“I need a Manager”. Do you really?

Written by Jason Euler  |  August 11, 2020

This is a question I get frequently asked from many up and coming Artists. Whenever I get asked this question I sometimes will dig further and do an overview of the project and see what work the Artist themselves has put in. When I dig through and see minimal releases and infrequent social posting I assume off the bat the Artist in question is just lazy. Getting a manager right out the gates or early in your journey isn’t always the best move. That grind you experience taking everything on yourself in those early years can really shape you as not only an Artist but a Person. Passing work off to someone else takes away experience of you learning that aspect of what it takes to run a fully functioning project. I’m not saying you need to do everything and be an expert at facebook ads, streaming, playlisting etc… but every Artist should work to the point early in their project where they have a general understanding of these various practices. Eventually if and when you make it, you will have a designated person for each individual task required to run these massive touring projects we’ve seen in recent years. It truly takes a village. However the leader of the village needs to know what goes into everything and have an idea of how to operate it. Beyond this when you do have a team you will be able to understand and empathize with the tasks they go through and what they are devoting their time to.

I always tell artists that they do not need a manager until they literally can not take anything more on their own. No I don’t mean you’re so busy with your 9-5 and partying on the weekends. I mean when you’re truly at the point that you can’t keep up with writing music, running ads, creating social content, working in engagement groups, and finding Artists to work with. When you reach that point then you deserve a manager. At that point you have slaved away and you have earned the opportunity to find someone to work with.

Don’t go looking cause you want things to get easier. Find one because you want things to get more difficult and have another perspective to help guide you toward your dream. Additionally understand that the general functioning of a manager is just that, to have another perspective on how to make strategic moves to advance your career in the most efficient manner.

End of the day don’t be lazy. Bust your ass pushing your brand and working to really get engaged with your listeners. Most importantly there is no better strategy than just writing really great music. Hone your craft and bust your ass on other areas of the project and you may just attract the person who can help advance your career.