Every career path in life requires one to be skillful in several aspects if they really want to become successful in it, and music management is one of those, so in this article, I will walk you through 10 skills that are needed in music management.
But before we go into this article properly, let us first and foremost get to understand what music management really means.
What is music management?
Music management simply refers to the act of handling every business affair and negotiation of a musical artist.
Even though the changes in the music industry have brought about changes in the roles of a music manager, regardless of the roles, the duty always remains the same and it generally entails helping to direct the success of a musical artist’s career.
But before you can bring about that success, there are certain skills you need to have and in this piece, we are going to look at 12 of those.
So without much ado, let’s get into it.
The skills you need to be in music management.
The 12 skills needed in music management are:
- Financial skills.
- Relationship skills.
- Organizational skills.
- Planning skills
- Networking skills.
- Negotiation skills.
- Time Management skills.
- Conflict management skills.
- Innovation skills.
- Handling pressure skills.
- Educational skills.
- Trust.
1. Financial skills.
Every phase and sphere that will lead to the success of a musical artist is going to involve money, whether it is going out (expenses) or it is coming in (income).
And it is undeniable that the music manager is going to be at the forefront of it all. Remember, he is going to be the one who will go out in search of shows, endorsements, recording contracts, etc that are going to fetch money for the artist.
And for that reason, the music manager must be someone who knows how to handle, manage or control money.
We cannot deny the fact that most artists chose to live a very flamboyant lifestyle, and if left for them they can easily squander their income on expensive cars, houses, women, etc.
Thus, it will be the duty of the music manager to guide the artists towards investing and saving, while living the kind of life they choose.
2. Relationship skills.
Relationship matters a lot when it comes to music management because two or more individuals are going to be involved in every process that will drive a musical artist to success.
As a matter of fact, the music business is always intertwined since the music manager will always have to deal with several people at one time or another.
And for that reason, a music manager must be someone who knows how to maintain a good relationship both with the artist and every other person he is going to come in contact with in the course of making the artist become and remain successful.
This means that a music manager must not be prone to violence as well as know how to control his temper when such occasions present themselves.
3. Organizational skills.
Every music manager must be able to organize everything from people, events, schedules, teams, etc. And remember all is going to be for the betterment of the musical artist.
4. Planning skills.
Every successful thing in life is done with a plan. Even the failure to plan in itself is actually a plan that results in planning to fail.
Therefore, planning is very essential in music management. Every step you take and move you make as a music manager must be done with a plan.
In essence, it is the duty of a music manager to understand as well as identify where exactly he is taking the career of his artist to, how he is going to achieve doing so, the things he will require to make that happen as well as the timeframe he will use to cover such.
When you have a plan as a music manager, you will have a visual map that will take you to your desired destination.
5. Networking skills.
To succeed as a music manager, you must have the capacity to network with people both within and outside the music industry.
This networking may include attending conferences and going out with other professionals in the industry. You must aim to build relationships, whether physical or online that are going to build a large followership for your artist.
6. Negotiation skills.
As a music manager, you are going to be involved in lots of negotiations on behalf of your artist. And for that reason, you must know how to make deals that are going to be in the interest of your artist.
Every time a deal comes up, your aim as a music manager must always be to find an agreement that will work for both parties or seek compromise whenever any deal is about to be closed.
7. Time Management skills.
There will always be day-to-day tasks to be accomplished for a music manager. However, it is not all these tasks that will hold the same weight.
So as a music manager, you must always be able to determine the tasks that are of priority and most importantly aligns with the goals you have set to bring unending success to your musical artist.
Additionally, a music manager must be very good at scheduling meetings, performances, studio recordings, etc to the satisfaction of his musical artist.
8. Conflict management skills.
There is no way one will ever be able to escape conflict in life. Conflicts are bound to happen and there is conflict in every aspect of life.
So as a music manager, you must always be aware of the fact that conflicts may arise at any given time in your career. Whether it is with your artist or those you are working with to institute his success.
Especially, if you are managing a group or band, differences among the artist will always amount to conflict in the end.
For this reason, you as the music manager must have the skills of resolving every conflict before it gets out of hand.
Sometimes, the conflict might threaten the split of your band or group, so you must be able to spot the reasons for that as well as know the measures you are going to take in order to resolve them and keep your artist at peace.
9. Innovation skills.
It is the duty of a music manager to always come up with innovative ways of bringing attention to his artists.
This could be demonstrated in promotions, sales, tours, endorsements, merchandise, gigs, etc.
Since the music business is very competitive, a music manager must be able to display a high level of innovation that will make his artists stand out.
10. Handling pressure skills.
Most of the time, a music manager will always have to work under pressure. The most intriguing part of this is that this pressure will come from the artists, the label he is signed to, promoters, etc.
So your duty as a music manager must always be to handle every pressure that will come in and work for the betterment of your musical artist.
11. Educational skills.
Change and innovation are always constant in the music industry. We went from vinyl to CD, digital downloads, and now music streaming.
It is these changes that always create new opportunities and challenges for a music artist.
As a music manager, you must always be aware of current trends, how they affect your artist, and how to navigate through all of them for the betterment of your artist.
You must therefore take online courses, attend seminars, and read blogs, magazines, and newsletters that offer recent and updated news about the music industry.
12. Trust.
If a music manager and his artist lack trust for each other, the success of that musical artist is at stake.
Therefore, you must always aim to do those things that will create a high amount of trust between you and your musical artist. Let him or her always be sure that whatever you say is nothing but the truth, and when they all materialize it is going to create more and more trust that will help both of you to meet up with all the goals at hand.
