6 Planning: A Primer for the Artist Manager

An effective manager working as an advocate for an artist requires an understanding of the general elements of planning, and an appreciation of the value of plans in guiding an artist’s career. This chapter is an introduction to planning, and it includes specific guidance on creating and budgeting for a plan.

A weakness found in the music business is the lack of any formal planning for artists, especially new artists. Veterans of the music business, both artists and their managers, have a short-term and long-term vision for managing careers and they frequently are not formalized in any written form. Artist manager Stuart Dill says, “Developing careers and plans, and actually putting them on paper and in writing I think is always a good idea. I don’t think it is always the norm. I think you’ll be surprised at how the industry has not had a formal approach as you would [if you were] a Fortune 500 company.” (Dill, 2004) Others in the music business agree with Dill’s assessment. For the new artist who is ready for the commercial side of their music and who is signed with management, a formal written plan is especially important. Chapter 12 of this book guides artist managers through the creation of such a plan. This chapter begins with goal setting.

Setting and achieving goals

Perhaps the most often spoken goals by people everywhere are their New Year’s resolutions. We heard resolutions in early January—and perhaps made some ourselves —knowing full well that there wasn’t a chance that many would be kept. In part, it is because they were terribly ambitious, and because they were made without a plan or timetable to make them achievable. As the next year approaches, the resolution remains unmet and as the sound of Auld Lang Syne rings in the New Year, the same goals are set for yet another year. Promises you make to yourself towards achievement of goals without a plan and a timetable suggest that they are more like dreams rather than intended results.

Managing careers of artists converts their dreams of success in the music business into a reasonable reality. But without a plan and accompanying timetable, plus the shared vision between the manager and the artist for that plan, an artist’s career becomes a dream that blindly searches for opportunity. It is important that the goals of a plan and the way to reach those goals are the result of collaboration between the two. The manager should push the artist, as the US Army said, “to be all you can be,” and the artist must view the plan as being one that is reasonable and achievable. Without the mutual agreement on the plan, the artist may not take genuine ownership in the viability of the plan and will see it as the manager’s vision, not theirs together.

An often-quoted line from Michelangelo fits well into to our discussion of setting goals. “The greatest danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high and we miss it, but that it is too low and we reach it.” (Chandler, 51) There is always the temptation to take the safe road and set goals that assure success. However, that sets the stage for underperformance or underachievement based on the talents of the artist. The manager must negotiate goals into the plan that the artist genuinely feels are attainable with the guidance of the manager, and they must be a true reflection of the potential of the artist’s talents.

Choosing a set of goals for the artist is the starting point for creating a plan. Goals for the artist might be securing a recording contract, learning to play piano during stage performances, learning to write songs that have commercial appeal, developing a commanding stage presence, acting in movies, and any number of objectives that will accomplish the career desires of the artist. Perhaps the best definition of a goal is a common metaphor used by planners that says a goal is the target you are trying to hit. It is the result you are trying to achieve. It is the goal, or the target of your energies.

In order to achieve a goal, it requires a set of strategies. Strategies are the plans you make to reach the goal. One of the best ways to develop a good set of strategies is to create a timeline beginning with the goal and work backwards, determining what it is that must be done to reach the goal. Strategies are lists of general steps that the artist and manager must take in order to get the desired result found in the goal. An example of a strategy is to create and practice a stage show with the goal of being booked to open for a headliner. Ken Kragen has a chapter titled “Backward Thinking for Forward Motion” in his book, Life Is A Contact Sport, which offers an excellent guide for developing effective strategies to reach goals. Among his suggestions is to motivate gatekeepers in a career path to say “yes.” (Kragen, 1994) The music business is one of those high reward industries that has many gatekeepers, and it requires the manager to plan for and to deal with them along the way.

The final piece to the planning model is the use of tactics. These are the things the artist and the manager do each day to implement the strategies in order to achieve the goals. With the goals set and the strategies developed, the manager’s personal planning tool—a PDA, a day planner, a calendar, a computer, a wireless device, or an old fashioned notebook—will have daily entries focused on executing the strategies. It will note telephone calls to be made, emails to be sent, meetings to be held, and follow up for everything.

Chapter 12 presents software that can be used by the manager to create charted timelines that will visually display the goals and related strategies. They can be effective tools to quickly help the manager manage time, and to show the artist the commitment they have both made toward the artist’s success.

Planning a personal budget for the artist

The manager who does not create a reasonable personal budget for the artist, especially for the new artist, will be spending valuable time trying to patch up relationships with bankers, credit card companies, and others to whom the artist owes money. Sitting down with the artist and developing a monthly budget will show the artist spending limits as well as give the artist guidance on being financially solvent. It is difficult for an artist to be creative in their art if creditors are applying pressure and making demands for payment. Keeping them financially solvent eliminates a possible distraction and helps keep them focused on their art.

