begining managing

hey, i have no experience managing bands, but a band that i am friends with asked me if i would be their manager. I told them id think about it, im kinda worried because i dont have any experience.

I know its the managers job to book shows, shop for a label, and take care of travel and lodging and stuff, but i dont really know what else i could be doing. can someone outline all the things that are part of a managers job description.

and also, as far as the management contract goes, im no law student, so where would i go about finding a decent contract outline that i could start from. thanks for any help

it's customary to take between 10-15%, but these are you friends so make it 10. In most management contracts the term is usually about 3 years but could up to 5. in either case the contract is initially only for 1 year. during that year there will be specific (in legal terms anyway) terms in which you will have to complete, such as expanding there fan base, or getting money for a new demo, or getting a good supporting slot on a tour. if these terms, whatever you make them, aren't met then the band is free to go elsewhere. if you do meet those terms then they are yours for another year but you need to make new terms (actually more like goals). As for shows, do your best getting good ones but if you're finding it going no where try a booking agent. the band will have to ok this cuz it's another 10% out of their earnings. Another good idea is to set up a band bank account to put all the money in and then you take out 10% quarterly. There's a lot to it which is why there are books written on it, but if you have enough determination then you'll do fine.

EngineG has some good advice - I'd say the first step would be to talk to your friend about what he *expects* you to be doing!!! Really, a manager does whatever he and the band agree he should be doing - he could just be in charge of booking gigs, or he could be in charge of everything from gigs to press kits to t-shirts, etc. You should be communicating with these guys a lot, so start practicing now =)

Also - definitely check out all of the old threads on this forum; some of them contain great advice. And yeah - read & research. Knowledge is power.