Many developing artists feel that they need a manager, when they don't! They sign management contracts, ranging from the most one-sided contracts favoring the manager, to the most meaningless contracts, and everything in between. They forfeit 15-20% (on the average) of their GROSS earnings to someone else. Does it ever make sense for an artist to have a manager? Well of course! There does get to a point in an artist's career when it is prudent to have a manager.
The Point in an Artist's Career When it Is
Prudent to Have a Professional Artist Manager
Is Called the Artist Tipping Point.
Before that point, you don't need a third-party music manager. Everything a personal manager can do for you in the early stages of your career, you can do, too. In MANAGE YOURSELF: A DEVELOPING ROCK BAND'S GUIDE TO SELF MANAGEMENT, artist manager, music lawyer and musician, J.B. Brocato, teaches you exactly how to do just that. You learn how to take control of the direction of your own career in the music industry and start moving efficiently in the direction of your musical dreams.
When you start moving efficiently in the direction of your musical dreams, something profound happens.
HERE IS WHAT YOU COULD BE LEARNING just minutes from now in this critically important book for developing rock artists:
- Exactly why you don't need a manager, yet!
- What will get the attention of records labels, booking agents and other important industry executives.
- The Artist Tipping Point — the only realistic concept for measuring your path toward success in the rock music business.
- The single-most important thing you can do as a developing artist to maximize your chance of success.
- What really counts in the music industry.
- The two schools of thought (or categories) in the music business, and why your music is intimately tied to each of these two categories.
- The three requirements for reaching the Artist Tipping Point.
- A point-by-point Strategic Action Plan for your musical career.
- The perfect demographic for developing rock bands.
- 3 Dos and 3 Don'ts of a live performance.
- 10 Critical Aspects of a Promotional Campaign.
- How to make connections with records labels, booking agents, venues, music supervisors, and other music industry executives.
- Strategies on how to secure a competent music lawyer for FOR FREE, if you qualify!
- And So Much More!
Success in the music business is not an accident.
There are reliable, logical and realistic pathways
to achieving the success you desire!
J.B. Brocato has developed simple, effective and strategic solutions to the challenges that will inevitably face you as you embark on your journey to your personal goals in the often-times mysterious, frustrating and yet very rewarding music industry. He teaches you how to have the confidence that YOU DO NOT NEED AN ARTIST MANAGER in the early stages of your career. He teaches you how to reach what he calls the ARTIST TIPPING POINT, a crucial concept to understand if you want to maximize your chance of success. He gives you insightful and meaningful doses of reality into the business that every music manager understands — now you can, too! He teaches you a step-by-step STRATEGIC ACTION PLAN for your career as a developing rock band. You don't need a professional manager to do this for you.
WHAT YOU WILL FIND INSIDE MANAGE YOURSELF: A DEVELOPING ROCK BAND'S GUIDE TO SELF MANAGEMENT
THE ARTIST TIPPING POINT
Take an honest assessment of where you are in your career right now! Are you satisfied with where you're at or do you want more success? Have you achieved your goals in the music industry? If you are not satisfied with where you're at and want more success and have not achieved your goals, then read on.
Many artists feel they need a manager to "Take Their Career To The Next Level." The truth is, in most cases they do need to take their career to a new level, but their confidence that a third-party, professional manager can or would be willing to do this, is simply wrong. Professional managers want to represent artists who have proven their value in the marketplace. Period. This is not dissimilar to what other important industry executives also want. They want VALUE. J.B. Brocato explains what that value is, and how to get it, through his concept of the Artist Tipping Point. With an understanding of this crucial concept, you can manage your own career efficiently and measure success objectively for the first time, keeping you on track to develop value and make yourself as attractive to the music industry as you can be.