A budget, like any other plan the manager creates, must be in collaboration with the artist. The artist must see the need for it and must agree to the limits of the plan. A lot of personal budget templates are available that make excellent tools for assembling a personal budget. A useful one is presented by the Consumer Credit Counseling Service of San Francisco (CCCS) and is available on their website at www.cccssf.org. The budget can be arranged by the week or the month, depending on which works best for the artist. Monthly budgets are easy to prepare, but they begin to fall apart by the middle of the month when the artist learns that there isn’t much money left for the remaining two weeks of the budget period. Initially, then, a weekly budget will keep a shorter-term view of where money is being spent, and it gives the artist a way to develop the control necessary to be responsible with prescribed spending limits.

The manager and artist should plan for the following areas as major areas of the budget:

(Consumer Credit Counseling Service of San Francisco, 2004)

The guidelines by the CCCS for a budget by general categories is:

It is important for the artist to understand that a budget is based on their net income, meaning that money available for their personal budget is after taxes have been taken out. The nature of the work of many artists is such that they are paid the full amount of their earnings when they are earned, and taxes will not have been deducted from the amount the artist receives. What will happen in January is a US Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Form 1099 will be sent to both the artist and to the IRS by the various employers, which is a reminder that the earnings were paid in cash or by check. No taxes were withheld from these amounts paid to the artist. The artist will be required to have funds available to pay any income taxes that are due from amounts reported on all of the 1099 forms they receive. Additionally, the artist must be prepared to pay any state income taxes for amounts they earned from performances in each state they worked during the previous calendar year. It is important, then, that the artist understands that a budget category will be created to hold back anticipated taxes that will be due.

As the artist begins to live with a budget, the manager and the artist may discover that adjustments need to be made to ensure it is an accurate reflection of the artist’s requirements.

Planning and budgeting an event

Throughout one’s career as an artist manager, there will be countless events that will be planned, both large and small. Regardless of the size of the event, it requires great attention to detail and a realistic budget because it’s an important component of promoting the career of one of the manager’s artists. The range of events can be from a small “meet and greet” with a tour sponsor involving the artist and a handful of other people, to something as large as a performance before 40,000 people. While the latter example is often planned by a promoter and an agent with final approval by the manager, supervising performances and other appearances is the responsibility of the manager and the manager must know what elements must be planned into them to assure their success for the artist.

For several reasons, a plan for any event should be written. First, a manager who has several artists will have a number of events in the planning stage, and a written plan will keep them organized and separate from each other. During those frequent hectic times, keeping the plans separate and in writing will minimize the confusion for the manager and those who are assisting with them. Having a plan in writing is especially important when the manager must share information with others. A range of distractions from illness to other unexpected emergencies becomes easier to manage if a clear and complete written plan can be assigned to someone else to handle.

The written plan should include a lot of detail.

Successful events require considerable attention to detail. Each element of a planned event involves calls, follow-up calls, confirmation, and re-confirmation as the date approaches. In the event plan on the following pages, the responsibility of something as seemingly routine as issuing invitations is highlighted to demonstrate the amount of planning and coordination necessary to simply invite people to a showcase.

The cities of major music centers have venues that routinely showcase artists for the purposes of securing management, a recording deal, or a publishing contract. The showcases can be one of the regular performances by an artist at a venue at which special guests are invited to determine if they have a business interest in the performer. Sometimes they are as simple as an audition in a conference room. Other times they might be held at a performance rehearsal facility, and sometimes they are invitation-only showcases presented at small clubs. The event plan example in this section of the book is for a showcase for an artist who is seeking interest by a larger independent label or by a major label for a recording contract. Since the objective is to enter into a business arrangement, one of the key music business centers—Los Angeles, Nashville, New York, or London—is the likely location for a showcase. And regardless of where the event is held, the planning for it has the same considerations. Depending on the available budget, elements of the plan described in the following section will require modification or elimination. A showcase at a club that is part of a regular engagement for the artist has little additional cost; a showcase planned as an exclusive event for the artist can involve considerable expense. Each can be effective, though the exclusive event focuses on the artist, and is designed to be purely an industry event rather than mixed with club patrons.

An event plan

When and where

Before an event can be scheduled by the manager, time must be blocked from the artist’s schedule to prepare for it. A showcase to seek a label deal will require at least six to eight weeks of preparation from the date the decision is made to have the event until it happens. Before the firm date is set, the manager must look at the general calendar for the music industry to be sure that the key people to whom invitations will be sent will not be committed to something else. If, for example, there is a major award show scheduled or an industry conference set for the artist’s musical genre, the showcase should be planned at another time. Conflicting events, especially locally, can kill the intended result of a showcase, and effectively competing for the attention of gatekeepers at industry conventions is expensive and often unproductive.

