In need of a manager?

[kfgranda]

Hi everyone, I'm just warning that this might turn into a mini rant...and I'd like to say upfront that all the members are 16-18 (me being the oldest).

My band has been together since May of 2011, and we've had our current singer since September. We've played a few gigs, all unpaid. My guitarist thinks we are the greatest teenage band in Miami. I agree that we are pretty good for the amount of time that we've all been playing our instruments (about 3 years each of us), but I don't think we are gods like he does. He txted me a short while ago that we need a manager in order to promote us and get paying gigs. I know ALOT of you guys here have been around the block several times, so I want your opinions... we have a demo already, so I just want to know what you guys think.

 

[skwee]

Here's when you need management:

-your engagements are so numerous that you can't easily figure out which to do to maintain a sane/healthy schedule

-you need someone to negotiate with club owners/presenters for higher fees than you are currently getting, and to support your tours

-you can afford to give someone 10-15% of your income to handle these things.



Look, I'm glad your guitarist is confident in your abilities. It's important to have that kind of drive, but as someone who has worked professionally for longer than you've been alive, I think you need to see what kind of work you can hustle on your own first. If anything, you'll learn about being smart businesspeople by making mistakes and taking chances, and you might avoid being taken advantage of out in the wild world of the biz.

 

[kfgranda]

That's pretty much what I've thought... but my guitarist is OBSESSED with becoming famous and getting known.... he pretty much wants a promoter in my opinion. Is there much of a difference?

 

[DaDrew2112]

become your own promoter. adding another person just isn't smart. your guitarist sounds like the kind of person i'd like to work with but sometimes these people need a reality check. a real band takes tons and tons of time to promote, record, interact, respond, ect... Thing is, if you can't handle all of that at first by yourself when you're little, chances are you won't know how to do it when you get big. Don't rob yourself of an experience and never let someone else do what you already can.

 

[Jason P Bass]

Hi everyone, I'm just warning that this might turn into a mini rant...and I'd like to say upfront that all the members are 16-18 (me being the oldest).

My band has been together since May of 2011, and we've had our current singer since September. We've played a few gigs, all unpaid. My guitarist thinks we are the greatest teenage band in Miami. I agree that we are pretty good for the amount of time that we've all been playing our instruments (about 3 years each of us), but I don't think we are gods like he does. He txted me a short while ago that we need a manager in order to promote us and get paying gigs. I know ALOT of you guys here have been around the block several times, so I want your opinions... we have a demo already, so I just want to know what you guys think.

You guitarist is absolutely right. You need someone to manage, promote, and book your band.

Which one of you is going to do it?

When your band can earn $1000 per week from playing gigs, a booking agent will take 15% and a manager will take 10-15%. This means you're spending $150 per week on an agent (pays for about 4 hours of work) and $100-$150 on a manager (pays for 3-4 hours of work).

Are you guys so busy with practicing and performing that you cannot - between the three or four of you - volunteer 8 hours of work per week to book gigs and "manage"?

How much money per week are you earning? Nobody is going to work for a percentage of nothing.

Just some free advice - LOTS of people want to be professional musicians, but FEW of them are willing to put in the work. Keep your eyes on this guitarist, and be wary of him "leading" the band. He sounds like the type of person who is not willing to put in the work.

 

[bluewine]

You guys are young, a great advantage. It doesn't last forever so take advantage of your youth.

Sounds like getting a good manager is the way to go.

blue

 

[Floyd Eye]

What you need is a FB page, a demo DVD and fake IDs.

 

[jmattbassplaya]

You guys are young, a great advantage. It doesn't last forever so take advantage of your youth.

Sounds like getting a good manager is the way to go.

blue

No way. They're too young to even play at most bars, so getting a manager at this stage is relatively pointless. Until all of you are at least 18 you're likely going to find yourselves VERY limited to what gigs you can get. A venue isn't likely going to hire a bunch of kids who:
1. are a liability just to have in their establishment
2. aren't capable of providing the same service that a more seasoned band can
3. aren't capable of bringing out any of their friends/fans (again, the age thing)

This isn't a personal stab - it's just the way things are. If you're legit about wanting to play out then you guys should take it upon yourselves to get gigs. You'll save money and you'll learn a valuable skill by doing this. If you finally get to the point where you NEED a manager then it might be worth to hire one at that point in time - but as of now I highly doubt it.

 

[PatQ]

That's pretty much what I've thought... but my guitarist is OBSESSED with becoming famous and getting known.... he pretty much wants a promoter in my opinion. Is there much of a difference?

And that's where my first band split. The singer thought we should get famous. Yes, we were good - but to make a living by playing heavy metal is a different thing.

