5 Tips on How to Get a Music Manager

Times have definitely changed the way that musicians go about making a name for themselves. In the past, you created music, played gigs, and hoped to get signed by a label. Thanks to technology and the way that people are more connected than ever before, the musical landscape has changed.

You now need to think of your musical career as more of a business. You need to promote your own music and use the resources available to build your fan base.

These extra steps can go a long way towards helping you get a music manager. Just keep in mind that getting a manager should not be your primary goal. Instead, you should worry about the steps that you take to help you reach the point where a manager will be useful.

So, with that in mind, here are 5 tips on how to get a music manager. You’ll find that these tips are all steps that you can take right now. If things go as planned, you’ll become a better musician, grow your fan base, and finally start attracting band managers.

#1 – Grow Your Fan Base

One of your main priorities should be to grow the size of your fan base. This is how you’ll begin to attract attention and potentially get a music manager to come to you. There are numerous ways to grow your fan base. Though, the biggest one is performing gigs. You’ll need to book shows and play live.

There are also a lot of online resources that you can use to reach out to the public. This includes music streaming services, online music promotion sites, and social media.

#2 – Focus on Your Music

Along with your fan base, you need to put work into your actual sound. If you’re not creating quality music, then a band manager will not have any interest in working with you. So, focus a large part of your efforts on the actual music.

If possible, set a schedule for working on new music or perfecting your existing catalog of songs. If you play with a band, find a time that works for everyone where you can devote several hours to practice. If you’re a solo act, spend at least an hour a day working on your craft.

#3 – Get a Friend to Help You Out

A music manager is not really needed until you can no longer handle the balancing act of booking shows, promoting your music, creating music, and recording. So, in the meantime, consider getting a friend to help you out.

Enlist the help of someone that you can trust to take over a few of these steps. For example, you can have a friend act as a temporary booking agent. Let them work on that aspect, while you focus on other parts of your career. Let them book the gigs and handle negotiations. Just remember to give them a cut for every show that they book.

#4 – Share Your Music with the Public

As mentioned, you’ll need to devote some of your efforts to promoting your own music. This includes the use of online resources. Share your music with the public through music streaming services. You can upload to SoundCloud, DatPiff, and other streaming sites. If you need help with this step, here’s a short video that will teach the basics of getting your music onto Spotify:

After you’ve uploaded your music to these sites, you can often share links or directly share songs on social media. Also, your social media fan base will have the opportunity to share your music with their friends and family.

#5 – Set Your Goals

The final tip for attracting a music manager is to set your goals. You need to know what you want to get out of your career before you enter into a contract with a manager.

Decide what you want out of your music career. For example, do you want to just make a living from your music, do you want to work with other artists, do you want to become a studio musician, or do you want to put everything into your career? Set your goals and map them out.

In the end, getting a music manager is not the ultimate solution for reaching your goals. It’s one of many helpful steps that may allow you to reach your goals. By the time that you find a manager, you should already have a good understanding of the music business.

So, you should take things slowly. Don’t be in a rush to find the perfect manager. If you focus on growing your fan base, perfecting your craft, and playing live shows, you’ll get there eventually.

If you’d like even more advice on getting a music manager and growing your music career, then check out our detailed guide – Music Management for the Indie Artist. Learn how to put your career in your own hands, before you take the next step and try to find a manager.

Source: ArtistPR Music Manager