Please keep this in mind about music managers: they get, on the average, 15-20% of your GROSS INCOME, which means before your expenses. Plus, they are entitled to expenses they incur on your behalf. So, if you are starting out in your band of four musicians, and you earn $100 for a gig, $20 goes immediately to the manager (using the 20% model). Each band member gets $20. But you may have expenses such as gas, hotel, food, drinks, guitar strings, drumsticks, cell phone, etc., etc. If the venue charges you for sound and lights, you have that expense as well. And if the manager has expenses, you have to pay those expenses, too! So, the $20 each band member gets is effectively diluted to something closer to $0, and the manager has his or her $20 plus gets reimbursed for expenses incurred. Bot a bad deal for the manager. Not such a good deal for the band.
Before you commit yourself to the idea of "needing" a manager, think it through. The fact is that many, many management relationships end before the Artist Tipping Point is reached. They end primarily because (a) the artist blames the manager for not doing what he said he or she was going to do, (b) the manager loses interest, or (c) there is a dispute of some sort. An artist-manager arrangement is still a relationship like all other relationships. And in this business, unless money is rolling in, there is a high likelihood that someone will blame someone for something not going the way everyone thought it would go. It's life. It's human nature.
So, before you get into an artist-management relationship, think twice if you have not yet reached the Artist Tipping Point. The bottom line is this: Until you have reached the Artist Tipping Point, you do not need a manager. Life is short. Make decisions based on what is best for you! Be smart about your career.
You CAN manage yourself. You CAN take your career "to the next level" BY YOURSELF. You DON'T need a manager to do this for you. In Manage Yourself, J.B. Brocato explains, step-by-step, the things you need to do to take your own career to the next level and reach the Artist Tipping Point, which will open up countless doors for you.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
J.B. Brocato is the Founder & CEO of Intense Artist Management, a full-service music management company. He is also a practicing music lawyer with a prominent law firm in Chicago, and has been a musician since the age of five. READ MORE
MORE OF WHAT YOU WILL FIND INSIDE MANAGE YOURSELF: A DEVELOPING ROCK BAND'S GUIDE TO SELF MANAGEMENT
A FEW DOSES OF REALITY
The music industry is a crazy, yet extremely fun and rewarding industry. It is a wonderful business on one hand, yet a cruel one on the other. J.B. Brocato shares with you important "DOSES OF REALITY" from the inside of the music industry. Without understanding the DOSES OF REALITY, you will forever be at a distinct disadvantage compared to other artists who do know about and understand these DOSES OF REALITY.
DOSE OF REALITY NO. 1:
Learn what really counts in the music business. Get to the heart of the matter, and learn why most artists never go anywhere in this business. Without understanding what really counts, very little, if anything, will happen. It doesn't matter how good your marketing is, or your stage show, or anything else you use to advance your career. Without knowing what really counts to records labels, booking agents, and other industry executives, and most importantly — what really counts to your fans - then all the other things you are doing to achieve success really don't matter that much.
In Manage Yourself, learn how to materially increase the likelihood of getting people to come to your shows. Learn how to start a buzz about your shows with fans, and make it more likely they they will buy your CDs and merch. Learn how to maximize your chances of getting valuable blog mentions and becoming popular on MySpace and other critical music websites. Gain followers on Twitter and start getting the attention of the music industry once and for all!
DOSE OF REALITY NO. 2:
Learn about the two distinct and real schools of thought (or categories) in the music business. These two categories are crucial to your success. Without understanding these categories, it is very likely you will waste a ton of time, money and professional momentum in trying to get your project off the ground and on a path to achieving your goals.
Understanding the first school of thought will likely explain why some record labels have not yet been interested in your music.
By knowing about this first category, you will, perhaps for the very first time, truly be in synch with how many industry professionals think, and how to make them happy and get their attention.
Understanding the second school of thought in the music business will allow you to develop an efficient and exciting game plan for your career. No longer will you wonder why you haven't been able to advance as quickly as you would like.
Both categories have value in the marketplace. Your music primarily fits into one of these schools of thought. These categories are not mutually-exclusive, so you could cross over between them throughout your journey to success, but you must pick one to insure the most efficient journey to your destination.
DOSE OF REALITY NO. 3:
In Manage Yourself, you will learn about the critical concept of the Artist Tipping Point. It is the point in your music career when you have become VALUABLE in the marketplace, drawing the attention of record labels, booking agents, and other industry executives. It is the point at which it is prudent to engage a professional music manager. Achieving the Artist Tipping Point is not impossible, but doing so does require a firm knowledge and understanding of the three essential requirements for achieving the Artist Tipping Point.
