ABSTRACT
The short course on preparing to manage artists is: get some education, get some experience, build a network, find some clients, and then go to work managing. This chapter includes details on some of those steps, but it also includes a deeper look into the realities of the business, and the character of the necessary relationships that a manager develops in the industry. Managing artists in the music business is done within the context of the general business environment, which is influenced every day by the economy, technology, politics, social and cultural factors, the price of energy, and international tension. Earning a degree in business is very useful—especially one that emphasizes marketing, brand management, and salesmanship. The aspiring artist manager needs a basic understanding of the entire music industry. Decision making about an artist's career certainly has to do with business, but there are also decisions to be made that deal with art and artistry.
