I have been approached by a few people about managing them and always find it difficult and awkward to give a solid answer. I guess because my theory has always been, you should not pick a manager based on another artist success or path. To be honest some of the most successful managers started out being the artist/bands/groups most ardent fan. They were fans who didn't have any experience but definitely could sell the music to their group of friends and others. You may wonder why I believe this to be the best way to pick a manager and my answer would be, who else is better suited to guide your career than someone who is married to YOUR music, or knows all the crazy little background info about your shows or is in the front of every performance singing every word to your songs? To me it would be hard to manage an artist who I have no connection with or quite frankly, an artist whose music I don't like. Please don't take that personally though because it's just like selling music, EVERYONE is not going to like your music.
I have come across so many talented people in music but they have a horrible work ethic, can't complete a song or have let their friends gas them up into believing they have a hit record before the even record. Now they have talent but a manager should not be in charge of creating the music. They should be getting you in the best possible position for someone (label or financial backers) who can take your career further. That would require time taken out of their day that is dedicated to seeking out different options for you to perform or obtaining multiple revenue streams.
In most cases of bigger stars, the artist is the one being asked if they can be managed. This is when the manager has a lot of experience and connections that take the stars earning power to a whole new level. However in the beginning that may not be the case, unless you are a teen phenom a la Justin Bieber.
On the other side of the coin, I have found that my working with an artist in the studio from the beginning has been an awesome opportunity to watch a star in the making and I found that investing not only time but resources has been rewarding in itself. All of this goes back to my first blog about my beginnings in music. I have the experience in studio mechanics so I knew what to expect out of recordings and work ethic and what it takes to make a song, so the investment was not a question.
Some managers will tell you, and I believe this as well, that when a star walks in a room for the first time you just know it. You can't quite put your finger on it but they have the 'IT' factor. You can see the diamond through the rough exterior and their eagerness to learn the business is such that, it's a pleasure developing them. Nothing however takes away from the fact that they have raw, natural talent. They either sing or play an instrument or write songs without a lot of formal training that can't be bought or taught.
In any case, the seeking of management should take into consideration some or all of what I have listed. On the artist side, maybe being an engineer or working on the technical side may be a better route for you. I say that with care and concern because the industry can be cold, heartless and unforgiving to those with no or little talent and years wasted on pursuing this can actually be spent pursuing a place in the industry but not necessarily in the limelight.
Peace
The Lioness
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