Members Swingfinger Posted December 26, 2006 Members Share Posted December 26, 2006 Hey, I'm posting on my brothers account, I can't believe theirs been an incredible music resource out there like this site and I haven't heard about it until today. I have a lot of questions to ask but I'll start simple. First some background. I sing/write and play guitar for a band called The Audiophiliacs. We've been around for a little under a year and we are all students that go to UC Santa Cruz. We have some rough recordings online that we recorded about six months ago and no longer really represents where the band is at. I am thinking we should go into record in the next three months and get some decent songs w/ drums on them since we now have a drummer. That is a different issue though. The issue now is that we are ready to start gigging and actually gathering more of a fan base. We've played around but I want to start playing for bigger audiences, opening for bands etc. I figure this is the only way to really keep all of us motivated/build our experience. The problem is that we are all students and we don't have that much time or money. I figure that having a manager would really help the band because they would know a little more about the music business and have the time to deal with the business side of the band/be more efficient at it. The truth is I don't even know what a 'manager' does persay. ==>So I guess the question which I am going to ask is; should I be looking into getting someone to manage the band and if so then where should I be looking? If you want to check us out the recordings should give you a pretty good idea of where we were six months ago. www.purevolume.com/theaudiophiliacs www.myspace.com/theaudiophiliacs Regards and Happy Holidays, Stefan Ross Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Offspring992 Posted December 26, 2006 Members Share Posted December 26, 2006 A good place to start looking would be in the credits of your CD's. Find the names of the manager(s) and google them to find more information. Also, there are also management companies such as In De Goot entertainment. (just an example, they manage bands like Shinedown, Silvertide, etc) A manager, in a nutshell, the one who helps you make all of your business related decisions. For example: what record label to sign with, whether or not you should sign a publishing deal, what producer you should hire, etc. Managers usually take a percentage of your gross sales, and it is normally between 15 and 20 percent The one thing you need to remember when you are meeting with possible managers is that you have to look beyond the sales pitch. There a lot of managers that will "make you rockstars," or "promise you the world" and if you aren't careful, you could get screwed big time. Another problem with finding a manager is a lot of the "good" managers will only want to work with seasoned acts that are already generating revenue and have already built up a name for themselves. What you may also want to consider looking for is a booking agent or agency. It's basically someone or some company that books all your live shows and live events in general Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members BlueStrat Posted December 26, 2006 Members Share Posted December 26, 2006 The trouble is, getting managers and booking agents is an exercise in catch-22. You can't get anywhere without them (well, you can, but it is hit and miss and may take forever) but you can't attract one unless you're making waves and creating a buzz already. If you're just starting out, you may be SOL. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators daddymack Posted December 26, 2006 Moderators Share Posted December 26, 2006 Originally posted by BlueStrat The trouble is, getting managers and booking agents is an exercise in catch-22. You can't get anywhere without them (well, you can, but it is hit and miss and may take forever) but you can't attract one unless you're making waves and creating a buzz already. If you're just starting out, you may be SOL. Amen...BS strikes again! Stefan, until you are gigging, and making some serious $, what motivation would a manager have for handling your band? You will need to somehow get yourselves 'worked up' to the point that it is worth someone else's time and effort to manage your business...because until you have enough business to manage, what's the point? Just having someone you know go out and try to book gigs for you is not the same as having a manager. Booking is a sales job, and the band needs to believe enough in itself, before anyone else will, which means you guys have to get out and hustle for your own gigs. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members MartinC Posted December 27, 2006 Members Share Posted December 27, 2006 A good manager will only want to work with a band that he can get signed. If your ready for a big time record deal, the manager will find you because you will have a huge buzz, great songs and performers, and tons of support. That way, they can take 15% of all the money you'll be earning. If your not earning or about to be earning a lot of money, you don't need, and you won't likely get, a good manager. Sometimes a friend can assume the role of trying to help a band move to the next level, but usually their complete lack of experience and contacts makes them ineffective. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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