What does a Music manager do?
A music manager guides the long-term career trajectory of a performer by advising on business strategy and professional development rather than directly booking gigs. This role focuses on high-level planning, brand positioning, and strategic decision-making to help artists navigate the complexities of the entertainment industry. Managers act as trusted counselors who align creative output with commercial goals while maintaining continuity across all professional activities.
- Advise performers on career goals, publicity strategies, wardrobe choices, and the selection of work products to build a cohesive public image and artistic direction.
- Help artists secure a licensed talent agent and coordinate with that agent to ensure the management relationship remains aligned with the performer’s best interests and contractual obligations.
- Support the negotiation and procurement of employment opportunities when authorized by the talent agent, ensuring terms reflect the artist’s value and long-term objectives.
- Draft and maintain a signed personal management agreement that defines the term of service, compliance expectations, and specific deliverables for both parties.
- Create written exhibits that list additional or specialized services agreed upon by the manager and artist, providing clear documentation of scope and responsibilities.
How to hire a Music manager on Upwork
Step 1: Post a job
Define your artist’s career goals and business needs in the job post. Use the Job Post Generator powered by Uma™, Upwork's Mindful AI to draft a description from a few sentences. You can write a new post, update a saved draft, or reuse an existing post.
- Specify that the manager must advise on publicity, wardrobe, and work product selection to align with long-term brand strategy.
- State whether the role includes assisting a licensed talent agent with negotiation or focuses solely on career counseling and planning.
- List required deliverables such as a signed personal management agreement and written exhibits of agreed services.
Step 2: Evaluate candidates
Look for portfolios showing continuity in artist development and clear management agreements. Uma can run instant video interviews and build shortlists with side-by-side comparisons to speed up this review.
- Check for evidence of securing licensed or franchised talent agents for previous clients to verify industry compliance knowledge.
- Review written exhibits from past contracts to confirm they clearly defined specific services and term limits.
- Assess guidance materials they created for publicity campaigns or wardrobe choices to judge their strategic eye.
Step 3: Interview your top choices
Discuss how they counsel performers on career goals and handle business matters. Schedule and conduct these interviews within Upwork Messages to receive an immediate transcript and summary after each session.
- Ask how they maintain management continuity when delegating incidental responsibilities to staff members.
- Question their process for advising on potential employment opportunities without overstepping agent boundaries.
- Request examples of how they helped artists select work products that matched their public image.
Step 4: Agree on scope and begin work
Finalize the management agreement terms and service exhibits before starting. Use Upwork Messages and the contract workroom for communication and project management, plus identity verification, payment protection, hourly tracking, and project funds for security.
- Upload the signed personal management agreement to the contract workroom to establish clear compliance expectations.
- Define milestones for delivering written exhibits that list additional services agreed upon by both parties.
- Set up hourly tracking if the manager supports ongoing negotiation tasks or daily career counseling duties.
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