The specific time of the event is ideally a late afternoon event that closes out the business day for invitees. If you offer refreshments to the guests, a broader range of beverages can be offered at the end of the day.

The most efficient showcase plan is one that requires about an hour of the invitees’ time. Thirty minutes is set aside for people to arrive, have light refreshments, and network with peers. The last half-hour will include a twenty-minute performance by the artist with ten minutes reserved to navigate the room with guidance by the manager to connect with key people who attended. A showcase planned at 5:30 p.m. gives invitees a half hour to network with peers, hear the showcase, and be on their way home or to other evening activities by 6:30 p.m. It is an efficient use of their time at a convenient part of the business day.

The venue the manager chooses should be one that is large enough for the event, but small enough so that it is easy to give the perception that there is a big attendance. An ideal venue will be conveniently located near those who are invited, has adequate parking, will offer the use of the venue at no charge for a guaranteed food and beverage purchase for the event, and can seat 100–150 people in front of a permanent stage. The venue does not need to be a hangout for music business types, but it should be among those defined as being “hip” or “cool,” such as the House of Blues in Los Angeles or New York, the Exit Inn in Nashville, or The Borderline in London.

Invitations

With the time and place set, it is now possible to create and issue invitations. The surest way to a successful showcase for the artist is to use a combination of the old and tried ways with the inclusion of technology. Three weeks before the event, mail the invitations using the traditional postal service so they will arrive two and one-half weeks before the event. The following week, send a follow-up email that includes an image of the invitation. For those who have not responded to the first invitation and first email, send a reminder email the week before the event reminding the invitee again that the showcase is coming up.

Every part of a successful plan has countless steps, and the effective manager anticipates each element of each step. For example, as easy as this seems, issuing invitations has a considerable number of steps that will require attention to detail.

While this list demonstrates the kinds of tasks and detail necessary for just the invitations, it does not include the telephone calls, voice mail, and emails necessary to complete each one of these steps.

Food and beverage

Often referred to as hospitality in the meeting planning industry, the kind of food and beverage served at an event like this will depend on the budget available. Venues often supply the event space at little or no cost, provided the manager purchases snacks and beverages from them rather than having them catered. An open bar for a one hour event will leave the artist manager exposed to the consumption of the crowd. If beverages cost an average of $4 each, a crowd of one hundred can easily accrue a bar tab of $1,000 US in an hour plus an additional $200 tip to the barkeep. On a larger scale, the author held a major music industry showcase and dinner for 1,600 people that included an open bar for an hour. The bar tab for that sixty minutes was $27,000, though only $15,000 had been budgeted for it. At the settlement with the venue the amount was negotiated down, but thereafter beverage tickets were provided for similar events as a way to control costs. The use of beverage tickets is encouraged for any event where the food and beverage budget must be closely watched.

If food is planned for a small showcase, it must be within the limits of the budget. Depending on the city in which the showcase is held, catered snacks and light finger foods can cost between $10–$20 per person including tax and tip. For a small showcase, however, food is not necessary if the budget does not permit.

The performance

The manager will assemble a list of the requirements for the performance, many of which will depend upon the venue. Some performance venues offer only a stage with the expectation that the performer will bring in the necessary sound and lighting equipment. Other venues have “house” sound and lighting systems with technicians to operate them for the artist, and these accommodations typically will be provided for a fee.

If the stage is not adequate for the performance, the manager will rent appropriate staging and have it erected for the performance. Some venues have no stage, and the performance is made from floor-level. Some have minimal staging that is more like a riser than an actual stage. Others will have staging that puts the performer above the audience permitting them to be seen and heard very well. Besides the elevation of the stage, the manager must be sure there is adequate space for the stage plot that is planned for the event. If more space is needed, the manager must order it.

If the artist is a group that includes its own band members, it may be unnecessary to hire additional players for the showcase. However, if the artist does not have players who regularly perform with the artist, a budget allowance is necessary to pay the players for rehearsal and performance time. Costs that may be incurred with the performance could also include cartage, instrument rental, and technicians to manage the lights and sound.

Promotion

Those who attend the event should be provided promotional materials, often in the form of a press kit, to carry away with them after the event. It should be given to each invitee as they leave the event. Encourage them to take two if they need them, keeping in mind that many who attend showcases are surrogates for decision makers, and they will be sharing the experience with other staff at their company the next day.

