The Manager....Magician or skilled genius?

I was blessed to have a product and artist management course in the entertainment program that I am currently enrolled in. The course has allowed me to understand the great concept of judgment and integrity that mangers must have to produce the results needed to assist and push a good artist, product, event, action or theme beyond its idea to becoming reality! I was given a task, to share the best practices, principles and ideas that I have gained from this course and identify how I will apply them to my career. I must admit that my ideas of a managers role were a lot different from what I've learned through this course and by actively pitching and working as a manager to complete the tasks at hand. I personally believe that in this business most of our roles are correlated, therefore allowing good artists to become producers, producers to become directors and so on! The possibilities are endless....I have come up with 5 rules that you must apply to your business to become great in your future endeavors. Please view the rules below:

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Rule 1: Know yourself and be careful that you are aware of your goals. Write down all your ideas, expectations any questions you may have as you lead in this new role. This will allow you to favor all areas of development and also show that you trust the quality of time.

Rule 2: Know your market. Do this by understanding and spending time with customers. You can service your target market better by knowing what they want. Develop effective research, you can do this by making sales calls, utilizing focus groups and tracking your goals. Once you do this, you take the information back to your team and use it to build and develop.

Rule 3: Always set standards and goals for yourself! This will allow you to focus on the ultimate task at hand and discard any ineffective material that doesn't fit the overall future goal. This serves as a map to help design your path and also can be used as a reference of what it took to get where you are.

Rule 4: Always look your best. Looking good reinforces how you feel about yourself and confidence is key in this business. I would choose to invest in someone who looks me in the eye, speaks well and shakes my hand rather than someone who shifts nervously, avoids eye contact and is afraid of physical contact.

Rule 5: Make it your business, to know your business! Most mangers have no traditional business training but they are established in the entertainment business enough to compete and advance. Using your business fundamentals, utilizing your professional network, classmates, instructors and essentials will allow you to set yourself apart from others and gracefully move forward at a much faster pace.

As a future owner of a film production company and publisher of fiction publications. I am currently in the process of applying these rules to my life.

   

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This course has reinforced my theory of the changes in the entertainment business and how the  realities of generating revenue have also changed. In the music business, overall sales of downloaded singles and albums have increased for the first time this year. This former area of music sales and airplay exposure are becoming more dependent on sales in other areas. While radio focuses on building audiences for advertisers. The recording industry is interested in selling albums based on concerts and touring. We are currently facing the deepest recession in history, followed by a 2010 year-end total of a 5 percent decline in concert ticket sales in the U.S. The entertainment currently relies on management, and the behind-the-scenes creators to sell entertainment and redefine its business model. Being aware of this is motivation for those of us "dreamers" to get ourselves together and become what we dream to be! Today has been great, tomorrow will be even better! Thanks for your time and I look forward to sharing with you. Until next time!

Allen, P. (2010, October 18). Music industry needs to redefine itself. http://blogs.tennessean.com. Retrieved February 26, 2011, from blogs.tennessean.com/opinion/2010/10/18/music-industry-needs-to-redefine-itself/.

Artist management resource. (n.d.). Music Manager and Management Roles. Retrieved February 26, 2011, from www.artistmanagementresource.com/music-manager-roles.html