These three requirements are crucial to building a career in this business. No manager can satisfy these three requirements for you. You must do so on your own! J.B. Brocato explains exactly how to do so. Once you understand what it takes to achieve the Artist Tipping Point, you can put your career on the right path. You can confidently build your fanbase and have an objective standard by which to measure your success and increase your VALUE in the industry marketplace.
This third DOSE OF REALITY will explain what is required to transcend the masses of unknown artists and achieve success.
To achieve your goals in the music industry, you must change your mindset about it. As opposed to reacting defensively or getting frustrated with "the music business," arm yourself with the tools necessary to rise above other artists in the market. With this insider insight into the industry, you will markedly increase your chances of success. Your music career is too important not to know about and firmly understand these DOSES OF REALITY.
EVEN MORE OF WHAT YOU WILL FIND INSIDE MANAGE YOURSELF: A DEVELOPING ROCK BAND'S GUIDE TO SELF MANAGEMENT
SELF-MANAGEMENT STRATEGIC ACTION PLAN
Every good professional manager would be responsible for mapping out for you a strategic action plan to guide your career and put it on the path toward success. The sad fact is that many managers of developing artists do not do this. Even if they do, the equally sad fact is that you, as a developing artist, DO NOT NEED A MANAGER TO DO THIS! Among the various aspects of putting your career on the right track to achieve your dreams in this business is a well-crafted STRATEGIC ACTION PLAN.
In Manage Yourself, you will learn, step-by-step, the valuable components of such a STRATEGIC ACTION PLAN that you can use for yourself. You can use the STRATEGIC ACTION PLAN set out in detail by J.B. Brocato to manage your own career. By doing so, you will increase your chances of reaching the Artist Tipping Point. You will test your artistry in the marketplace, and you will be proud of yourself for having done so, knowing that you are now, perhaps for the first time ever, moving forward with a clear, concise, and highly- effective plan of action!
You will learn the 6 main points which comprise the STRATEGIC ACTION PLAN, namely:
Career Vision Statement
The Music
Live Performance
Promotion
Industry Connections
Music Lawyers
J.B. Brocato explains each of these six components of the STRATEGIC ACTION PLAN and, in detail, discusses an array of important topics including:
- The importance of mindset in developing and following a STRATEGIC ACTION PLAN.
- A word-for-word template you can use to write your own Career Vision Statement.
- How to analyze your song selection.
- What each of your songs MUST HAVE!
- How many songs to put on a demo CD you use to shop labels, venues and other industry executives.
- Approaching professional producers to assist you in recording the best and most representative tracks possible.
- How to efficiently get your CDs manufactured.
- How to get your music distributed yourself, including on iTunes and in Best Buy, and the most important method of distribution for a developing artist.
- The "trifecta" of music distribution.
- A prudent and effective live performance strategy.
- The best type of towns to target in your live performance strategy.
- The three things you definitely MUST DO at a live performance, and the three things you MUST NOT DO at a live performance.
- How to use FREE STUFF to exponentially build your fanbase.
- The 10 Critical Aspects of a Promotional Campaign.
- A simple, yet critical, part about your rock band that will increase your connection with fans.
- What most successful rock bands have.
- How to cause your fans to immediately recreate the "experience" you left in their minds through your live performance or CD.
- A medium by which to communicate the excitement and potential of your band to the world.
- The need, or not, for multiple websites.
- Specific ways to maximize your use of MySpace.
- Using fan communication to propel your career forward.
- Efficient ways to approach music supervisors to get your songs into film, TV and videogames.
- How to start and build an effective street team.
- The reality of rock radio promotion.
- How to make all the right connections in the music industry.
- A word-for-word template to use when approaching industry executives.
- Why retaining a competent music lawyer at the beginning of your musical journey is an absolute MUST.
- If you can't afford a competent music lawyer, how to go about securing one anyway, FOR FREE, if you qualify!
