Canadian Musician September / October 2019 | Page 39
Shows and tours are also a huge part
of management’s jurisdiction, dealing
with the budget and the people: agents,
promoters, tour managers, and crew.
The manager will advise on all cre-
ative matters: selecting the right produc-
er, choosing the singles, and making sure
the artist is presented to the music-buying
public in the best way possible.
Let’s get some of the terminology
out of the way. You’re probably aware
that an agent books the gigs while a
manager oversees everything else, but
there’s much more to the way the team
works. The manager is sometimes re-
ferred to as the personal manager, in
order to distinguish the job from that of
the other managers on the team.
The business manager looks after all
of the artist’s finances: bookkeeping, bills,
taxes, and so on. As the act becomes more
and more successful, the manager will
eventually have to hire someone to “do the
numbers.” In the entertainment world, busi-
ness management is a largely unregulated
profession, depending on the territory.
There are not many checks and balances
that would prevent the business manager
from skimming extra wages off the top or
emptying out the artist’s bank account,
as has been the case in a few high-profile
cases, so the personal manager needs to
be wise about who to hire for this role.
The personal manager almost never
goes on the road with the band. That’s a
job for the tour manager and/or road man-
ager. Whereas, on a small tour, these two
jobs are done by the same person (referred
to as the TM), larger-scale stadium tours will
have two facets. The tour manager coordi-
nates the logistics surrounding tour routes
and feeding and housing the band and
crew, whereas the road manager will look
after the thousands of tiny details during
the tour, including herding the musicians
onto the bus, onto the stage, and into the
hotel room. When things go wrong (a daily
occurrence), the TM will fix it or find some-
one who can.
The large-scale tours will also require
a production manager who looks after,
among other things, production equip-
ment rentals, trucking the gear, and bus-
sing the band and crew.
A band’s first few tours will likely have
minimal or no crew members. This means
one of the band members will need to
look after running the tour. In time, when
the income from shows warrants hiring a
Bernie Breen
of Bernie Breen
Management
crew member or three (e.g. sound tech,
instrument tech, merch person), the new
crew member will likely double as the tour
manager, at least temporarily. In some rare
cases, personal managers may come on
the road with the band and act as TM, but
their time is much better spent back at the
office, working on the next deal.
What to Look for in a
Manager
The manager will represent you to the
world, and is therefore the single most
important member of the artist’s team.
The relationship is a potentially compli-
cated one in that the manager is more
of a partner than a boss. As such, it’s
imperative that he/she shares the artist’s
vision – and has a concrete plan on how
to realize it. This means selling the act as it
is (though perhaps with some tweaking)
rather than trying to overhaul the music
and create something far removed from
what the artist created. The manager must
be passionate about the artist’s music in
order to sell it.
Consider the differences between a
newer, less-experienced yet enthusiastic
manager against an established manager
with clout, muscle, and a staff. A smaller
manager with unyielding work acumen
and impressive leadership skills can make
things happen for the artist, even if that
means fighting day and night to establish
clout and credibility.
Teresa Nelson is a manager with
Traverse Music out of Vancouver. She and
her partner look after seven acts. They es-
tablished their company in 2018, and she
knows all about putting the time in to
go to bat for her clients. “With the bigger
managers,” she says, “I’m sure there are
more opportunities for partner-touring
and so on, but an artist might get lost in
the shuffle if there isn’t just one person
who’s focused on your career. I often
take phone calls at all hours, I don’t take
weekends off… I’m hustling just as hard
as they are.”
There are many traits that tend to
be inherent in all successful managers.
Those who are honest, patient and per-
sonable, have excellent communication
and problem-solving skills – and employ
manipulative stealth – will do well, even
if they are relatively new to the scene.
A larger management company
with established connections and a
history of clout will usually make things
happen quickly, as they are simply more
powerful than a smaller manager, but
it can be difficult for an unknown artist,
however talented, to attract this kind of
situation. That said, some of the benefits
are obvious. Experience will help find the
good deals and weed out the bad ones.
A good reputation ensures phone calls
get returned.
Bernie Breen is one of Canada’s
most respected managers. With a roster
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