Q&A: How can I land good job as a professional personal manager for artists?
Question by OddFodderGodDaughterRodBlotter: How can I land good job as a professional personal manager for artists?
I was signed, then dropped, by a major record label in 1998 after being voted “Best Guitarist In Ohio” in 1997. I then attended Berklee College Of Music for Composition/Arrangement until I was in a car accident that left me unable to play my guitar.
Since the accident I have been studying music business. I am working on a certificate in Music Business and Production from Berklee. I also have extensive printing and distribution contacts.
I started an entertainment company a couple of months ago. I have been having moderate success. I do production/engineering,merchandisese acquisition, publishing/copyright consultations, touring logistics, marketing/distribution plans…
I spoke with several well know entertainment lawyers who told me that I could charge $ 100/hr. for my current level of knowledge and experience. I was also told that I would make a good personal manager.
Being a personal manager for an unsigned act is not really a desirable thing. There is no money in it. A lot of unsigned acts, that I have worked with, have been less than forthcoming about their “personal” situations in order to get me to work with them. The ability to tour being the primary area of concern “Oh, yeah, we can all tour.” But, when the time comes there is always one guy in the band who can’t go because of children, mortgages, wives, finances…
The solution seems to me to be to work with bands that are already signed and touring.
Contracts don’t work on unsigned artists either because they have nothing to lose. You can enforce and unenforcable contract, right?
Also, I know several well known artists but that doesn’t always gaurantee work. It rarely does, actually, because I don’t have a desire to use my friends. Association means nothing for the most part. You don’t see Frank Stallone on the big screen or Roger Clinton with a Gold record.
Can anyone give me some advice on how to get where I am trying to go?
Best answer:
Answer by charlie
Have you thought about joining a company like IMG? If you’ve got industry understanding, contacts, and empathy then that puts you in good stead. Make a name for yourself first… or give yourself a few months on your own and network your butt off.
What do you think? Answer below!