Although the music business has changed a lot, I still believe that the best artist managers have experience, connections AND education! The last one is what most managers today lack, but it is probably what will help you the most – especially if you want to make a profit. Having an understanding of how to do basic business in music is crucial to the monetary success of an artist – it is called music business for a reason!
Below are three great music business books for artist managers, whether you are already managing an artist or looking to get started in artist management. And artists, it doesn’t hurt for you to know about this stuff either, so don’t hesitate to have a read too.
This Business of Artist Management – Jr. Xavier M. Franscogna & H. Lee Hetherington
This book is an excellent starting book for those you don’t know a lot about what goes into managing an artist. Written from the artist a manger and artist standpoint, this book pretty much an industry standard and is found in the curriculum at most music schools across the country. Covering all the basics from making your music into a business, Internet copyrights, publishing rights, contract and more. What I mainly like about this book is that the authors use real-world examples and interviews with major booking agents, managers, promoters, record label heads and actual artists.
This book is frequently updated to reflect the current state of the music industry, so make sure you snag the latest addition!
This Business of Music Marketing and Promotion – Tad Lathrop
This book is actually one of my favorites because it really goes into detail about music marketing and promotion and how it can make or break career. The author explains in simple words the importance of having a promotional plan and well as a publicity plan to get your career off the ground – and lays out how to build on for yourself or your artist. He also focusing on how the change in the music business due to technology has also effect the way music is marketed. Issues such as promotional copyrights, profile building and e-marketing strategies are all covered here. With interviews and tips from a variety of industry professionals, this book is a great read for any artist manager.
This book is also updated to fit the industry, so again make sure you are reading the latest version.
This Business of Concert Promotion and Touring – Ray D. Waddell, Rich Barnet, Jake Berry
What makes this book great is that it solely focusing on the art of concert promotion and touring. This is major because in today’s industry there is little money made from actual music, most of it comes from touring and endorsements from major companies. One thing that hasn’t changed much in music business over the years is putting on a show or tour. This book is incredibly detailed and tells you how to create, sell, organize and stage a show from start to finish. The authors cover everything you can think of when you have to deal with venues – booking, promotion, public relations, financial management and staffing – plus gives you real examples from some of the world’s most successful concert promotors and booking agents. This book can apply to any type of show or tour you are looking to start whether is it local, international, college-driven or a simple artist showcase.
You can find tall hese books online on Amazon and most are available in hard copy or in Kindle format. You can also check out your local library or music college library for these awesome reads. There are a lot of other fantastic music industry books, I will be posting more of them on the blog soon, so stay tuned!
Good luck artist managers 🙂