Eric Beall offers an interesting spin on my Hypebot post "Where Have All The Good Managers Gone?" on his blog
for the Berklee College of Music suggesting that producers might make the best managers. After all, they are the ones who often discover new talent; so doesn't it make good business sense for them to also offer services to develop it?
"As music sales drop, producers need to expand beyond their core business of making records," writes Beall. "It’s equally clear that managers and management companies are increasingly dominating the industry– they are taking the leadership position once held by the record labels. Finally, everyone in the business is bemoaning the lack of good, new managers. Put it all together and what do you get? You get the future business model: a production/management company hybrid, that allows producers to discover talent and make hit records, and then pass the artist to a separate division of the company, which provides the day to day management service."
Not every record producer is equipped to become a good manager; nor is this the only answer to the shortage of new managers. But it does seem like an idea worth exploring. What do you think of the producer as manager?
Not every record producer is equipped to become a good manager; nor is this the only answer to the shortage of new managers. But it does seem like an idea worth exploring. What do you think of the producer as manager?
