8. Nov: Community Evening - The Management Hypothetical @ Most Wanted Music

On November 8th we did a little experiment during our community evening, hosted as part of the "Most Wanted: Music" conference. The discussion was moderated by ADAM TOWNSEND from APRA AMCOS, our partner for the night. Inspired by Geoffrey Robertson's "Hypotheticals" TV series in Australia, we decided to explore the decision-making process of an imagined artist's career with the helpl of some expert managers: ROWAN BRAND - Founder and Director of Tribe Management and ALESSIA AVALLONE - Founder and Director of Language of Sound. 

We created a fictional character, Sarah the great, and asked to our two guests for the night, both music managers, how would  they have managed the development of such artist. What came out was an interesting and stimulating discussion, which highlighted two different and both valuable perspectives on artist management: one more flexible and heavily focused on music, while the other one more structured and with a more dense timing schedule. 

However, what we want to do, is to hihlight here a few suggestions, useful for both managers and artists, that came out of the discussion: 

Look out for gigs, as much as you can

Playing live is always a good way to test your sound, and to become accostumed to have an audience. Start with small venues, then move progressively towards bigger ones, do small tours, maybe as a support act of a bigger artist

Do radio shows

Radio shows are having a huge comeback, and they are a great opportunity for an artist to showcase your taste as selector

Use social media in a sensible manner

Unfortunately is hardly to avoid social media in these days. But the good news is: you don't have to be aggressive. There are ways to develop a sensible way to communicate online, and remember: is a great way to connect directly with fans. If there's a social platform that you prefer over the other (i.e.: Instagram, Twitter) try to focus on tha one

Focus on music

For Alessia, music comes first: if you're an artist, take your time to develop your skills, your artistry and how you want to present yourself to a broader audience. If you're a manager, allow your artists to spend time with their crafts: it will benefit both in the end 

Is not enought to have a nice song 

Rowan pointed out a critical issue: sometimes, music is not enough. The way you tell your story also plays an important role. Marketing must not be forgetten here. Something that Rowan likes to go with his artists, is to create nice and engaging mailing lists, maybe with a trck to download. He pointed out how social media, despite being a direct and easy way to communicate with fans, might fall out of fashion after a while, while mailing list can be something that grows consistently

Don't be afraid to ask

Ask for help! To everyone who can give it to you 

Open new income streams

Nowdays, we all know that selling music is not a reliable way to earn money. Be creative: try to look for new income streams: merchandising, for example, can be not to expensive to produce and bring some cash back to your pockets ;)