Contributed Post
You’ve been playing the local garages for months now and the feedback you get from those who listen tells you that you’re good; and you know you are. You play well, you’ve got the skills and it is now time to take it to the next level. As yet, you haven’t been discovered by a passing music mogul, but you have to capture their attention somehow. The thing is, when you do, how do you know the person who tells you that they can further your career can actually do it?
You wouldn’t just choose anyone to play in your band, you’d audition a few people before deciding on the final vote. You’d want the best person that you can get; someone who, when you upload your band videos to YouTube or your website manages to capture the attention of those who matter. So, why wouldn’t you do the very same with the person who could manage you? You may already know what you should be looking for in a music producer, but you might not know what to see in a manager. You mightn’t be ready to get on the phone to Coran Capshaw, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t do your research and build your way up to that. You need to know how to find someone reliable as well as trustworthy, so ask yourself: what should I be considering in a music manager?
Tenacity. You need to have someone on your side who is influential and who has some standing in the industry already. You need to find someone who can get you the gigs that will get you that recording contract that you so desire. The person you choose should be prepared to get told ‘no’ to you and just keep trying. They need that fire, that tenacity to know who to contact and when.
Experience. You’re already a newbie trying to make it in music, so you don’t need another newbie manager. It would be like the blind leading the blind! Find someone with a track record – a successful one – and make it happen.
Connections. In the music industry, it’s who you know, so if you can find a management company or a manager who already knows people, you’re going to have an easier time breaking through the barriers of the industry. Finding a manager with other bands or singers in their docket that have the same genre as you is the way to go.
Leadership. You are new to the industry, which means that you need someone in control of your direction. Music skills can be taught, but there’s a natural skill for leadership that you need to find. You want someone who can walk in and command a room: those are the people who get the attention that you want.
Your band needs help to get in contact with the right people, but don’t jump for the first person. Interview at least three or four managers and go from there.
