MUB Blog 8: Managers, Agents, and Producers

I was a little confused about the difference between managers, agents, and producers, so I decided to look it all up and put it in a blog.

What is a manager? To be a personal manager, one must be organized, straightforward, honest, and an effective communicator. The personal manager must be able to seek expertise and have good industry contacts. Most of all, the personal manager must believe in the artist and share the same goal and vision as the artist. The manager works for the artist and must represent the artist accordingly. A personal manager will guide and advise the artist in his or her career.

What is an agent? They can have different names: booking agents, talent agents, and sometimes, artist’s manager (which can be a little confusing). These people can serve as the middleman who delivers artists to talent buyers. Local agents handle booking—they try to get venues to have liver performances. Boutiques, specifically, try to book only live events. An agent’s primary focus is to obtain employment for the artist.

What is a producer? Their job is to create sound recordings. Unlike managers who have creative control, producers may or may not have the right to make artistic judgments. Most likely, the producer will share the creative control with the artist. Producers, like managers, must have people skills because they will build relationships with the group they are recording for. Within this category, there is also the production manager, not to be confused with personal manager. These people deal with the business affairs of production.

Word count: 279

Sources: Music Business Handbook Chapter 8, 9, and 12.

http://www.sagaftra.org/content/agents-and-managers