Band Management
Tips & Advice to help you make your decision on Band Management
Are you a band looking for a manager? For any band to succeed beyond the reaches of their own local area, they are likely to require effective band management services.
Band management services are available in small, mid and major market music industry towns and cities across the country. Band managers forge connections in the industry, which they use to promote the bands they represent. Some functions of what band managers do include booking gigs, arranging tours, ordering merchandise to sell, setting up recording sessions and dealing with record labels. Managers may also be responsible for budgeting, payroll, royalties and an often innumerable number of additional details.
If you want your band to succeed it's a good idea to treat what you do as a business. A good band manager can help you in doing this. Band managers can handle the day-to-day operations of running your band leaving you to concentrate more on what matters: the music. Many of the most successful bands owe a great deal of their success to good management. Business.com is a resource that makes exploring your options easier. If you'd like to learn more about what a good manager could potentially do for your band visit the links on the left.
Starting a Career in Band Management
Know the basics of a successful career in music business managementBy Nikki Wheeler If you have a love of music and often find yourself loving new music before it finds its way to the radio, then a career in music business management may be for you. Becoming a band manager can be relatively low risk if you start out part-time while working another job, representing only one or two bands.
Start-up costs associated with managing a band are minimal. It takes time, energy, drive and talent to make a band succeed in the music industry. Use the guide below when considering this as a career.
When considering a career in band management you must:
- Analyze your personal skills, and determine whether they are compatible with being a band manager.
- Gain experience in the music industry in various capacities.
- Have a clear and concise picture of the goals of the ideal artists you will be representing.
Find the artists needing band management
One of the most important keys to success is the marketability of a band. Find a band that has the same musical interests, career goals and work ethic as you do.
Try: Search for musicians seeking management at BandMix.com and Unsigned.com.
Sign a contract
When you find a band, secure business with a contract. The contract should benefit both the band and the band manager. Keep it simple, but address key issues like length of term and money.
Try: Purchase a music contract package from Music Contracts that includes all of the contracts needed for band management companies. Purchase a similar package or individual contract forms from Music Legal Forms.
Put together a promo package
This is a standard package that has basic information about the band that is sent out to venues, producers and labels to get gigs. It should include a very short demo CD, copies of any media coverage and a short biography of the band.
Try: Print high-quality copies of your paperwork and CD labels at Kinko’s. Order blank CDs online at Shop.com.
Get bookings
Be prepared to approach venue managers and event promoters to sell your band. Starting out in music band management means starting small and locally at places with reputations of supporting new bands. Booking gigs is essential for creating a fan base and getting the band name out there.
Try: Look for local people and venues needing musicians for parties and celebrations at Craigslist.com. Also try GigMasters, a nationwide database for performers.
- Get the name of the band out there any way possible; word of mouth is the best advertisement.
- Concentrate in working in one genre of music.
- In the beginning, do everything as the music band manager until the band grows enough to need more employees.
The Digi CM provides in and out of band management for your network.
Manage all your rack equipment, UPSes, PDUs, KVM, Servers & more.
Downloadable contracts in MS Word for recording artist managers.
