What makes a good manager
Lesson time: (1min 23sec)
Judge Jules on what separates a great artist manager: total commitment paired with a clear plan and real organisation.
Course preview
This lesson is part of the course Legals & Deals: The Basics of The Music Industry
Watch a preview of the full course below.
Lesson transcript:
Understanding the Role of a Manager
I've got a lot of sympathy for managers. My background is as an artist, and sometimes when I was just an artist before I became a lawyer, I didn't necessarily understand what it takes to be a great manager because I'd only had individual managers looking after my careers.
However, these days, having seen lots and lots of managers and representing many artists who are managed, one gets to see what the common denominators are.
Key Attributes of an Effective Manager
It's awful to say it, and managers probably won't want to hear it, but being pretty much a 24/7 person who is just living it is the most important attribute for a manager. However, it's not just living it and kind of throwing yourself at it in a disorganized fashion.
It's a combination of:
- Being a shop, dare I say, that's open all hours
- Having a plan
- Being organized
- Having a decent network of contacts
First-Time Managers
It isn't to say that you can't be a first-time manager because some people have just got a natural gift for understanding what it takes to bring an artist into the next dimension of their careers.
Conclusion: The Most Important Attributes
The two most important attributes I would say are:
- Working at it: You're literally going to sleep dreaming about it, let alone what you're doing during the day.
- Being organized and strategic: This is essential for achieving those goals.
About the instructor
Jules O'Riordan has over 30 years of experience across the entire spectrum of the music industry. This includes nearly a decade as an A&R for the Universal umbrella of labels, 15 years as a presenter on BBC Radio 1, over 150 record releases and remixes in his own capacity as a recording artist, plus a 30-year career as one of Britain's best-known, globally-travelled DJs (Judge Jules), with over 5000 gigs under his belt, plus extensive experience as an event promoter and artist manager at the highest level. Suffice to say, Jules knows the music industry inside-out, and his clients regard him as a trusted advisor for whom no legal or business affairs challenge or problem is too large or small. Jules has been a lawyer for 10 years. His practice takes in the entire breadth of the music-focused entertainment industry. His legal and deal expertise includes management, recording, publishing, distribution and label services, music-based apps, games and tech projects, production deals, producers, featured artists, endorsements, merchandising, neighbouring rights, TV/film scores, live performance, events and venue agreements, plus copyright and rights infringement and many other disputes. Jules's clients include artists, management companies, record labels, songwriters, event promoters, producers, music tech businesses, production companies, live agents, music publishers and DJs. He has spoken on many panels and seminars including ADE, Brighton Music Conference and AIM events, and has been a guest speaker on legal issues across a number of on and off-line media outlets, including BBC Radio 5 Live, BBC Introducing, Financial Times, The Sun, The Times and Mixmag. Jules speaks fluent Spanish. Who better to demystify the contracts and deals every musician eventually faces? In his course, Jules turns three decades of hard-won industry knowledge into plain-English guidance, so you can understand the business side of music and protect your work long before you sign on the dotted line. read more