Finances are always a concern for the indie musician. The
restricted resources that many musicians encounter in the beginning can drive
them to distraction. Therefore, the indie musician must learn to work around
these issues and make great career decisions. High on the list of great
decisions any musician needs to make is their management.
Management
is one of the most vital aspects of any musician’s career. The manager is one
of the premiere orchestrators in a musician’s career. The manager should have good
connections in the music industry and know how to use those connections to get
their artists access to career developing opportunities. Understanding this,
many indie musicians find themselves wondering if management is something that
they are capable of doing alone. Still, many others find themselves forced to
self manage because of circumstance.
Let’s face
it…no one knows better than you what you want your career in music to look
like. There is also no one who is going to work harder then you to achieve
that. However, self-management requires a commitment and work ethic that not
every musician is ready for. Many musicians would prefer to just create and
keep their attention away from all the business concerns of the music business.
However, sometimes it is difficult to avoid. In fact, I suggest that indie
musicians get highly involved in the business end of music.
MusicBizAcademy.com
suggests 35 tips for those musicians who self manage. These tips range from
planning to promoting. It is important that indie musicians have a clear career
direction. Being organized and working from this defined direction will help
the self-managed indie seek and see the right opportunities.
It is also
important to understand that self-management comes with many challenges. The Struggles of Self-Managed Artists on Think Like A Label outlines a few of the
situations that indie musicians may encounter. Some of these struggles include
not being taken seriously by larger venues and having the vast connections
outside management might have. However, an aspiring self-manager should not be
discouraged. They should just be prepared to work a bit more diligently.
Overall,
self-management requires a great degree of organization and patience. Indie
musicians should be willing to pour every ounce of passion, drive and charisma
into the endeavor. Further, they should understand that, although they may be
saving money, they are not cutting corners. Understanding the music business
and staying abreast of industry news and trends will give them an advantage so
its important that self-managers do their research. Any indie artists seeking
to manage themselves should fully understand what they are undertaking.
Remember, it’s your career and no one knows better than you what you want from
it.
Additional reading:
