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Recently, one of my students surprised me by asking a pretty relevant question: How honest are you with the artist you manage? Do you tell him everything--even if it's really bad? And how much does he really need to know, anyway? Hmmm. Good one!
Those of you who know me might be aware of the fact that I managed a Los Angeles-based Pop/Dance artist. Together we finished his debut American CD release called Dance! on our own Indie label which was distributed internationally because French is his native language. Because of deals I made, the entire recording of 12 songs cost the artist less than $2,000 and that includes four songs we recorded and discarded. But how could we have reached this level without open, honest dialogue between us? It would have been impossible.
I always found it refreshing when we discussed certain situations and disagreed. Will he eventually see things my way? Can he persuade me to think that he is right? What's important is that by hiding the truth--or certain elements of it--we are not being honest with each other as people. And that in itself is wrong.
Keep in mind that as a Personal Manager, I work for the artist. I report to him. And over the years, he has asked me some very important, pointed questions that I could easily have dodged. When, for example, a record company passes on an artist, it is my duty to tell him the bad news and then to explain why--so that he learn from the experience and tries to avoid it in the future.
After a terrible show, I need to review the performance and critique it clearly and informatively so it never happens again. I need to tell him the show sucked. Period.
In return, I expect my artist to be brutally honest with me--to confide in me. We all need to know that we are sharing all of the information relative to the artist's career. There's no need to protect him from "the forces of evil" or from harsh reality. Nothing in this business is all good!
As for the part about how much he really needs to know--that depends on each individual artist. Everything that's really important gets told to the artist. However, I do not recount my entire day, all the meetings and phone calls. That's the deal we have. And he reciprocates. Including telephone calls and e-mails, we probably communicated about five to 10 times a day. Every day.
Artists must communicate with the people they work with all the time. They must plan rehearsals, writing sessions, gigs, promotional activities, etc. Managers should also be aware of these activities and be given a schedule of them. The business side of things is equally as important as the music side. Therefore, the manager should communicate his business activities on behalf of the artist on a daily basis. It's not a difficult concept to understand.
Additionally, it's always a good idea to schedule more formal artist-manager meetings three or four times a year where the entire career is reviewed and plans are laid for the coming months. This brings everyone up to par. You'd be surprised at how honest an artist get after a couple of six-packs.
Personal Managers tend to treat artists the same way they treat others in the industry. And that alone says a lot. It is therefore incredibly important to select a PM with great care. If your manager is basically honest and concerned and committed as an individual, he will be someone who will genuinely nurture your career.
Telling the "whole" truth is sometimes painful--both for managers and artists. But ignorance is never an option. Let it hurt for a few minutes and then grow with the experience. In all cases, honesty is the best policy.
Kenny Kerner is the author of the best-selling book Going Pro: Developing A Successful Career in the Music Industry published by Hal Leonard and available at amazon.com and at bookstores everywhere.
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