- And Much, Much More!
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"After reading Manage Yourself, I only wish I had this guide when I was starting my musical journey. It's all there: quantifiable parameters of how to achieve success in the music biz. As blueprints for self-management go, this is as good as it gets."
Jim Peterik
Songwriter and Musician
Co-writer of the Grammy® Award- winning song, "Eye of the Tiger"
"Every aspiring and developing artist deserves a gift like Manage Yourself. J.B.'s "Doses of Reality" will get bands to realize that there is a tremendous difference between good and great. Any band can get their friends out for a good drink special, but this book will help them see if the indicators for success exist and keep them focused on what's most important--the music. And even if the music is great and everything is there, and the story real, this business can still pass you by. Manage Yourself should be mandatory reading for all young artists and bands, before they get ahead of themselves."
David McGilvray
VP, Rock Promotion
Island Def Jam Music Group
"Manage Yourself is a must-read book for developing rockers who want an "edge" in this business. J.B. provides artists with the insight and tools necessary to take control of their own careers and maximize their chances for success. Buy this book now and take your career to the next level!"
Kelly Keagy
Drummer and Vocalist
Night Ranger
"As an A&R executive, I wish I could have recommended this book years ago to so many great bands who needed that one action plan to get them focused on the right track in this business. I've seen many bands spin their wheels going down inefficient tracks, and never getting to the point where they are attractive enough to a label. Developing musicians should read Manage Yourself to insure they get on the right track as soon as possible."
Michael Howe
A&R, Downtown Records
"The Artist Tipping Point described in this book is a wake-up call to musicians. If a developing band has never fully understood why the record label isn't interested, or why they can't get a booking agent, or why they can't seem to "get off the ground," then they have to read this book. Understanding the Artist Tipping Point will demystify the limitations encountered in the music industry by up-and-coming rockers."
Hab Haddad
KISS Digital Media Manager & CEO, HabCo Media
"Great book! I will be recommending it to every artist I deal with. J.B.'s insights on the music industry and strategic action plan arm developing rock artists with everything they need to manage their own careers efficiently and effectively."
Eric Greedy
Major Label Record Producer (Hurt, Capitol Records)
"Manage Yourself is jammed-packed with value for the developing artist. No other book that I know of digs this deep into the harsh realities of the music business for the developing rock musician. These "Doses of Reality," as J.B. describes, keep artists focused on pursing their dreams in this business, by giving sound, realistic advice and a strategy that will put them in the best position to take their career to the next level."
Dino Kourelis
Bassist, Lovehammers
"Advancing yourself in the music industry can be a daunting task, especially with no clear direction or focus. You can flounder for years trying to figure out a good strategy that will let you end up where you want to be. Manage Yourself by J.B. Brocato is an instant reality check with solid emphasis on keeping focused and having a clear plan of action. The ideas contained within the book are essential in this day and age to avoid pitfalls, and grow your fanbase to a point where industry types will be interested in YOU."
Aaron Anderson
Vocalist and Lead Guitarist, ROTOVOX
"In today's music industry there many marketing opportunities for a developing rock artist. The difficult part is efficiently taking advantage of these opportunities and staying on the right track. J.B. Brocato teaches you how to do this in Manage Yourself. Why have a manager if you don't need one? Bypass the manager and manage yourself with the information, insight and strategic action plan J.B. discusses in this must-read book for all aspiring rock musicians!"
Matt Nadolski
Lead Guitarist, Under The Flood
"I first met J.B. Brocato in 2006. His advice has always been the truth point blank, and I have continued to seek his counsel ever since. I'm very excited that many more developing artists will have the privilege of tapping into his knowledge of the industry and sage advice from this book."
Nathan "Nathanimal" Luttrell
Lead Guitarist, Eris
"Manage Yourself is very thorough and explains everything someone needs to know who is pursuing a serious career in music. It's easy to read and very informative. If you are trying to break in the music industry, this is a must-read book. I wish I would of known all this when I was starting out—I would have saved a ton of time! Great work, J.B.!"
Rich Markese
Lead Vocalist, KAZY |
