Navigating the Music Industry’s Many Managers
After hiring a band through its booking agent, concert promoters will typically work next with the band’s management team.
The first stop will likely be the band’s Personal Manager – the person responsible for guiding and managing nearly every aspect of an artist’s career.
Personal managers work closely with record labels, publishers, publicists, radio promoters, attorneys, accountants, insurance agents, booking agents, concert promoters, merchandise companies, PR firms, and a variety of others involved with a musician’s career.
So how will you interact with the personal manager’s office? Probably very little.
While the personal manager most likely approved the offer you presented the booking agent, personal managers rarely handle details related to one-off concerts. They might be involved in granting approval for marketing materials, coordinating a bulk purchase of CDs or other merchandise, or might provide permission for any of your creative ideas that are not standard operating procedure.
But the bulk of work done during the planning and execution of a concert event is handled by the band’s Tour Manager and Production Manager, and that’s where we’ll pick up the conversation next month.