Managers; get a manager, sign a management contract, manage yourself, get a music lawyer, get an accountant.
Managers are a strange breed of person; I guess you have to be a bit strange to want to look after a bunch of adults and get none of the glory for yourself! It’s often been said that managing a band is like being a parent… only worse! Still, getting a good manager is important if you’re serious about making a career out of your music. These days, many record companies are only interested in signing acts that already have management. A good manager will save them a lot of work by liasing between the band and the record company, lawyer, press, tour managers, accountants etc. There are different styles of management from highly visible, hands on managers who shape the artist’s career, often taking on completely unknown acts and grooming them for sucess, then planning every move like a military campaign for world domination. Others adopt more of an administrative role and leave all the creative decisions to the artist, acting more as liason and as an enabler of ideas.
Once again, there are no set rules on how to get a manager or on what qualifications/experience they should have. Anything can work from a friend of the band who develops alongside them to a big company. A manager can be successful with one act and fail completely with another. A good guideline with bigger management companies is; even if they have successful acts, how far down the pecking order will you be? Where are you on their list of priorities and will they have enough time to devote to your career? The best way to get a manager is by the elusive word of mouth technique… try asking a producer, lawyer or promoter to get a manager interested in you. If you can’t find an established manager, consider asking a friend who is into your music, enthusiastic and who has some basic business knowledge.
Most managers will want you to sign a management contract agreeing that they will receive 20% of your earnings. Some have been known to get as much as 40 or 50% depending on how indispensible they are. Make sure you don’t sign anything without legal advice, and if a manager is interested in you, they should be prepared to do something for you before you sign as a taster of what they’re capable of.
The chances are you won’t be able to find a manager straight away; until you do you’ll have to manage yourself; some acts have found that this works perfectly well and prefer not to get one even when they are offered management. The advantage is that you won’t have to give away 20% of your income but the disadvantage is that you’ll have to organise everything yourself. Your band will have to agree to you making decisions and if there’s a dispute, there’s no objective outsider to put the options to the band. Basically you’ll be adding to your stress levels and workload which may not be conducive to creativity!
Whether you have a manager or are managing yourself, you’ll need to get a music lawyer to represent your interests and negotiate contracts. Some self-managed bands have been able to do so because their lawyer is willing to be very hands-on. Some lawyers will even try to help you get a deal if they like your music by recommending you to record companies they have established a relationship with through other clients. Your lawyer will explain what the legal jargon in your contracts means and try to negotiate changes on your behalf. They can also help you draw up a band agreement between yourselves. Remember though that they charge from around £200 per hour upwards, so don’t waste consultation time or phone calls with your lawyer on trivialities or you’ll end up broke! Having said that, don’t try and cut corners by getting a normal solicitor to negotiate your contracts; music related contracts are a specialised field and you need a lawyer who is experienced in the music business. Negotiating a record or publishing deal can be a lengthy process and is likely to cost a minimum of £2000, but this is money well spent if it saves you from trying to get out of an unfair contract in the future.
As soon as you have any significant income from your music, you will also need to get an accountant with experience in the music business; whether you have management or not, you are responsible for your finances as far as the inland revenue is concerned. In fact, in a band situation, your are all individually liable for any debts or unpaid taxes. Unless you are a solo artist, you will need to set up a partnership and get a joint bank account; all things your accountant can andministrate and advise you on.