SO YOU WANT TO BE AN ARTISTE MANAGER?


Ok, so your parents paid good money for your education; you went to a good school, you’re eloquent, a good degree and grade in the kitty, now all you have to do is get a good job, make some money, buy your parents some gifts now and then and make them happy as you steady climb the ladder of corporate success, right?

But wait oh! You actually want to carry on with your undergraduate days passion of talent managing “Yoh and the boys” in real life? Is that how you intend to feed your family? Hmm…so you insist you want to follow passion? Ok, here are some roles an artiste manager should be engaged in, to get his artiste noticed; if it will help you gain fame and fortune is entirely another matter, so don’t  accuse me of selling you the short end!

Image Maker: Very few artistes really know how they want to sound, look or be when they start out in music. With help from your publicist, stylist, make-up artist, photographer, gym trainer and blogger (and if you have every single one of these people on your team, what are you reading my article for?), it’s your job to help create an image that will fit the sound that the artiste is in the process of evolving into. 
WARNING: This is a continuous job, as the artiste’s sound should evolve now and then so he/she stays fresh

Project Management: His dad needs him, a gig needs him, his girl needs him, the restaurant down the street needs him (err…to pay the bills he owes? Oh well!), get the picture?
What is his image centered on? What are of core value to his brand and what does he stand for? When helping to schedule your client’s time and roles, these will help in deciding which comes first, second, third or last, or which don’t come up at all.


Last Line of Defense: He is a sheep among wolves sometimes, other times he tends to be the wolf himself. You need to save him from people who are there to cut him short and also save him from himself (when he goes all wolf-man). It’s logical really; he is the meal ticket, something goes wrong with the meal ticket, then no more meal. He needs to be protected from doing dumb things that will tarnish and affect his brand (and your meal), at the same time, protected from being taken advantage of.

The truth is, artistes have this erroneous notion that they are the boss, they control their destiny and all. The reality is the artiste may be king, but the manager is the king maker, so know your worth. Know your job, but most importantly, do your job.








Omadibi Raphani Godwin is the Creative Director of Vista Ville Management and also serves on the board of Board Members Entertainment. He has served as manager/consultant to various Nigerian Artistes and management/entertainment companies, alongside serving on several Non-Profit organisations. His hobbies are music, movies, community service, traveling, networking, writing, table tennis, video games and sampling good food. He is the P.R.O of A.M.A.M.N.

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