SLMC

Vlad · Joined: 29 Jul 2009 Posts: 20

So do i need a Manager when I start performing?

I prob wont at first, but I know that a lot of people have them....I was once approached by one who had some crazy fee's so my questions are as follows:

1) Do I need one?
2) Where do I/SHOULD I get one from?
3) How much should they charge me? / should I pay them?
4) What should they do for me? I realise they can be useful, posting notices etc...should they go to every show etc...I see many that do...guess on who they are etc...as I've noticed partners as managers etc...seems to be a theme....but many people i speak to...dont like managers! lol

Thanks!
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Vlad

ticious · Joined: 03 Sep 2007 Posts: 2600 Location: Chicago

Heya Vlad (again!)

I've been playing both sides of this arrangement for nearly three years and my advice is to continue on the path you look to be on.

1) It's cool to ask the community for advice, very good idea. But make your own list of what you feel YOU need from a manager.

2) If you find a manager who can fill the lists of needs you come up with, they should be paid where they fill YOUR needs. Unfortunately, the financial benefits of music in SL vary considerably. This could mean there are shows where they will fill those needs for a nice pay (based on the pay you receive) and other shows where neither one of you receives much of anything. Between the two show types, hopefully you'll make a little profit but very, very few make anything more than a small profit off performing in SL.

3) Keep talking to others in the business. You can make connections reading posts on this forum, on other forums and blogs and by hanging around shows in world. Don't let one person or group of people on either side try to tell how things work. They'll get it wrong, most likely in an effort to siphon a bit of money off you.

Unfortunately (this is my opinion and if anyone disagrees with me here, please jump in or pm Vlad to give your point of view), SL music is still too small to be profitable. And it's probably going to be that way a bit longer. But there is HUGE global potential for the future here. Keep your eyes set in that direction rather than on today's coin purse.
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Silas Scarborough · Joined: 04 Sep 2007 Posts: 1635 Location: None

Ticious is right and her #2 response goes straight to it. I see that response a bit more generically as you need to decide what you want from SL in a variety of musical areas. How your act is managed is one thing but also only you can decide if you'll use back tracks or any of the other electronic techniques many use in-world.

To find out if you need a manager, play out some gigs in SL and see if setting that up is too much of a hassle for you. If you're getting the gigs you want, etc, you don't need a manager.

One of the certified ''stars' of SL released publicly that she's making about ten grand a year from music but only part of that comes from SL. Thinking too much about the money has taken out more SL performers than anything other than virtual STDs.
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Jura Shepherd · Joined: 13 Jun 2008 Posts: 132 Location: METAHYPE Studios

EvaMoon · Joined: 30 Nov 2007 Posts: 748

Gavin Mackay · Joined: 13 Sep 2007 Posts: 119

Vlad,
It's definitely helpful to have someone working your shows while you perform. That isnt a manager though, it's a helper. Their job is to add woo-hoos', applause, add group members, remind the audience to tip the venue, etc. Some of this you can do onstage, but I find it most unattractive for a performer to ask for their own tips. You can plug the venue's tip jar, you can ask people to join your group, but it is hard to add them while you're performing. A helper is great for that, even tho you can use one of the new fangled Subscribe-o-Matic (SoM) systems that doesnt require a helper at all. Even so, the SoM needs to be worked, its just another notice sender, so you have to allocate time for it.

Some performers find it difficult to negotiate fees, or to find the time to track down new venues, or to deal with difficult or grumpy venue owners, etc. This is the domain of the Booking Agent, who is still not a manager. Many venues who haven't heard you will be hesitant to book you until they have. Since the job of your booking agent is to get you new gigs, they will also have to deal with venue owners, and jump through whatever hoops are required to get you booked. Arranging for them to come to one of your shows to hear you, providing materials, or websites with sample music, whatever it takes, thats what they must do. This is a tough part of the job, but thats what your booking agent does. WARNING: A Booking Agent who thinks its beneath their dignity to jump through hoops on your behalf is a detriment to you. Some Booking Agents have relationships with venues, and their word that you are worth having will be good enough, but not all venue owners will do that, and if you are new, or the venue is new, those hurdles will most likely have to be cleared.

You may also have someone who does promotional stuff for you. This is advertising and marketing of YOU. This is also not an Manager, but a PR person.

A manager is someone who handles all of the above, whether they do it themselves, or manage the process of getting it done. There are other things a manager does too, such as inspecting and approving venues, making sure they are YOUR type of place, not being afraid to say NO, or play hardball on your behalf, and a myriad of other things that you'll soon see. When you have a *Manager*, your job will be more like just showing up with a tuned guitar, schmnoozing with other musicians and residents in the community, and less like doing the above defined grunt work.

You can pick and choose what you do, or what you have as part of your team, but the best advice I've heard here so far is to do it all yourself for a while... learn the business of being a performer. Then you can decide what niche you may fill, what appeal you have, and how much of the work you actually want to do yourself. After you know all that, you'll also know what it's worth to you to get it.

And Jura is right, some *managers* think they are worth a whole lot more than they really are. A true manager's job is to maximise your earning potential through promotion, bookings, and negotiating, and this includes building your popularity and managing your time, capability and resources (which doesnt mean just finding you 20 shows a week to do). I'm sure there are lots of folks who present themselves as a manager, but very few people in SL truly do a manager's job.
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Nad · Joined: 05 Sep 2007 Posts: 542 Location: at my puter.

Different people have different needs. Going on your own for a while will help you determine what your needs are. I found a friend who understood what I need and wanted to do that stuff. I'm way more taken with intelligence and common sense then with experience. I think of my manager as a partner in our presentations, though we do not have such a formal relationship. I thought it important to work with someone who enjoys playing SL. She dresses up and pretends to be a manager and I dress up and pretend to be a musician. It's an adventure, not a business. But this is how I choose to play SL.

If you go on your own for a while and see the stuff that you dont want to do or are not good at and want someone else to help you with those areas, you have to notice that you need someone who actually cares to be willin to do all that stuff you dont wanna do.
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Vlad · Joined: 29 Jul 2009 Posts: 20

Thanks all,

You're very helpful Smile

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Vlad