In order to succeed in the music business, it will almost certainly be necessary to have somebody performing the role of your Manager. 

Finding and choosing the right manager is no easy thing and it's important to get it right. This section takes you through the processes including:

• What a manager does
• Things you can expect from a manager
• The MMF
• When is right time to approach a manager
• Approaching a manager
• Choosing a manager

What a Manager Does
For most people, their reason for appointing a manager is to help them secure a record deal or publishing contract, or both.

It can often carry an awful lot more weight with a record company if you have someone representing you and the person they're dealing with isn't an artist.

This counts double if your manager is someone who's already established in the business. Then you get a "Me, too" effect whereby people think that if this person is involved, they should be getting on board, too. That can apply to all sorts of things from securing support slots with major artists to record and publishing deals.

A manager should do much more than just post your demo off to people.

A good manager will help you define your sound and find a direction.

This may mean putting you in touch with producers or writers who can shape your demos and performances before you approach record and publishing companies.

Or they might just give you an objective opinion on how your new songs are sounding or what you can do to come across better live.

They'll also take care of the business side of things such as getting gigs or meeting A&R people, leaving you free to concentrate on your music.



Things You Can Expect From a Manager

• Give advice on career decisions. Which record and publishing companies should you approach? Which should you choose if you have more than one company that wants to sign you?
  
  
• Put you in contact with other writers, producers and musicians to help you develop your recordings or song writing if you need it.
  
  
• Help you find your professional team. Once your career starts to develop you will need a lawyer and an accountant, and it is important you choose someone who has experience in the music industry. Your manager may be able to suggest lawyers and accountants for you to approach. If they can, ask for more than one name so you can make an objective decision
  
  
• Help you find good gigs. If you are actively looking to get signed, it is important that you play in good venues and where A&R people might see you. Your manager will hopefully have some contacts with A&R people within record and publishing companies and use them to get you seen once you're ready. Once you have a record deal, a manager will also help you find a booking agent to help you organise bigger gigs and tours.
  
  
• Organise tours. It's you managers job to make sure that your booking agent and record company are working together well, so that tours promote record releases and vice-versa. A manager will probably also help you hire a tour manager, sound engineer and the other personnel you'll need to make a tour work.
  
  
• Get press and promotion. As you get bigger, press and publicity agents will try to make sure the music industry press is aware of you and helping DJ's and radio stations hear your music. Before you can afford to hire them your manager will have to do it all. Or try and persuade a PR agent to do it for free on the grounds that you're going to be huge later.
  
  
• Talk to the record company. Your manager is important in making sure that your label understand what your needs are and that they realise your creative direction. If you have a problem with the record company then it will be your manager who will try to solve that problem in the first instance.

It is important to remember that artists have the best chance of success in the long term when everybody works well together - record company, manager, artist, publisher, booking agent and press and promotion. It's your manager's job to make sure that this is the case.

From what you've read so far a manager might seem like the answer to your dreams and everything you need to make it as an artist. Well this isn't strictly true.

You need to develop as an artist as much as you can before approaching a manager. They are only going to take you on when you have a good bank of songs, you're regularly playing live (if applicable), and they can see a market potential for you. 

Remember being a manager can be a full time job and they need to know they are going to see a return. They work on a percentage of what you earn so they need to know you are going to make money.

Some artists are capable of managing themselves.

As with many other aspects of the business, it's a balance that you have to strike for yourself.

Making all your own decisions can give you an extra level of control but it means that you need to put in the extra effort to field all the phone calls, find your own agent, lawyer, accountant and keep them working as a team for you.

If you do want a manager - and the vast majority of artists do - then the fact that others get along without one is quite reassuring.

It means you can survive until you find that right person, so don't feel you must take second best. Better to wait than to make the wrong choice which will cost you later on.



Finding A Manager
The honest truth is a good manager will find you.

If you are at a level where you are ready for management and your music is being played or performed regularly they will come and say hello (and if you aren't at this level maybe you aren't ready for a manager). 

That said, there's never any harm in giving them a hand finding you. Here are some ideas how to... 

Finding them 
The process is very similar to finding a record company or publisher.

First of all, do some research.

Talk to your musician friends

Read any relevant publications, interviews with artists

Check record sleeves. Artists often print their representative's contact details on them.

If you have one, speak to your solicitor, accountant, agent - the people may well be doing business with other bands' managers.

If you know any people working in record companies and publishing companies, ask for recommendations. 

