We have our very special contributor Ritnika Nayan, sharing an excerpt from her recently launched book "Indie 101: The Ultimate Guide to the Independent Music Industry in India". We are going to talk all about being an artist manager. Here is your ultimate "How-To" guide for being what you want to be! 

What does a manager do?

A manager’s job is to nurture the artist and guide them through each and every area of their career. They are the main point of contact for the artist. They help the artist hire the booking agent, the publisher, as well as secure record deals and endorsement deals. Anyone can technically work as a booking agent or a manager, however, there are a few things you should do before you start:

1. Learn about your local scene

For a manager or a booking agent, it is very important to learn about the industry you’re in. Get to know the players in the business. Management and being an agent mainly depends on who you know and what deals you can facilitate through your network. So get to know the venues, festival organizers, label heads, press and of course other managers and agents because you will need their help from time to time. I always believe it’s important to work together. The scene is very small right now in India and it doesn’t make sense to get territorial.

2. Work with an artist whose music really speaks to you

The most important advice I can give you is only working with artists whose music you really like, because if you don't like it then how can you sell them to others. Plus, you'll probably have to hear them play/rehearse a lot so you better like the music

3. Intern with a management company

If you’re just starting out, then you might want to consider interning with an established management firm or manager. This will help you make contacts and learn the ropes as you go along.

4. ‘Exploiting’ the band

The main goal of a music industry professional is to exploit the music and the artist. Exploiting here isn’t a bad word—exploiting the music means finding ways to sell the band, so think outside the box. Where all can you push the artist or the music? What avenues can be explored to push the artist and their music forward?

5. Take Things slowly

Start with one band, don’t take on too many unless you're a booking agent and even then you will need a staff to help you. Management is more involved so you really can’t handle too many artists at one time unless you have help. It is important to give personal attention to each of your artists.

6. Keep yourself up to date on what’s happening in the industry across the world. Subscribe to music magazines like Music Week and Billboard.

7. When working with someone new (promoter or club) always take fifty percent advance to confirm a show, and the balance on the day of the event before the artist gets on stage.

If you have had a bad experience with someone or have heard about a venue or promoter that doesn’t pay, then I would suggest taking the full payment as an upfront ‘advance’. Besides this, tech requirements, travel (flight/train), local transport (Innova taxis), accommodation, the guest list, and food and beverages should usually also be taken care of by the promoter/venue. Obviously, when you’re just starting out, don’t expect to get everything you want. Festivals usually pay the lowest and after that the fee increases with venues, colleges and corporates accordingly.

8. Money and Taxes:

It’s very important to figure out how you’re taking money for shows. Either you can make an account in the name of the band, or if you have a management company you can take the money into that account. In order to make a band account you will need to establish a company in the band’s name—either proprietorship (single owner) or partnership. The usual procedure is that the manager takes the money into their company and then pays the artist. This way the artist doesn’t have to worry about chasing after payments or paying individuals or expenses. I would advise that you make it a point to save ten to fifteen percent if not more of the band’s income in a kitty for them. This will come handy when the band wants to record an album or make merchandise. Most payments you receive will have 10 percent TDS (tax deducted at source) cut from the total amount. At the end of each tax year, you will be issued a TDS certificate from each company that cut the TDS and it is up to you or your accountant to file taxes in a timely manner. Depending on your overall income you might get some of the TDS back as well. The Indian government has now replaced service tax with GST (goods and services tax), details of which are still hazy.Therefore, I would recommend getting a good accountant to help you with these matters.

Management Tools

When you sign an artist, the first thing you should do is make a tentative business plan as well as figure out the following:

Target Market

First try to identify the artist and his or her music and then figure out what the target audience is for their music. The target market can be defined with the help of the following markers—age group, geographical (cities versus small towns or country basis), language, spending power, etc.

Type of arrangement within the band:

One important thing to figure out as soon as you start managing a band is what type of relationship they have. Is the money divided equally within the band? Or do certain members get session rates? Session artists get a set fee, irrespective of how much the band makes and therefore they aren’t considered permanent members of the band. It is also important to figure out how payments are collected.