 

[agreatheight]

Let's hear the demo. That's the only way to answer the question, imo.

 

[Waffles and Scotch]

This:

Let's hear the demo. That's the only way to answer the question, imo.

and This:

No way. They're too young to even play at most bars, so getting a manager at this stage is relatively pointless. Until all of you are at least 18 you're likely going to find yourselves VERY limited to what gigs you can get. A venue isn't likely going to hire a bunch of kids who:
1. are a liability just to have in their establishment
2. aren't capable of providing the same service that a more seasoned band can
3. aren't capable of bringing out any of their friends/fans (again, the age thing)

This isn't a personal stab - it's just the way things are. If you're legit about wanting to play out then you guys should take it upon yourselves to get gigs. You'll save money and you'll learn a valuable skill by doing this. If you finally get to the point where you NEED a manager then it might be worth to hire one at that point in time - but as of now I highly doubt it.

One of the places we play in Ybor and a couple others in the bay area are all ages, as well as a couple of the festivals we do. Beyond that, most (if not all) of the other places we play would not let you guys in. We had a show at a local venue where the band failed to disclose their age and their 16yr old lead guitarist wasn't allowed inside. They subsequently had to cancel the show.

It's great that you're getting started early, but when a good number of doors are closed for you simply because of your age, it'd be wise to continue practicing, recording and improving (and building your fan base) until you're 18...

Find out which venues will allow you to play and call or send them a well drafted email. You'd be amazed at how much you can get done without management.

 

[thomashawk]

A manager does not promote a band, a publicist does. A manager does not get you better paying gigs, an agent does. Having seen this a hundred times this year alone, it seems your guitarist seems unwilling to do the work he expects someone else to do for free. It's a numbers game: how much does the band make each month?

 

[iriegnome]

I think it is great to have a positive attitude and want to shoot for the moon. But as you stated, he is a singer!! The over inflated ego that usually accompanies Lead Singer titles just about says it there. If you can't book your own local PAYING gigs, there is no manager (other than mom) that would be up for it. Promotion needs to come from the band more than someone else. Everything you need to do is within the band. After you are moving around regionally, then maybe a manager/booking agent. Heck, you guys are probably better on your IMac programs than most people as old as me, make your own promo. Get it on Youtube, Facebook and everywhere else people are watching.

 

[jz75]

I agree with other posts about doing it yourself. Once you learn what works and what doesn't, it will make a world of difference if you later get management and can actually see what is/isn't getting done for you from a marketing and management standpoint.

I'm not 16-18 anymore, but if I can market, book, make setlists, update websites and gig with more than one band while maintaining a full time job and family priorities, I think that an entire band can get it done. It's not easy, but if you love it, you do it. Plus it's a necessary evil. But enough about me - I'm just providing an example of what can be done.

If your guitarists thinks the equation [management = success] is the golden rule, that's real unfortunate.

 

[jungleheat]

In a big city like Miami, I guarantee there are probably 10 "young" bands that are better than you guys. If you guys were really that hot, you would probably already have people offering to manage you (who you should stay away from, because they are probably in it for themselves anyway). Which is not to say you guys suck, but just to give you some perspective.

Anyway, thread's pretty much already been summed up by the 2nd post. Not much more needs to be added. You guys just need to learn all you can about booking and promotion as you can on your own, and then when the organization gets too big for you guys to do all those things yourselves, THAT is when it might be time to start looking at bringing in outside people to help.

For now, like someone said, keep practicing and getting tighter and better, and play whatever all ages venues you can. Keep in mind, a band in that age range, stands a high probability of splintering once people start going to college, moving away for jobs, etc... If you guys make it all the way through that phase intact, then by then you're more likely to be in a position where you've established enough of a following to warrant some "employees".

Good luck, and remember to keep it fun.

 

[Waffles and Scotch]

Good luck, and remember to keep it fun.

^ This is easily forgotten once the real work starts, so make sure you remember it!

 

[JamesTaylor]

Hi everyone, I'm just warning that this might turn into a mini rant...and I'd like to say upfront that all the members are 16-18 (me being the oldest).

My band has been together since May of 2011, and we've had our current singer since September. We've played a few gigs, all unpaid. My guitarist thinks we are the greatest teenage band in Miami. I agree that we are pretty good for the amount of time that we've all been playing our instruments (about 3 years each of us), but I don't think we are gods like he does. He txted me a short while ago that we need a manager in order to promote us and get paying gigs. I know ALOT of you guys here have been around the block several times, so I want your opinions... we have a demo already, so I just want to know what you guys think.

You don't need a manager but, you need to build a name for yourself so that people will want to hire you more often. I work as a marketing exec and can get you known. Just send me a sample of your music.