Welcome back to our new interview series, Manager of the Month, in which we spotlight the work of successful pros in the artist management space, and ask them to share (just a few of) their coveted trade secrets... shhh! Manager of the Month is supported by Bandsintown Pro, the smarter way to promote live concert events.
Joshua Smith is the longstanding guitarist for Australian heavy metal group Northlane, and has been on the road consistently for the last nearly 20 years. And while him and I could talk touring for hours, instead we opted to chat about how an artist becomes a manager, and helps to shape the careers of others.
In 2019, he co-founded Open Door Management, which has since been renamed Immortal Music Group. His work plays a major role in developing an impressive roster of bands — including Yours Truly, Make Them Suffer, and his own — through touring, releases, branding, and long-term strategies. And yes, he's still in his own band, too.
Here's our conversation. Let's dive in. Enjoy!
Hypebot: Hey Joshua, you wear a few hats as the guitarist of a pretty active band and the founder of the Immortal Music Group agency. How to balance those duties?
Joshua: "Hey there! I have quite a few tools in my arsenal that greatly assist me. The biggest asset I have is my amazing team at IMG. We carefully structured the business so each area of the artist's specific affairs would have a specialist handling it, rather than going the traditional route of a day to day assistant/s."
I’m very careful about what and how I delegate, and that’s been both a godsend and key to our growth. I’m lucky to have a supportive wife as well, and I don’t live a life of balance. I put my health first because without that I can’t take care of others. This makes Northlane feel more like a creative outlet for me, and a flagship for the business too."
H: No but like. Actually. How do you structure your time so you’re not neglecting the clients you represent, while making sure your bandmates don’t shoot you?
J: "Sometimes it can be challenging due to timezones when I’m touring, but again I am fortunate enough to have some awesome crew and a comfortable enough situation to be able to work on the road. It’s actually advantageous in a way because I get to move around the world more and meet people more often than just taking business trips."
It doesn’t come without sacrifice though, I’m often taking calls from the bus until as late as 4AM in some cases, but that’s the price I have to pay to live this life. The hour I get on stage again feels like an outlet."
To be honest, there is little structure in the way I work as far as my own time goes. I just do what needs to be done and sacrifice any free time I have in order to do it. When it gets real challenging is when I am training for or competing in an ironman triathlon. I often joke that swimming is the only thing that gives me relief because I can’t answer a phone underwater."
H: Where did the idea to start a management company come from?
J: "It came from necessity. I took over managing Northlane quite some time ago when the band was in a real downswing. It was only meant to be temporary however nobody was interested in picking the band up at the time that we trusted. So I kept at it. I found it very difficult to learn the ropes of professionalism and also as a self managed artist I found myself knocking at a lot of closed doors."
People still noticed what I was doing though, I had a roommate who was Nick from Make them Suffer and we used to work out of the same studio room. He was having issues with his management at the time and expressed interest in me taking over. I didn’t feel ready for that responsibility at the time, so I found a business partner in Chris O’Brien from Destroy All Lines here in Melbourne too. Chris was the experienced industry head I really needed to help me learn the ropes and feel confident to take on a client beyond my own band."
He had the network and experience. I had the real world knowledge from years on the road and an intimate understanding of what life is really like for artists. We got the business set up after a single meeting and it's been full gas ever since."
"I just do what needs to be done and sacrifice any free time I have in order to do it... I often joke that swimming is the only thing that gives me relief because I can’t answer a phone underwater."
H: I guess you probably gained a bunch of experience being in a band and seeing things up close, but were there any growing pains when it came to managing other clients?
J: "To be honest no, we have always aimed to stay a step ahead of the needs of our artists. Really the most difficult part for me was the workload in the early days before we could afford to hire help. I was working 7 days a week, often upwards of 80-100 hours to stay on top of everything. I’d already made all the mistakes and learned from watching our old management very closely, both with things I liked and things that I disagreed with."
I just made myself a sponge and hit the ground running. I think the most important thing is truly understanding the psychology of what songwriting and touring does to people, and how to best deal with it. I’ve learned that from over 15 years on the road."
H: Is there something specific to the AU/NZ music market that you feel doesn’t translate to the rest of the world?
J: "No, but we certainly face unique challenges coming from Australia. The biggest challenge being the barriers to entering international touring markets are substantial. We have to tread a fine line when we break artists into new territories because if it’s not timed right the economics can be catastrophic."
H: This series is called Manager of the Month — it’s admittedly a little tongue-in-cheek — but it’s about how managers help shape the growth of artists. What do you look for in an artist, and what are the goals?
J: "For me to be interested in an artist they need to have chops as a musician above all else. They need to have a unique identity and they need to be able to write good songs. The rest we can foster."
For us at IMG, we only work with artists in a long term capacity with the view of them becoming full-time career artists. The goals are the artist making a living off their music and having a stable, sustainable career. Anything short of that is just not worthwhile for me."
H: Are there specific tools you employ that have exceeded expectations in terms of your productivity or capacity?
J: "Absolutely, we have built our own work management system within the company we use to manage and triage tasks that’s just unbelievable. I lean on my staff heavily for this and essentially guide and manage the work."
We are big on transparency and accessibility of information so everything is highly organized and cloud based. Our artists also have a direct line to the entire team and we speak almost every day."
"You can’t rush art. Timelines can be pushed, labels can wait. Great music is timeless and if it takes longer than expected then so be it."
H: Looking back, where did the passion for music come from for you?
J: "Hardcore and Metal, and the community it had was the community that got me through my teenage years. I was hooked the first time I heard a double bass pedal, it was just all over. It was the best outlet for me as a kid because evidently I’m wired to be a bit extreme."
It grew when I picked up a guitar for the first time and started jamming with my friends in garages as a teenager. I still look back on those times with great fondness."
H: What is the biggest thing you’ve learned working with artists over time?
J: "You can’t rush art. Timelines can be pushed, labels can wait. Great music is timeless and if it takes longer than expected then so be it. Songs are the absolute currency in music."
H: What was the first concert that ever blew your mind?
J: "Probably when I first saw The Wiggles as a toddler. But after that, I think I saw Slipknot in the 7th grade with my friends and it was absolutely insane. They had just dropped Vol 3. Years later I would support them and it was a nice full circle moment for me."
To learn more, visit Immortal Music Group. Catch Northlane on tour via Bandsintown.
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