This is me

…we can be more creative.”

…we don’t have to worry about the business.”

….we can just focus on the music, mannnnnn.”

…we can leverage [the manager's] contacts to take us to the next level.”

Yesterday I got a pleasantly surprising call from my buddy Jared from Carlon. He said he was checking out studios in Greenpoint and wanted to know if he could stop by with his buddy from another band. Naturally, I said yes. Within 10 minutes of chatting, his friend mentions that his band needs a manager.

At that moment, social Dave became business Dave in order to effectively answer that question. I try as hard as I can to not mix the two because when getting involved in business matters it is essential to extract emotions from the situation; otherwise, you’re irrational, sloppy, and/or not clear-headed. That being said, I immediately asked him, “what do you want out of a manager and how are you willing to compensate them.”

He was quite taken off-guard by that and rightly so (to a certain extent). However, if he has seriously thought enough about why he wants a manager for his band, he would have put in the energy to be able to answer my question and engage in an intelligent conversation regarding the contemporary role of the manager in the music business.

After a second to collect his thoughts, he basically answered saying the four statements on the top of the post. Now it’s important to note that I’m not commenting on this guy as a person because he was really nice and I had a great time talking to him, but rather his absurd sense of entitlement because he believes his music is both marketable and of great quality. Every musician thinks their music is great and they, “just need the right opportunity.” I get it from the live music angle all the time about bands wanting to open for [band] that’s larger than they are…it’s just irritating to me.

This is the point where I politely shot him down (in as positive way of a way as I could). I told him there are three main types of managers: friends, fans, and established managers (who were possibly one of the prior two initially).

Friends may be industry professionals who double as a manager or are simply passionate about your music; regardless, this friend/business associate dichotomy is an iffy area. You have to see it as entering into a business with your friend as well as clearly define their role, what’s expected of them, and mutually agree that this section of your relationship is business and nothing more/less. Otherwise, when shit hits the fan, both your business arrangements and friendship may be gone with the wind.

Fans are great because they are driven by passion of your music and will go above and beyond their expectations (and may even do it for free). However, this is iffy as well because fans may act as rogue agents while representing you in their emotionally-driven pursuit for the band’s growth in the industry. As a result, it is important for them to know that they work FOR the band and, similar to the friend, roles and boundaries are needed. However, the fan may or may not have the necessary connections to take you to the next level, but for a young band, time is necessary to develop a community surrounding the band (on and off stage, on and off the Internet).

Established Managers have seen success and owe nothing to you, so it’s your job to convince them to give a shit about you.

After I broke it down for him, this conversation ensued –

Me: Are you looking for the young, passionate fan or the established guy
Musician: The established guy.
Me: Well how many do you draw at your live shows in New York.
Musician: 40-50
Me: Are those friends or fans because there’s a huge difference?
Musician: Fans. We could do upwards of 100 with friends.
Me: So why should an established manager care about a band that’s only been around for a year in its current lineup and only has 40 fans? In a lot of cases, they’re looking for bands who have put in the effort to create a community around their music. Your band is a brand. Your band is a business. I know it’s rough to disassociate the creative from the business, but it is essential in order for your music to have the audience it deserves. You can’t just assume because you think your music is awesome that you should have an equally awesome record contract and/or being opening for The Rolling Stones.

The conversation went on, we changed the topic for bit, and they eventually left, but this affirmed certain beliefs that I had. Managers are something to work up to in the life of a band. It’s like forcing the Third World into modernization without having experienced an industrial revolution. Bands, just like nations, develop at their own pace, so there’s no official time line for a band to say, by [this time] we should have this, that, and the other thing. BUT if you’re actually lucky to grab the attention of a well-connected manager, please be thankful, breathe deep, be serious, be concise, and convince them to give a shit about you.

Until then, if you’re able to find the right person whose willing to be your manager, then take what you can get regardless of their industry clout. The right person should be defined by the band given your reasonable desires of what you want the manager to do and achieve. Do you want them to take the ball and run with it? Do you want the relationship to be more participatory with the band? That’s up to you.