Investigating the Role of an Artist Manager in 2014 with Martin Anderson

For an Artist, the process of crafting and perfecting their music can be a true labor of love. Add the complicated tasks of booking shows, handling (or finding) a record label, or creating a marketing plan, and the life of an Artist is a daunting one indeed.

Fortunately, there are those brave souls who are willing to take on the industry’s inner workings head on, ensuring that the Artist can reach their full potential. The Artist manager is crucial to finding concrete success, but their role is also one of the more misunderstood or undervalued aspects of that journey.

To help shed some light on the role of a manager and what they can (and cannot) do for you, we spoke with Martin Anderson of Middle West Management (Bon Iver, Sylvan Esso, Lost In The Trees) as part one of our What Is A Manager? series.

PART ONE: SELECTING A MANAGER

Choosing a manager can be one of the most important (and difficult) decisions an Artist makes in their career. In our first video with Martin, we discuss what that process is like, and how he views his relationship with the bands he works with. We also discuss the pitfalls (and potential benefits) of working with a close friend or family member in a management role.

PART TWO: WHAT DOES A MANAGER DO?

The idea of bringing on management in order to focus solely on creating music is very attractive, but it’s also somewhat of a misconception. In our next video, Martin explains how a manager’s presence doesn’t necessarily free Artists from all marketing or business-related concerns. He also breaks down how a manager works with an Artist to help create and manage a band’s goals, branding, and overall creative path.

PART THREE: WORKING WITH RECORD LABELS

A record label, like Artist management, is something that most Artists hope to attain. Locating and approaching label with a manager and a plan, though, can yield far better results for the Artist than if they were to go about this on their own. Martin explains this in further detail in our next video:

What is your experience with Artist management? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below.