Looking For a Manager? Not So Fast...

It seems that the better gigs around town—those in major concert halls or soloing with a prominent symphony orchestra—can only be secured through the aid of an artist manager. In the eyes of a young person, the artist manager is synonymous with "career," which is defined as "professional engagements." Thus, the prevailing wisdom is that, in order to make a career with professional engagements, one needs a manager.

Although the topic is cloaked in an aura of mystique, the truth is actually quite simple: You are ready to hire a manager once you have a business that needs management. But wait … don't you need a manager to secure work?

While this dilemma does seem like a Catch-22, the following analogy will hopefully make sense of the issue. Imagine that you are the new owner of a fashionable, Upper West Side bistro whose theme is reminiscent of a 19th-century Viennese coffee house. Since this is your first month in business, you have very little expendable cash. Your business loan, building lease, insurance, closing fees, licenses, and utilities have left you nearly cashless. In fact, you are so tight on cash that you are unable to afford a professional waiter, cook, and host. Instead, you ask your mother and sister to help out.

Too often, young artists begin shopping around for a manager before they have a business to manage. In their eyes, the artist manager is a kind of employer.

For the first six months, your little Viennese coffee shop runs at a slight deficit. However, your accountant tells you that this is quite normal for small businesses. You make up the difference through additional catering gigs. Without these engagements, your bistro would surely fail.

Shortly after your six-month anniversary, a close friend suggests that you rent booth space at one of the neighborhood street fairs to sell your blueberry croissants and advertise your business. You take him up on the suggestion. The week after the fair, you notice a dramatic improvement in customer traffic.

During your first year, several people approach you about a job working at your coffee shop. You receive inquiries from cooks, waiters, hosts, and even an occasional manager. Though you would like to hire some of these people, the reality is that your bistro is still operating at a slight deficit. If you were to hire just one person, it's likely your business would go into serious debt—possibly even bankruptcy.

But serendipity smiles upon your little enterprise when a neighborhood food critic publishes a favorable review. Within a few days, your quiet establishment is suddenly booming with business. The phone is ringing and customers are waiting (sometimes as long as two hours) for a table. You begin to realize that maybe it isn't such a good idea to juggle roles of host, waiter, and cook. You notice that some of your regulars are getting angry at the decline in service. Some are even leaving the restaurant after waiting 30 minutes for their food. You make a decision. Since you enjoy baking the pastries and roasting the coffee beans, and since this is what your customers are seeking, you decide to hire both a waiter and a manager to help with your business. Projecting your operating expenses, you believe that there will be enough revenue to support two full-time employees so long as this new boom in customer traffic continues. You also hope that, with these new employees, your business will continue to grow as word-of-mouth and customer satisfaction improves.

This scenario is somewhat analogous to the way performers should think about managers. Too often, young artists begin shopping around for a manager before they have a business to manage. In their eyes, the artist manager is a kind of employer. This view is understandable. Young artists see their older and more seasoned colleagues, rehearsing and performing every day. If they look closely, they also observe a manager negotiating contracts, arranging tour dates, preparing rehearsal schedules, arranging flights and hotel accommodations, etc.

While young artists complain that they can't secure invitations to perform with prestigious organizations without the aid of a manager, it's unlikely that a manager would consider working for an artist without those regular invitations. After all, a manager works on a commission, which is derived from your business revenue. If you have no business, the manager will have no income.

So how does a young artist circumvent this Catch-22? Simply think like a small-business owner. As the owner of an exclusive solo-performance boutique, your first objective is to figure out how to build a following of valued customers. These are the regular customers who will keep your business afloat with perennial invitations and referrals. This network includes community center directors, presenters of small concert series, special event directors, educational programming administrators, community orchestra conductors, parks and recreation officers (think summer parks concerts), local arts advocacy and council groups, music teacher networks, music society groups, amateur musician networks, and many more. These people and the organizations they represent are the building blocks of a small business. They are also your windows to bigger opportunities.

I hope this article has shed some light on what aspiring young artists should focus on after graduation. If you want to learn more about building a small business as a performing artist, please schedule an appointment in the Office of Career Development. We are always available to listen to your thoughts and ideas.

Derek Mithaug, director of career development, is a Juilliard faculty member and alumnus.