What makes a good band manager?

[HarpNinja]

I think we've maxed out where we can be as a blues band for a while. We have a good following at some of the smaller clubs in the Twin Cities of Minnesota. We're recording an EP next week, we gig frequently, and for being a young band have been successful.

 

We want to go the the "next step" and start playing blues festivals in the summer and just overall, become a regional success. We want to play bigger clubs with a good turn out, record albums, and do some light traveling.

 

At this point, we have done everything ourselves and while we can sustain our current position, it means a lot of business work that takes time away from practicing. I don't think we can invest more of our own time into growing as a company. I would like to find somebody to help with networking and management. Somebody who can help with pr, interviews, CD sales, etc.

 

What can I, or better yet what should I, expect from a management company realistically? We have an offer, but I don't feel educated enough to know how to milk it for what its worth.

 

What does a good manager do???

 

Thanks,

 

Mike

[BlueStrat]

You may be asking the wrong question. Maybe you should ask, what do we have to do to get a good manager?

 

First off, I wouldn't think of trying to get into blues festivals without a boatload of merchandise to sell-a polished CD, T-shirts, stickers, etc. Because you may only get into each festival once in 4 or 5 years, you want to maximize the exposure you get. If you only have an EP out, you will likely play early or off the main stage if you get booked att all, and not get a lot of benefit to the booking other than to be able to say you did it. The whole point in doing festivals is to be seen and to get your procduct into as many hands as you can.

 

So, I'd recommend this:

 

Get your promo in order. Have a decent brochure or something similar professionally produced. Here is mine, a trifold I did myself on Photoshop and had printed at a print shop.

 

In order to attract a good manager, you need to give him tools to work with. Ask yourself this: If you were a promoter or festival booking producer, and you got 5 or 6 hundred promo packs a year to wade through, how would yours look?

 

You need to be able to travel in about a 500 mile radius, have decent transportation even if you have to rent, make sure your guys are dependable and not prone to bad personal habits which may affect your performance or reliability. In short, have a pro show together.

 

But keep this in mind, too. Every step up to the next level means starting all over again, having to prove yourselves, only instead of clubs in your own home town wanting you to play for free, you get ones 400 miles away expecting it, since they don't know you and you're competing with locals who will play for beer money with no road expenses. They all think they're "providing you with an opportunity" by letting you play for the door in a town where no one knows your name, and even then they will give you three shots at most to build a following before they won't have you back.

 

All I can say is good luck, and I hope you don't get discouraged easily!

[BlueStrat]

Here's the brochure outside:

[BlueStrat]

And inside:

[HarpNinja]

You may be asking the wrong question. Maybe you should ask, what do we have to do to get a good manager?

 

"First off, I wouldn't think of trying to get into blues festivals without a boatload of merchandise to sell-a polished CD, T-shirts, stickers, etc."

 

We'll have the CD done by fest time, and we have merchandise stuff taken care of.

 

"Because you may only get into each festival once in 4 or 5 years, you want to maximize the exposure you get. "

 

That's not really true in Minnesota. The top local blues bands seem to find themselves in rotation at several a year. There are a LOT of small to medium fests here that pay really good money for bands like us. There's stuff in the state pretty much every week in the summer. Many are blues, and many while not blues, book blues bands. The really big ones are difficult to play year to year, but we're lucky to live in an area with ample opportunity.

 

"If you only have an EP out, you will likely play early or off the main stage if you get booked att all, and not get a lot of benefit to the booking other than to be able to say you did it. The whole point in doing festivals is to be seen and to get your procduct into as many hands as you can. "

 

I am willing to pay dues and hand out tons of press kits and CDs. That's kinda the whole point (networking). I'll take play any stage at a fest like Bayfront within the first full year of gigging. Ya gotta start somewhere...not everybody gets to be a headliner.

 

 

"Get your promo in order. Have a decent brochure or something similar professionally produced."

 

Done and professional. It helps that our drummer does marketing and design for a career.

 

"In order to attract a good manager, you need to give him tools to work with. Ask yourself this: If you were a promoter or festival booking producer, and you got 5 or 6 hundred promo packs a year to wade through, how would yours look?"

 

Right this minute it would physically look really good, but would be weak in the press area. That's already picking up a little bit and the winter's EP and spring's album will really help there. We'll be able to get that reviewed, promoted, etc. Wouldn't it be the job of the manager to help answer that question? What would his/her role be?

 

"You need to be able to travel in about a 500 mile radius, have decent transportation even if you have to rent, make sure your guys are dependable and not prone to bad personal habits which may affect your performance or reliability. In short, have a pro show together."

 

We keep working towards having a more and more pro show, IMO, and I think it is important for us to start planning for the next step (booking new local venues and starting to play a wider area). We aren't perfect, but you can't sit on your butt for the next year if you know what I mean.

 

"But keep this in mind, too. Every step up to the next level means starting all over again, having to prove yourselves, only instead of clubs in your own home town wanting you to play for free, you get ones 400 miles away expecting it, since they don't know you and you're competing with locals who will play for beer money with no road expenses. They all think they're "providing you with an opportunity" by letting you play for the door in a town where no one knows your name, and even then they will give you three shots at most to build a following before they won't have you back. "

 

We don't play for free and one of the major reasons for getting a manager or some representation would be to, on a very small scale, book a wider area then the 100-120 miles we do now and find ways to make those outside bookings keep us out of debt and coming back with more success.

 

Thanks for the input and any other advice is appreciated.