Many independent artists start looking for a manager too early, hoping someone will make things happen. Others wait too long and spend their best months answering emails instead of writing songs. A good manager multiplies what already works. They rarely create it from nothing, and knowing that makes the question of timing much easier.
What a manager actually does
A manager runs the business side of your career with you, not for you. Day to day, that usually means:
- shaping the plan: which songs to release, when, and what has to happen around each release;
- coordinating the team: producer, designer, video crew, promoter, the contact at your label or distributor;
- handling offers: shows, collaborations, brand requests, interviews, and negotiating them;
- protecting your time so you can write, record and perform;
- keeping relationships warm with people who can open doors.
What a manager usually is not: a lawyer, an accountant, a label that pays for your releases or a booking agent, although in smaller markets one person often covers several of these roles. Be clear from the start about which hats yours will wear.
Signs you need one
You are probably ready when several of these are true:
- you spend more hours on messages, logistics and negotiation than on music;
- offers come in and you don't know how to judge them or what to ask for;
- you play shows regularly and organising them eats your week;
- you release on a steady rhythm and every release has more moving parts;
- you have missed real opportunities because nobody followed up in time;
- your numbers are growing and people in the industry have started to notice.
Signs it is too early
If you have no releases yet, no audience to speak of and no plan you can explain in two sentences, a manager has little to manage. At that stage the most useful "manager" is your own calendar, a release plan and maybe a friend who enjoys organising. Experienced managers choose artists the way you choose songs: they look for something that is already moving.
How managers are usually paid
Most managers work on commission, a share of the artist's income. There is no single standard, so the details are what you negotiate:
- What the share is calculated on. Gross income, or income after certain costs, such as show production.
- Which income counts. Streaming, shows, songwriting income, brand deals, merch. Some income can be excluded, for example songs written before the agreement.
- The term. How long the agreement lasts, and whether there is a trial period first.
- Expenses. Which costs the manager can spend on your behalf, and what needs your approval.
- After the end. Many agreements let a manager keep earning from deals made during their time for a limited period afterwards. Make sure that period is clear and limited.
Put any agreement in writing and have a lawyer who knows music contracts read it before you sign.
How to find one
The best managers for new artists are rarely found through an advert. Look around first:
- People already doing the work. A friend who books your shows, answers your emails and believes in you may grow into the role together with you.
- Managers of artists you admire. Find out who manages artists slightly ahead of you in your genre and city. They understand your stage.
- Recommendations. Ask producers, promoters, venue owners and other artists who they trust.
- Industry events and showcases. Play where people from the business actually go.
When you approach someone, keep it short: who you are, what you have released, what is working and what you plan for the next twelve months. Then suggest a test: work together on one release before signing anything long.
Say Rena Hart's friend Tom has been organising her shows for a year. Instead of hunting for a "real" manager, they agree on a written trial for her next single: what Tom handles, what share he receives and when they will review the results together.
Red flags
Walk away, or at least slow down, if you see any of these:
- fees up front to "manage" or "promote" you;
- requests to own your masters, your songs or your social accounts, or to have your passwords instead of team access;
- promises of guaranteed playlists, streams or chart positions;
- pressure to sign quickly, or objections to a lawyer reviewing the contract;
- a long term with no way out if things don't work;
- a commission on all your income forever, including work you did before them;
- no clear accounting for the money that passes through their hands.
A good manager is happy to put everything in writing and to be judged by results. If someone gets defensive about that, you have your answer.