Do DJs and Producers need a manager?
Written by Jamie Ryan &Nathan Maxwell (M24 Management)
It was once the domain of only the biggest names, but today DJs and Producers are using management and agents more and more, allowing them to focus on the music and others to make the right moves behind the scenes to ensure their name gets seen and heard. We asked Jamie from M24 Managements some hot questions on how you might benefit from getting yourself a manager too.
What does a manager do for a DJ?
A DJ manager is a person who books the DJ new gigs and events, as well as PR opportunities and engagements of a variety or can hire a booking agent/promoter to work on behalf of the DJ and manager. A Manager will also handle promoting the DJ, whether that be across social media or marketing/promotion campaigns. Generally speaking, a manager guides your career and helps make more informed decisions, i.e contracts. A manager should also help you grow your profile within the industry that He or She has an interest in succeeding in. What we like to do at M24 is provide a full service, we will actively seek new opportunities for gigs, support them through social media, to grow their profile i.e new fans/engagements, in the way of organic and real growth, our other job would also be keeping their schedules up to date so our DJs never have to worry about what is coming up, where they need to be etc.. As we have those angles covered, this can help the artist focus on what they do best as a DJ as well as working on their craft and maximising their potential.
What does a manager do for a producer?
A manager of a producer has the same role in a way as a DJ manager minus the bookings (You tend to find a lot of DJs produce themselves so both a producer and DJ manager role becomes one). Where a DJ manager would seek new gig opportunities and bookings, a producer manager would do the same role but apply that to labels. So they would actively work and connect with many different labels to get their music released, not just on the big labels they want to be on but also labels that will see them grow as artists. The way we work is we would approach many labels on behalf of our producers, work with them to find the right labels their sound fits to while also aiming to release on as many “Dream” labels as the producer would call them. It’s very important a manager helps promote each release and what we do is like to schedule all our content leading up to and after the release date to promote the artist and said release. With many releases comes many “release agreements” and it’s also our role to make sure the agreements/contracts are fair and fit in with what is industry standard and making sure they receive their royalties.
How do I find a manager?
One of the best strategies you could do as a DJ/Producer is to continually put yourself out there so that a manager or MGMT agency will approach you as this shows they’re most probably interested in your talent. That’s not to say you can’t find a manager as there is always that chance you could miss or not heard of a certain person, so what I would suggest is if you wanted to actively have a manager, you should do your due diligence. For example at M24, the producers that we manage, produce in the genres of deep house, tech house and techno, which is great for us as managers as we understand that genre, it’s our interests and taste in music. We don’t listen to rock music for example, so as a manager we couldn’t help a rock band as the music will be foreign to us, not have as much of an insight into what labels to work with etc. So if you’re finding a manager, get the background, find out who they are working with already, even approach said artists and get their opinion, sharing the same musical interests as you but more importantly, has your best interests at heart.
What to look for in a good manager?
How ETHICAL they are! It is that simple. A manager should always have the artists interests at the forefront of every action they take, it has to be for the benefit of the artist and not the manager. Transparency is important, they have to be honest with you at all times, even if that means it may upset you but it needs to be done or said for you to grow. That is what you want, somebody that believes in you, your talent and willing to take their time to push you to that next level. If it only ever comes down to how much money a manager can make you it’s very likely that their interests are solely in how much money you will bring them and not the interest of you growing a musician/artist. A good manager should work with the artist to achieve THEIR goals in the industry. For us personally the buzz and satisfaction when one of our producers get signed to a dream label beat's anything money could buy..
How much does a manager cost?
Again this is a tricky one, it all depends on the manager or agency. Most of them will work on a percentage basis of the overall artist income. Again we can’t speak for everyone as everyone has different split percentages, expense allowances etc. What we can say is at M24 we work on a percentage basis but we don’t ask for a return of expenses, for example, we will pay for promo, new press pack, press shots, travel expenses if needed. That way the artists can do everything in terms of improving their craft ie writing new music, allowing them to simply focus on that and not be tied down with the stress of paying for certain services.
Who are M24 Management?
M24 Management was founded in February 2019 Our ethos is to change the industry for the better, we want to work with aspiring/established musicians to make sure they have all the support they need with artwork, mastering, PR, label contracts, contract negotiations and bookings for events.
We make sure ALL our roster receive what they are rightfully owed for their creative intellect… Always remember, without the artists… There is no industry.
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