Music Industry Professionals: Responsibilities, Roles, and Rates

Artist Manager, Booking Agent, Publicist, Attorney, Promoter/Talent Buyer, & Business Manager:

What do they Do? And, more importantly, How much should they be Paid?

 
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Booking Agent:

  • The Booking Agent Arranges Concerts

  • Is paid 10% of the Artist Performance Fee

  • Typically Exclusive

  • Routes tour

  • Negotiates contracts with the promoter or talent buyer

  • Sets ticket price

$$$:

  • 10% of the Artist Performance Fee

  • Tour Manager sends the commission to the Agent

  • Collects money only for shows the Agents has booked

Promoter/Talent Buyer

  • The Promoter/Talent Buyer “Buys the Talent”

  • Takes the Risk

  • Hires Artist to play at venues

  • Deals directly with the Booking Agents

  • Check out This Interview with Chris Goyzueta, Talent Buyer for the House Of Blues in New Orleans

$$$:

  • A negotiated % of the Show Net Profit

  • If the show is not profitable, the Promoter loses money

Manager

  • The Artist Manager is the leader of the bands business activity

  • Decision maker in all aspects of the band’s career

  • “Builds bridges and puts out fires”

  • Typically Exclusive

  • 2 types of managers:

    • Contract

    • Handshake

  • Develops Tour in conjunction with Booking Agent

    • May select support acts

  • Negotiates merchandise price, items

  • Hires/Fires Tour crew members

  • Negotiates general terms of a record deal

  • Select the producer, session musicians, and studio for the band’s record

  • Affected by the “Sunset” clause

    • Sunset clause: The Manager will continue receiving payment for past work at a rate and for a duration as specified by this clause. For example:

    • 10 % at 6 months, 5 % at 12 months, 2.5% at 18 months, 0% at 24 Months

$$$:

  • 15-20% of the artist’s Gross Income

  • Advances are typically not-commissioned

Business Manager

  • Handles all of the Money

  • Pays Taxes

  • Builds Tour Budget

  • Is responsible for accounting all income and expenses

  • Issues paychecks for crew, band members

  • Double checks the numbers

  • Oversees the recording budget

  • Pays all bills related to production

  • Collects all royalties

  • Can say NO to ideas if over budget

  • Here is an excellent Billboard Article that talks more about the Business Manager

$$$:

  • 5% of artist’s Gross Income OR Hourly

  • Collects commission only while working

The Publicist

  • Arranges Press coverage

    • Album reviews, concert reviews, features, video premieres, in-person appearances

  • Arranges radio and magazine interviews

  • Not necessarily exclusive, but coordinated

    • Hired for terms of 3-6 months

  • Interested in becoming a Publicist?

$$$:

  • Monthly fee over the course of the publicity campaign

The Attorney

  • Reviews and negotiates all contracts

    • Assists booking agent on performance contracts

    • Assists manager on recording contracts

    • Assists band on manager Contracts

  • How to Find a Legitimate Music Lawyer! (Courtesy of my friends at Sonic Bids)

$$$:

  • Hourly or Flat Fee

    • 5% of the artists gross income

Day Of Show Team Members:

These are people that you work with on the Day of the Performance. They are paid by the Venue, but are ultimately paid by your ticket sales and the venue’s total revenue.

FOH Engineer

The Front of House Engineer mixing audio for the audience.

Monitor Engineer

The Monitor Engineer mixes audio for the members of the band on stage and is usually located on or near the stage.

Lighting Designer

A lighting Designer, or LD, works to create the lighting, atmosphere, art installation, and visual effects of a show. The LD operates a light board during the show which can be controlled either by hand or by software.

 
 

Meet Your Teacher:

 

  • 26 Years Old

Josiah Garrett, photo by Cathy Marszalik

Josiah Garrett, photo by Cathy Marszalik

 
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