Importance of Management

As a future mogul in the music business, I’ve learned in this Entertainment Business from my continually growing love for Hip-Hop & R&B, that an artists’ manager is really important. In some realms of the music industry, especially on more of the business side, the manager may be the pull for an artist to get a business relationship/collaboration accomplished. Some of the successful managers I’ve come to learn about are Tina Davis (Chris Brown), Scooter Braun (Justin Bieber & Asher Roth), Blue Williams (OutKast), Kevin Liles (Trey Songz & Big Sean), and Chris Lighty (50 Cent, Soulja Boy, Diggy Simmons). Rap Rehab said in a recent article that “The manager is perhaps the most important
member of your team.” A manager should always be about enhancing their artists career without disturbing how the artist is viewed as to their fans, they shouldn’t do anything that’s not really their style. It’s important to have some groundwork put down in order to show the hopeful manager that you have some fans and that musically you’ve been grinding with constant quality music through mixtapes and/or albums. Plus in today’s world, it helps to have a nice following on twitter and facebook. The Rap Rehab article states “there are three characteristics
that a manager must have in order to help your career effectively—both
before and after you get a record deal. Those characteristics are passion,
connections, and funding.” This is important because just as much its important to have what the manager is looing for in artist, it also works vice versa and in the case of beginning/low level managers who may not have connections or funding, passion becomes the most important because they have to be able to truly show they believe in an artists’ talent and they use everything in their power to make sure the world experiences that talent as well. The article says when both the artist and manager are both starting off in the music industry in a business relationship that “This method, while perhaps being a slower route, is a good one, as it
directly and closely involves you, the artist, in the process of your career
development.” Overall the article sums up that

Good managers understand that new and developing artists are much
like startup businesses. The first couple of years (or records) typically are
money losers. The hope is that after the painful initial period has ended,
there will be a financial reward that will recoup all the early losses and then
some.

I’ve also added some links to an article with Blue Williams about his management and his recent joint venture with Chris Lighty to create Primary Violator Mangement. Also, a video of Kevin Liles speaking on his career, how Trey Songz got him into managing, and how he started managing Big Sean.

References:

Production Market Place. 23 Sept. 2010. http://www.pmpworldwide.com/articles.cfm?contentID=3B50A80A-9A1D-C20F-67300F9B66464EF4

“Feature Video: Make It Happen with Kevin Liles (@KevinLiles1). Al Lindstrom. 26 Oct. 2011. http://allindstrom.com/2011/10/feature-video-make-it-happen-with-kevin-liles-kevinliles1/

“Primary Wave and Violator Merge To Form Primary Violator Management”. Ed Christman. Billboard.16 Sept. 2011. http://www.billboard.biz/bbbiz/industry/legal-and-management/primary-wave-and-violator-merge-to-form-1005355762.story

“Primary Violator”. Primary Wave Music. 16 Sept. 2011. http://www.primarywavemusic.com/news/post/MjczLTI0MjBmYQ

“Finding The Right Management”. Rap Rehab. 18 Oct. 2011. http://raprehab.com/2011/10/finding-the-right-manager/