Monday, July 13, 2015

Find A Band Manager

On account of a tiny promotional savvy and a impartial bit of luck, your band is at a crossroads. Gigs are piling up, merchandising money is healthy, and your indie-level releases are garnering care. With this yet on your plate, possibly it's hour to enlist someone to support plot long-term strategy, and bound interference with the gone world--in short, a Chief. Envisage hard about the Election, however--great managers are cost everything to an deed, while a wick one can cripple a continuance.


You don't need the grief.

Get the Right Manager to Commit

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Be realistic--if you isolated play once or twice a month, you can probably all the more shaft your own bookings. Without a rabid fanbase packing every club you play, getting a executive drawn is a lofty form. The duplicate code holds dependable for the so-called "reclusive Talents" angle, unless those self-produced albums recorded in the bedroom are generating durable reactions from the folk you're hoping to arrive.


2. Concede the community succeeding to you aboriginal, if it's the club booker who hires you every month, or the limited writer with a hefty contacts file. Relationships are the glue of the ragtime game; without them, your prospective manager is unlikely to yield your band to the later exact. On the contrary, care for an sincere mind--many a abundant employer has overcome inexperience with a willingness to memorize, and capitalize on any situation.


3. Get references from your prospects, and talk to other musicians who have worked with them. Evidence of dishonesty gets around fast, although that's not the only issue to worry about. Watch for the smell of burning bridges, too--a person who's seen as abrasive will not inspire any confidence, and may hinder a career before it even starts.


4. Interview your prospects about how they see your band, and where they want to take your career--if they've got anything on the ball, they should be able to explain without hesitation. This is the time to find out if both sides are truly on the same wavelength. If your prospective manager is keen on using your female lead singer's physical attributes to sell your music, find someone else who shares your vision.

Instructions

Finding the Right Manager

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Formalize your manager's responsibilities through a contract outlining the duration of your relationship, and how much they will earn in commissions (generally from five to 20 percent of total income). Higher-echelon managers may also want your band to sign merchandising and publishing agreements, also, which they can use to leverage advances from a record label, until the bigger payoffs arrive.


6. Think hard about mixing friendship and business--if cohorts or family members can't deliver the basics, your relationships with them may be fatally damaged. Before taking on somebody from the inner circle, have an honest chat about what you hope to achieve--after all, a manager must often convey bad news or advice that their clients don't want to hear, so make sure that you're big enough to take it.


7. Meet regularly to assess your progress--if you've recruited a higher-profile manager, they should be able to document what's happening. Also, beware of managers carrying numerous acts on their plate. Your band doesn't necessarily have to be somebody's exclusive occupation, but you may get shortchanged if you occupy the bottom rung of a crowded roster.


8. Understand that performance is a two-way street. If your manager isn't delivering the goods, you have a right to be upset; conversely, however, if you commit yourself to specific obligations, such as tour schedules, you'll be expected to follow through on them. Not living up to your commitments, nevertheless, effectively leaves no income to administer.