How Can You Trust a Manager?








Let's face it. Managers as a group just don't have a high level of trust from musicians. There has been a whole lot of negative publicity about unscrupulous Managers. It seems that music managers have this in common with used car sales persons. There must be some ounce of truth in this stereotype or it would not exist. There is the pound to consider. Meaning: the percentage of Managers that fit the stereotype is a small one, yet the bad apples have defined the barrel. All right, let us go with the flow.Most Managers have clients. Who are these clients? Are these clients successful? Do they have good things to say about the Manager? Who does the Manger have contacts with? Do these contacts have great things to say about the Manager? What has the Manger accomplished? Has the Manager been involved in law suits, been sued by present or former clients? If so, what were the outcomes of these suits? Some of these questions can be easily answered. Others may take a bit more research. Credibility and track record are important concepts.

There are different varieties of trust and varying digress within these varieties. Trusting someone not to cheat you, lie to you, misrepresent themselves or you is the most common type.. Then there is trusting someone to be competent, reliable and or astute. A person may be trustworthy in the most common thought of trust factor but fall short on other varieties. One can really never be totally sure of these factors because people and situations can change at any given moment. Being cautious but optimistic is the only way to proceed.In most cases, a Manager would not be soliciting for new clients unless he/she is starting out. Everyone must start somewhere, so this should not be a disqualifier. Everyone has a background, a history. A resume' and references should be available. Does a band expect a top Manager with major labels clients to be running after them?

Most artists or bands that are starting out, the first year or so, do not really need a Manager because there is not much a manager can do that the group or artist cannot do for themselves. There are mid level Managers that take on fledgling artists and or bands. In quite a few cases, mid level or beginning Mangers lose their clients to upper level management once the major level has been achieved. In some cases it is justified that this should happen because the beginning or mid-level Manager does not have the necessary experience to deal at national and/or International level. Trust usually is a process and time is the only gauge.







Deb's Top 5 Songs Of The Day:



Jethro Tull, Aqualung
The Cars, Let's Go
Three Doors Down, Love Me When I'm Gone
Meatloaf, Life Is A Lemon And I Want My Money Back
Brother, The Crow






Local Artist Of The Day:


Tony Jones