bilities . But two things he feels he ’ s not great at handling is PR and finances . As such , a publicist and entertainment industry-savvy accountant are two people he ’ s looking to add to his team . He ’ s also had to develop thicker skin and learn to not take “ no ’ s ” personally , which is something a manager could help with . He ’ s actually had a friend help field emails at times to create a degree of separation between himself as the artist and the booker or promoter he ’ s dealing with . He says that often other people will prefer that degree of separation rather than dealing directly with the artist because it helps keep it business-focused and less personal .
Ultimately , St . Kitt says he feels most aspiring professional musicians are capable of being self-managed , at least for a time .
“ It ’ s not easy . I ’ m not going to say that it is . And there ’ s days where I just won ’ t do anything because it is overwhelming , but I think everybody can do it . I think we all have the capability ,” he says . “ It ’ s about really sorting out how to make it work for you and what you ’ re comfortable doing . Like , what strengths do you want to play on ? Like , are you okay with cold calling or emailing people , or going out and spending money on digital marketing or whatever ? It ’ s what do you want to do in your managerial tasks ? What are you looking to get accomplished ? But then it does get to a certain point where , as you do gain momentum in your career , you do need to start looking for a manager and looking for people that are willing to help you .”
So how do you identify that point at which a manager becomes a necessary and worthwhile addition to the team ?
“ I think it really depends on the artist . Clearly Alex has the right sort of brain for what he ’ s doing , but there are some people that just don ’ t have that brain . That ’ s a really important part of it ,” adds Helen Britton , the CEO at Six Shooter Inc . and co-manager of artists like July Talk , William Prince , Whitehorse , and more . “ There ’ s people I ’ ve worked with , or I ’ ve seen , who just can ’ t do it . So , they just dropped the ball and they stalled out . They didn ’ t reply , they have a to-do list and they never get to anything on the list , and then nothing happens , ever . And then there ’ s other people who are just super oriented on that side of the brain where they can have a checklist and they can remember the things , they can juggle [ tasks ], they can get back to their agent or the promoter , they can keep track of their expenses , and they can deal with their accountant . It really depends on the personality — and the desire , as well .”
As someone who regularly manages both bands and solo artists , Britton says there are definite pros and cons to each , and it changes the equation in other ways . An advantage of bands having multiple people is there are more hands to delegate tasks to , and also more personalities , perspectives , and skill sets . What that means is that bands can often remain self-managed for longer than solo artists , even as their career and stature begins to grow . In a band , for instance , one person can
PHOTO : OKWA ANDREW
ALEXANDER SAINT
deal with booking shows and communicating with the agent or promoters , another band member handles social media and PR , another deals with merch or advancing the shows , and so on . Whereas , solo artists – more often – can ’ t see the forest for the trees .
Also , let ’ s not forget , there ’ s an important financial equation , too . Managers aren ’ t working for free , or at least not for long . “ There ’ s certainly a point where there ’ s just not any money . So , it ’ s maybe hard for a manager to feel like they want to get invested yet because they ’ re going to be donating so much of their time . And it ’ s also hard for the artist to want to give up a portion of their money ,” says Britton .
The typical arrangement is that the manager will take 15-20 % of earnings . Though if it ’ s band , the manager may get paid as an additional member of the band . For example , if it ’ s a five-member band , the manager will get paid like a sixth member , with everyone earning an equal percentage .
“ You ’ d figure this out in a discussion with a potential manager , but you want to be at the point where , ‘ Okay , I have to pay commissions to my manager , but this manager at this point is able to bring so much value to my career that I ’ m not going to feel that payment because they ’ re going to increase my overall revenues enough that it just won ’ t feel like it ’ s costing me anything ,” advises Britton .
The financial equation , too , changes depending on whether it ’ s a band or solo artist . A solo artist may reach that point sooner , whereas a band , because there are more people splitting the revenue , may take longer to get to the point where it makes business sense to add another person to that split .
In term of finding not just a manager , but the right manager , it really has to be the correct combination of personalities , styles , and aspirations on both sides . For Britton , as the manager , the best working relationships she made with artist clients have often come from recommendations . For example , a booking agent tells her , “ Hey , Artist X is looking for a manager and I think you two would work well together .” If she gets that kind of recommendation , she will always take a meeting with the artist . And if there ’ s real potential there , it can take multiple hours-long meetings before anything is formalized to ensure it ’ ll be a good fit for both sides .
“ It sort of sounds so nepotistic when I say that , but really , what you want to know when you ’ re thinking about it is not only is the music right , because I can research if the music ’ s great , but what ’ s the [ artist ’ s ] personality ? You know , is this someone who has it together ? Are they serious about their career ? Does this other person think that we ’ re going to connect ? So , personality wise , that ’ s really why I like the recommendations .”
So , in short , many musicians are more than capable of remaining self-managed , even once their music becomes a full-time job . The key is to throw yourself into the tasks , don ’ t be afraid of the business or administrative side of things , and really figure out what you ’ re capable of handling and what you need outside help with . For some , they may need a manager relatively early in their career because , as Britton said , they just don ’ t have the brain or personality for those jobs . Others , like St . Kitts , will likely find that , actually , they ’ re quite capable of handling a lot of the managerial tasks and it ’ s a publicist or accountant that they need . So remember , being self-managed does not mean you have to be a team of one . And when / if it comes time to hire a manager , make sure your personalities and aspirations are a good match , and that the manager will bring value and skills to the table that you can ’ t bring yourself .
Michael Raine is the Editor-in-Chief of Canadian Musician .
PHOTO : HEATHER POLLOCK
SIX SHOOTER INC .’ S HELEN BRITTON
CANADIAN MUSICIAN 47