Manager "?" for music industry insiders

[BSBGeezerFan]

I've been chewing this one over for some time and it probably has a simple answer which tells you why I had problems with it. Okay. I understand that Lou and the Wrights were the Boys' management team and I've read the histories so I know that they didn't have much if any say in how their careers were run.
Okay. New management. I thought that when the Boys signed with The Firm that it was more of a situation where the Boys called the shots and the mangagers were just there to manage. What I've gotten from fan fics where some managers threatened to fire some or all of the Boys like employees (I know, it's my fault for reading) and what Brian said about announcing the engagement when it was okay or cleared with management made me wonder if that was industry standard. I don't understand. I thought that your life is your life and management is just supposed to handle your career and where your life and career overlap.
So my question is this: does the dog wag the tail or does the tail wag the dog? And just what is a manager supposed to do?

[n2music]

It really depends on each artist and their situation. Now in the situation of Lou and the Wrights...they called all of the shots... as for The Firm the boys hired The Firm not the other way around. The Firm cannot hire or fire any of the boys. As for things being cleared through management..now with the new management I am sure what Brian meant was for everyone to be on the same page and to announce it at a good time. Not that he needed The Firms approval to announce it. In most cases the artist is in control if they are smart enough to be...some let managers lead them blindly... that is a totally different case than the Wrights and Lou. Lou really held all of the cards with having his hand in every pot and making it where the boys could be sued individually and as a whole if they did not comply with things... but the situation they are in now is totally different and in the end if they want to call the shots on that end of things they do... now as for their JIVE related stuff that is a whole different story/relationship all together.

Management is really there to take care of the boys...like a professional babysitter in some cases. Make sure that every aspect is working out... to be the liason between the artist and everyone else.. record label...touring companies/booking agencies...publicists.. to make sure that if there is a problem between anyone in the above sentence that it is worked out. If there is a problem Management is who gets blamed..LOL

[GodBlessBrian]

Thanks for the interesting information. It was a great question I had been wondering about as well. It's all so technical. Do you think that the boys have any say as to when the album is released (in terms of being far apart from the previous album's release)?

I've always wondered if the record company made them come out with Black and Blue immediately after the Millenium Tour just ended.

GBB

[sandley]

Management also will let the interviewer have a heads up as far as the questions that will be allowed to be asked and clear with the publicist for the Firm. They have to give management a heads up, so to speak, so if there has to be damage control, management is able to come in very quickly. When the boys announced their engagements, the publicist for the Firm had to be ready to basically issue a worldwide press release and and have back up press releases to contradict and backlash from fans. Did you notice that after the announcement, both Brian and Kevin were seen publically a bit more than during a usual break. There was the Debry, a softball event and such. The idea behind this is to keep them in a positive spotlight, showing that they still want the fans to know they are there for them, hence making the announcement run a bit smoother.

The basic reason a management team is hired is so the boys can focus on their music, but with the Firm, they are allowed input, though the Firm does have an equal say. They cannot fire any one of the boys; that would take a group consensus. This partnership allows the boys to set their schedule to a degree by management having to clear appearances with them and vice versa.

All types artists hire managers, but depending on the contract, the control issue varies. I have an agent/manager for art, but I drew up my own contract and he and I agreed on any modifications he felt were necessary. Luckily, I have the absolute power, he merely arranges my meetings and shows and collects commission.

Just a fyi, most managers are lawyers.

[unobsbr4me2]

Interesting, and I can see how the reputaion fo the guys has to be protected if not controlled.....damage control for whatever somes up. And saying that the managers are usually lawyers, well, that explains alot!!!!

[BSBMom5]

Just have to put my two cents in here http://talk.livedaily.com/docs/smile.gif...I work in the music business (country) and have worked for managers for about 10 years. Actually, I don't know any music business managers that are lawyers. We have a very small music business community here in Nashville, and I can't think of any that are lawyers. I also have dealings with a couple of LA rock/pop management firms, and none of them are lawyers either. This may be different in your line of work Sandley, and there may be a few in my line that I haven't heard about, but I don't know any. Most of the artists have both.

Every artist I have ever worked with has had different levels of involvement in their careers. Some oversee everything, and others leave it to the managers to handle it all. So depending on their arrangement, The Firm could be doing either.

[sandley]

From what I have seen in my experience, small independent record labels (not branches of the larger ones), they usually have one in the same. A manager/agent who is also I lawyer. I have never worked with a large record company, but my agent has a small independent record label and a few of my friends are signed to other ones that do the same. That is simply what I know of it. Sports agents are usually attorneys also. They do not practice though. I have a few friends that are sports agents that had to go to law school. My agent is an entertainment lawyer. As I said before, it may be different with the larger companies, but it has always made sense to me to be one in the same, especially with the smaller ones since it saves on costs. The Firm is a VERY large company, so they may very well keep them seperate. It has, on occasion, caused conflict to have my attorney and agent in one entity.

[GodBlessBrian]

I know 2 of the managers for Loud Records' artists, and they're both lawyers.

GBB