Have a look through in a music directory (see list). Look up the names of some companies and try to find out more about them - what acts do they already represent? Whom should you approach there? 

After you have done all of this research draw up a list of names - whether it is a short list or a long list at this stage does not matter.

Approaching a manager is much like approaching anyone else in the business.

Do not send out circular letters. Just like you do, managers "trash" most (if not all) circulars.

An individual letter addressed to and written for the recipient is much more likely to succeed.

Do not send anything cold. You will have a much greater chance of success if either you or somebody on your behalf makes an approach by phone or in person before you post anything.

What to send them
Once you've made contact, you should send the following:

• A tape of your best songs (even if they are just demos). Initially, you should include three tracks. You have to make an impact. The manager will have neither the time nor the inclination to listen to any more at this stage and will ask to hear more songs if they want them.
  
  
• One or two photographs (nothing too fancy but then again they must be quite flattering and again designed to make an impact).
  
  
• A short biography (nothing too long or pretentious) with, if you have them, reviews of your gigs.

You don't have to make up a package that would impress a PR executive, but it must be presentable to catch the eye.

After sending them stuff 
Once you've sent it, don't be too pushy. Wait at least a week before you make a follow-up phone call.

Managers are busy people, or at least should be if they are successful managers.

Any decent manager should have the courtesy to respond to your letter anyway in due course - just give them time.

At some point however, it might be an idea either for you or the person who sent it for you to put in a phone call to prompt a response.




Meeting Potential Managers
Hopefully, you will get their response and hopefully, it will be a positive one. 

Now is the time to meet the prospective candidates.

Before making a decision one way or the other, you should meet them at least once - hopefully more often. The first meeting should ideally be at their office (so that you can see them at work).

After that, you should go out for a drink or a meal and then, perhaps, invite them to a gig or a rehearsal.

If you have them, you might introduce them to your solicitor and/or accountant and/or record company personnel so that you can get an opinion from these people.



Choosing a Manager
If you are lucky you will have several managers showing an interest in you.

You should then draw up a list of each candidate's weaknesses and strengths and compare the candidates. 

Here's some things to think about. You should not expect any manager to fulfil all these criteria - you'll be doing well if you feel positive about just half of these factors. 

How experienced a manager is he/she?

• Does he/she generally have a good reputation?
• Has he/she successfully managed other artists (not producers or songwriters)?
• Has he/she worked for a long time in the music industry? If so, for whom?
• How helpful will that experience be? They may be used to managing guitar bands but can they handle your indie/dance crossover or metal act?
• Has he/she previously worked with your record company or music publisher if you have one. If you don't have a deal, have they worked with the companies you would like to sign to?

  
What are they like as a person?

• Do you like him/her as a person?
• Can you easily contemplate "going on the road" with him/her for many months?
• How about the rest of your team? Will he/she be able to get on with, for example, the record company staff?
• How organised does he/she appear?
• Does he/she have a proper office? Secretarial and administrative assistance?
• Does he/she appear to return phone calls, deal with correspondence, and maintain proper financial records?

  
How is their business?

• Is he/she primarily a "business manager" or a "creative manager"?
• If he/she currently manages other artists how long have those other artists been represented by him/her?
• Do those relationships appear to be successful and happy ones?
• Does he/she use competent and well respected solicitors and accountants?

  
How useful are they going to be to your career?

• Is he/she ambitious and keen to succeed by seeing you enjoy commercial success?
• Do you respect his/her musical tastes and opinions?
• Does he/she have good contacts with promoters, agents, merchandisers, journalists, publicists etc?
• Does he/she have working relationships with other managers in other countries particularly America ?
• Where is he/she based? In London ? If they're outside London , will that become a problem to you (or vice-versa)?

How serious are they?

• What other commitments and distractions does he/she have (both business and personal)?
• What sort of management agreement does he/she contemplate? For how long? At what rate of commission?
• How committed to the music industry is he/she? Is he/she just dabbling for the fun of it or does he/she approach his/her job with real conviction?
• Does he/she actually like your music?
• Does he/she have his/her finger on the pulse of current musical tastes and developments? Does he/she know of the "in" producers, for example?
• What are his/her resources?
• If you go through lean times or have debts to pay off will he/she help you out by lending you money?
• Is he/she capable of taking on responsibilities?
• Making tough decisions?
• Being a good negotiator?

  
Even after going through this exhaustive process there is no guarantee that you will have chosen the right manager.

The artist/manager relationship is just like any other personal relationship. Some relationships last forever, some for just a short while.

All the Best.