Band Management

[Cup]

We've played one gig. Have another booked on the strength of the first, and have been offered the

"chance" to be managed by a guy who's a little bit older than us. He's a guy my brother has known and respected for a few years. This is my/our first venture into the dangerous and confusing world of putting our selves around and i'm a little unsure of the whole thing !? don't get me wrong, i've every faith in my brothers

judge of character (he said he knew he'd divorce

his first wife as soon as he laid eyes on her),

That will hopefully qualify as a joke...hee hee!

This guys credentials are in my eyes impeccable, he's played the local scene (north and south of the border) he was in a sloppy punk

outfit that gigged regulary, he ran a very successful (if some what dubious ) business venture, he's persuasive, has graet connections,

he's not out for a cut and he likes a good time

(this swung it for me, i'd like to have fun at this game).

My reference to the "sloppy punk outfit" is not a comparisson, i just think if he could get his own

"inferior" band regular gigs i think he could do

much better with us. The guy in question doesn't want to spend huge amounts of times or money on the band, nor does he expect to make any money out

of it. He wants to come along for the ride.

I and the rest of the band are willing to give this geezer a trial period. Give him some demo's and see if he secures us some more and better shows. He's got boundless energy and smart enough to put us on the right track. (i think)

We're not as stupid as i may sometimes suggest....

but i'm eager to hear your opinions and even look

forward to hear of your horror stories concerning

band management.

 

thanks, Cupmcmali

[orion_thefallen]

I am going to share a horror story.

 

We have a "manager" *sigh* if you want to call it that. Everyone else in the band agreed it was good to have him , so I was outvoted. Now two months later he still did nothing for the band. He is just there for the free ride. His not doing any promoting and do forth. And to make things worst he keeps referring to himself as being part of the band and stuff...

 

Anyways .. Some advice.

 

Set him certain task to do.

And if he doesn't take initiative then let him go before its to late..

 

P.S ...Everyone finally agreed that he our manager is being promoted to "groupie" whatever that means.

[Tom Capasso]

I have no experience with managers. I'm the closest thing to a manager in my current band. But I have some thoughts...

 

• Energy - I agree that this is an important requirement. A manager without it will do nothing for you. I think it also gives other people (bar owners, promoters, etc.) that the band is worthwhile and that the manager is invested.
  
• Communication - I always feared that having a manger would mean that one day I woke up in flophouse in Toenail, Arkansas and had to play squaredance music for a prison. Be sure that there are band meetings (I know, but it's necessary) so that you can learn and keep the manager on track. what the manager does must suit the band, and there should be no (or few) surprises.
  
• Integrity - Don't be afraid to hold the person to small tasks. Tell them up front that you are going to check up on them, and do it. Let's not find out the person has done the opposite of what you want, or done something illegal, or whatever.
  
• Maturity - What I was tempted to say was sobriety, but it goes further than that. No screwing the barmaid, no drunken outrages, no fights. This person represents your band. If he can't have the right attitude about being your employee, then it won't work. That's not to say they can't enjoy themselves a bit, but it has to be in the context of what's good for the band.
  

I know even less about contracts, so one of my esteemed collegues can take it from here...

Tom

[Christopher]

I've said it before and I'll say it again: don't hire a manager unless you absolutely have to. You're booking gigs successfully without him. What else can he do for you?

 

If you don't know what a manager does, you don't need one.

 

The fact that the guy doesn't want to spend "huge amounts of time or money" on the band and "just wants to come along for the ride" should set off all sorts of alarms.

[g.]

Christopher may be right; I've seen other bands let self-styled band managers hang out with them. These guys get to feel important, maybe score some chicks and drugs - hey - party on Garth! They often sidetrack the band, talk ten different stories with club owners, would-be label honchos, etc, until the band is saddled with getting past their bad rep for talking BS and not having a clue about anything but cocaine and dirty money skimmed off the top of the band's fee - which the band sometimes doesn't even know because they are persuaded never to talk to anyone at the other end (just let me handle it, I'm the manager), so think they got $600 for the gig and they really got $800.

 

Choose carefully. Remember what Hunter S Thompson said about running the gauntlet.

[Lee Flier]

Well, although we are currently booking ourselves and want to continue to be very involved in the business end of things, my band is currently looking for a manager/promoter/booking agent type person. We find that booking, seeking out new gigs, keeping after the club owners, negotiating fees, trying to do promotional things, etc. is starting to take a lot of time that we'd rather be spending writing new songs.

 

Also, I agree with Tom that energy is a good thing. Someone who's very energetic and can serve as a buffer between the band and club owners, etc., can be a great benefit. Lots of people just think it's more "legit" to deal with a manager than a band member. But of course the wrong person can hurt more than help, so DEFINITELY it has to be the right person, someone who is likeable and enthusiastic about the band, and has some business experience dealing with clubs, press, etc. If those elements aren't there, it's really not worth it.

[sywot]

Good managers are hard to find. IMHO the term" Manager" and" Bend Over" go together.

[g.]

Yeah, at some point a band needs management. The key is to choose carefully. Talking about it here probably helps to see what needs to be considered.

 

For one thing, good management that has been around for awhile has established connections that can really be used to leverage a band or artists that is ready. These connections can be in many different categories and locales too. And they have experience pulling the PR strings and making the puppets jump.

 

A case for someone who has not yet established themselves but has the will and the mindset is that established management may be handling quite a few clinets and you may not be so far up the priority list as to be thought of as often as other clients. But the new guy on the block who is serious about the field (not just dabbling) needs to build a reputation for competence and success, and will attempt to do that with bands that are willing to work with him or her. Both parties benefit when this happens.