Are You Really Ready for Management?

 

“I just need a manager to take things to the next level.”

Sound familiar?

If you’re a music artist building your career in the Caribbean, Africa, or another emerging market, chances are, you have either said this, thought it, or heard someone else say it. And it makes sense. The idea of having a manager feels like a big leap, a sign that you might be doing something right. But here’s the thing many artists don’t realise:

👉🏽 Artist management is not step one. It’s step ten 🙂

In fact, bringing on a manager before you are ready can hurt your growth more than it helps.

In Episode 2 of the ArtistSnacks Podcast, we broke down why artist management is often the missing link, but this only applies for those who have already built a solid foundation. This blog post goes a step further, helping you figure out where you really stand!

What Does an Artist Manager Actually Do?

An artist manager isn’t your social media manager, promoter, or your personal assistant. They’re certainly not your investor. While some persons who have operated in these roles desire to be managers and may transition to artist management, a real artist manager operates like the CEO of the artist’s music enterprise. They take what you’ve built, such as your brand, fanbase, catalogue and opportunities, and help scale it, strategically and sustainably.

But here’s the catch: they cannot scale what doesn’t exist. So before you make another “Wish I had a manager” post to your Instagram story, ask yourself the following 5 career-defining questions:

1. Do I have consistent momentum?

No one wants to manage a stop-and-start career. If your last release was over a year ago or you have only performed a handful of times, then chances are you’re still building your foundation.

A manager’s job is to amplify, not necessarily to inspire you to produce momentum. 

You should: Focus on releasing music consistently, performing regularly and building a small but loyal audience. That’s what makes you worth managing!

“Managers amplify what already exists — they don’t build from scratch.”

2. Am I earning income from my music?

Managers typically work on commission, meaning they earn a percentage of the money you’re already making. If your music career isn’t generating revenue yet, it might not be a viable business relationship. Typical income sources include show income, streaming revenue, sync deals, licensing and merch

If these aren’t in place, it’s time to build income streams first, then invite a manager into the picture.

To understand revenue streams: Take our free course, Make Music, Make Money

3. Is my brand clear and recognisable?

It is important to be able to clearly explain who you are as an artist, especially your message, image and musical identity. Managers rely on brand clarity to pitch you, build partnerships and negotiate opportunities to move your career forward.

 Ask yourself:

• Can someone recognise my aesthetic and sound?
• Do I have a defined audience or niche?
• Are my web and social presence aligned and consistent?

If not, start there.

Learn: Craft your brand with our Artist Brand Creation Workshop (Coming Soon)

4. Am I overwhelmed with opportunities?

Now, this is a good problem to have.

If you’re receiving bookings, feature requests, or sync offers and struggling to keep up, that’s often a sign you’re ready for management. That’s when a manager can step in to negotiate contracts, coordinate schedules and help you grow strategically. This here is what artist management is meant to do: help you scale the success you’ve already started creating.

5. Do I have systems and structure in place?

A chaotic career is hard to manage.

If your publishing isn’t registered with the relevant agencies, your splits with different collaborators are undocumented and your music metadata is in a mess, no manager will want to take on the liability. A good manager needs systems they can step into.

Start by organising:

• Your contracts and agreements
• Your digital distribution and royalties
• Your calendar and communications
• Your professional documents (bio, one sheet, EPK, etc.)

Inside our Managing the Music Artist course (Join the waitlist), we walk through how to build these systems before management comes into play.

💬 “Do you think you’re ready for a manager?” Drop a YES / NO in the comments—and tell us why.

Download: The Artist Readiness Checklist

If you’re unsure whether you’re ready for a manager or want to know what to work on, we’ve made a simple tool to help.

Get the free Artist Readiness Checklist. This downloadable PDF walks you through what managers are looking for and helps you audit your career in 10 minutes.

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Catch the Podcast Episode

This post expands on what we covered in Episode 2 of the ArtistSnacks Podcast: “Why Artist Management Might Be Your Missing Link”

🎙️ Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or your favourite podcast app:

Ready to Build a Career Worth Managing?

If you’re serious about your career and want to build the systems, mindset, and tools that professional managers expect, explore our self-paced online course:

Learn how to manage yourself or work better with a manager—using templates, guides, and real-world insight.