Many artists who showcase do not post a banner on stage with their name and website address. In a brief showcase, the name of the artist is typically mentioned at the beginning and at the end of the performance. Since they are relatively new to the industry, it helps to keep a banner with the name of the artist on stage in front of the audience before, during, and after the performance. Heavy duty banners are relatively inexpensive and may be used for subsequent performances.

The final piece of promotion is often the most expensive but can also be the key to a successful event. Hire a good publicist. Entertainment publicists can promote the event to the industry and they can manage the event for the artist manager. Publicists will be able to help create a list of key invitees, provide addresses, handle RSVPs, make follow-up calls to those invited, and manage the event on the premises the day of the event. They know who the key people are in the industry and often have the relationships with them to get them and/or their staff to the showcase.

A sample budget

The most economical way to showcase talent is to make it a performance at a venue at which the artist is already booked. Guests who are invited can be asked to present an invitation at the door, or a list of invitees can be provided to the person at the door of the venue. Accommodations for invitees can include reserved tables with directives to the wait staff to give complimentary beverages to them with the bill coming to the manager.

An exclusive industry showcase is the most expensive way to showcase, and is for the aspiring artist who has access to enough funding for an event of this type. Typical costs an artist could expect to pay for an event that plays host to 100 industry people are:

The $12,600 US for this exclusive artist showcase creates an event specifically targeted to gatekeepers of the artist’s career. Events like these can generate industry interest but they often do not result in a contract.

The question most often asked about a showcase event—whether it is an exclusive artist showcase or a regular performance to which key industry people are invited—is, “How do I pay for it?” The artist has several options to find funding sources. They may have savings that are put aside for their career development; they may have friends or family members who are able to assist in paying the costs; the artist may have a sponsor that regularly associates with their performances who are willing to underwrite an event like this; and the artist may be able to take out a loan to cover the showcase costs. Some artists have “super fans” that are investors or “angels” who are willing to participate in the financing of the artist’s career in exchange for an earnings return from their investment when the artist’s career takes off. Every artist that has a well-developed fan base also has a few sincere fans who will say, “Please let me know if there is anything I can do to help you succeed,” and these people are ones who can help cover showcasing costs. As noted earlier in this book, the artist manager should ask the artist to remember and note anyone who falls into this category, and the manager should then follow up and ask for support.

Planning for any event, whether it is an artist showcase or a meet-and-greet preceding a performance requires close attention to the budget. If the plan results in a budget that the artist cannot afford, then the manager must decide whether to modify the event to so it becomes affordable or consider not holding the event at all. Remember that budgeting is a matter of setting priorities with available funding, and above all, a plan must be affordable.

Planning tools

There are a number of organizing and planning tools used by artist managers. They include paper planners that fall under the brand names of Day-Timer® and Franklin Covey®. This style of planner has accessories and sophisticated tools that help the artist manager stay current and plan for the artist as well as for all other company clients. This style of planner sells annual updates with printed pages, binders, and useful reference pages.

Another planning tool is Microsoft® Outlook®. It provides many of the same functions as paper planners, but it is software used on computers, PDA’s, and other handheld devices. Outlook can be an effective information and communication management tool and it will work as an adequate planner for the artist manager.

Among the newest software available for the manager is Verberate, designed by HiFi Fusion specifically for artist management in the music business. The software is web-based, meaning that the planning and organizing of data are maintained on the Internet on a secure server giving the manager, company staff, and the artist access to it on a current, real-time basis from anywhere in the world. It offers features similar to those found with paper planners but it adds planning and management tools that are custom designed for the artist manager. It allows the manager to specifically organize the artist’s time and career activities ranging from photo shoots and piano lessons, to ticket management and settlement sheets for live performances. The software then makes that information available on the Internet on an as-needed basis for the artist’s team anywhere they access to the Internet. Figure 6.1 is from the Verberate website, located at www.verberate.com.

Figure 6.1 Verberate software from HiFi Fusion

Managers for artists such as Faith Hill, Kiss, and Dierks Bentley have adopted Verberate to organize career management for their clients.

Anyone who is successful in the sales and promotion professions will universally say that they love the business they’re in, but they hate the paperwork. However, planning and its associated “paperwork” can give artist managers the competitive edge at being an effective advocate for everyone on their artist rosters.

References

Chandler, Steve, 2005, Ten Commitments to Your Success, Robert Reed Publishers, Barndon, OR.

Consumer Credit Counseling Service of San Francisco, 2004, www.cccssf.org.

Dill, Stuart, CMA’s Music Business 101 video, unpublished.

Kragen, Ken, Jefferson Graham, 1994, Life Is a Contact Sport, William Morrow, Inc., New York, www.verberate.com, 2007.