Website/band name ownership:

It is also important to determine who at the end of it all owns the band name. Many a times when a band breaks up, there’s a fight as to which band members can keep the band name and work under it. It is important to understand and discuss the ownership in advance to avoid any issues in the future.

Ownership of songs:

Figure out who is the actual songwriter in the band. Often band members all sit together and write songs— in this case the songs are co–owned by each member of the band. On the other hand, in some cases one person takes the lead and writes the songs and all parts and so technically he or she will own the songs. This is important when you want to register the band’s music with a collecting society (more on that later).

Business Plan:

It is often advisable to prepare a simple business plan for your band or in this case for the band you manage. This is done to figure out what the current position of the band is in the industry and how to take things forward. First figure out the artist’s attributes: what genre of music they play, what language and the type of crowd they appeal to. All of this will determine the band’s target market. For instance, if the band sings in Hindi then they would appeal to both Tier 1 and Tier 2 cities. Whether the artist is an electronic DJ or a Bollywood DJ makes a big difference in where you will push them. It is also important to figure out their standing in the industry—are they a very young band or a mid-level band. Where all have they already played? Do they need to change any band members or change their musical style? All of this must be determined right off the bat. The next step would be to do a SWOT analysis. This is a common business practice and usually comes handy in every situation. A SWOT analysis details the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats pertaining to the band. Strengths and weaknesses can be something like great stage presence versus the drummer having a day job that restricts the number of rehearsals and shows the band can play. Both sections look at the internal aspect of the artist or band. While in opportunities and threats you have to review the external aspects affecting the artist. For example, an opportunity could be that the artist’s genre of music is steadily increasing in popularity while the threat could be that the artist is singing in a language that is not popular and hence harder to sell. Once the SWOT analysis is complete you can discuss the outcome with the artist and jot down the areas where you can exploit the artist’s career further and help it grow. The next step would be to do a SWOT analysis. This is a common business practice and usually comes handy in every situation. A SWOT analysis details the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats pertaining to the band. Strengths and weaknesses can be something like great stage presence versus the drummer having a day job that restricts the number of rehearsals and shows the band can play. Both sections look at the internal aspect of the artist or band. While in opportunities and threats you have to review the external aspects affecting the artist. For example, an opportunity could be that the artist’s genre of music is steadily increasing in popularity while the threat could be that the artist is singing in a language that is not popular and hence harder to sell. Once the SWOT analysis is complete you can discuss the outcome with the artist and jot down the areas where you can exploit the artist’s career further and help it grow. Once you have figured out where the artist stands, you need to make plans for their future. You need to figure out what their end goal is and make smaller plans/ milestones that will help them get closer to that goal. You then need to have a timeline for this whole process, say 6 months or 2 years, or however long. For example, a large-scale plan could be for an artist to headline a major festival in India. In order to reach that level, smaller plans/goals like writing and releasing songs, playing smaller gigs, increasing the artist’s presence in the press, etc. have to be achieved. It is always good to put time/end dates to each goal so you are always on a steady rise. Sometimes artists lose momentum and take too long to complete the smaller goals and that in turn delays their overall plan as well. Depending on what stage the artist is in, it’s important to make a marketing plan for the band. If they are about to release an album or a single or if their online presence needs to be amped up, all of that should be figured out once you start working with an artist. You should also figure out the band’s support structure. A lot of times you may not be able to do everything for a band. You may need to have tie-ups with digital marketing companies, PR companies, international booking agents, etc.The best piece of advice I was given is ‘Always make lists!’ Make a list of things you want to do every day and finish them one by one. This helps you keep on track and keeps your mind Focused.

Networking:

One of the most important skills an artist or a manager must learn is how to network. As I mentioned earlier, in order to really succeed in this business you need to know the right people and the only way to achieve that is to network. Attend various music workshops and seminars, and interact with as many people as you can. Talking to complete strangers can be a bit overwhelming, but it is a skill you must learn to perfect. [caption id="attachment_1134" align="aligncenter" width="200"] Ritnika Nayan, Founder MGMH VIP Contributor[/caption]