, want to ensure that: " the tour and album release are properly coordinated to maximize publicity benefits of the tour on the album; " the right venues are being chosen, and the right conditions offered at the venues by the venue management; " that the tour contract is being adhered to and that all artists riders are observed; [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ] |