Artist Management

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Authored by Ardie Farhadieh

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Course Code: OMBUS-236

Next semester
starts Jan 12, 2026

12 Weeks

Level 2

Level 2

3-Credit Tuition

$1,575

The goal of this course is to give you a hands-on, real-world view of artist management. In Artist Management, you will learn everything from the personality traits of an artist manager to scouting talent, implementing strategic career planning, making deals, building teams, running a business, marketing, touring, and so much more. We will cover every aspect of what an artist manager might encounter in the field, and learn from industry experts and explore real-world case studies. Whether you’re curious about artist management or already managing an artist, this course will give you the tools and confidence to stand out and thrive.

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By the end of this course, you will be able to:

  • Examine deal structures and contracts
  • Evaluate all facets of the music industry that relate to artist management
  • Court prospective clients
  • Build and run a successful management business
  • Construct a thorough management plan for an artist
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Overview Syllabus Requirements Instructors Related Music Career Roles
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Syllabus

Lesson 1: What Is Artist Management?

  • History of Artist Management
  • The Role and Responsibilities of an Artist Manager
  • Key Skills and Qualities of a Successful Manager
  • The Artist and Manager Relationship
  • Artist as Manager: When Do You Bring Someone On as Manager?
  • Assignment 1: Role and Attributes of a Successful Artist Manager

Lesson 2: Establishing a Healthy Business Structure

  • Introducing the Final Project: Your Artist Management Plan
  • Starting a Business: Mission, Vision, and Values
  • Mission Statement
  • Vision
  • Values
  • Sole Proprietorship, Partnership, Corporation, or LLC
  • Sole Proprietorship
  • Partnership
  • Corporation
  • Variations of a Corporation—Limited Liability Company (LLC)
  • Which Business Entity Is Right for Artist Management?
  • Technology: Getting Organized
  • Project Management
  • Google
  • Budgets, Cash Flow, and Projections
  • Budgets
  • Cash Flow Reports
  • Projections
  • Growing the Business: Managing and Hiring Smart
  • Understanding Business Growth
  • Effective Business Management
  • Hiring Smart
  • Assignment 2: Building a Business Plan

Lesson 3: Finding and Securing Talent

  • Finding Talent
  • TikTok
  • Facebook/Instagram (Meta)
  • YouTube
  • Spotify and other DSPs like Apple Music and Amazon Music
  • SoundCloud
  • Music Media Sites
  • Pitching the Artist
  • Crafting the Pitch
  • Building the Relationship
  • Establishing Goals
  • Strategic Planning
  • Communication and Accountability
  • Staying in Your Lane
  • The Management Contract
  • The Contract
  • Assignment 3: Discovering and Securing Talent

Lesson 4: Crafting Your Dream Team: Roles and Relationships in Artist Management

  • The Purpose of a Team
  • Team Members and Their Roles
  • Don’t Be Afraid to Ask for Help
  • Compensation and Bringing on Team Members
  • Introducing Zora Hayes
  • Lawyer
  • Deals and Contracts
  • Lawyer's Compensation
  • How Do You Find a Lawyer?
  • Business Manager
  • Business Manager's Role
  • Business Manager's Compensation
  • How Do You Find a Business Manager?
  • Agent
  • Agent's Role
  • Agent's Compensation
  • How Do You Find an Agent?
  • Labels and Publishers
  • Role of Label and Publisher on an Artist’s Team
  • Finding the Right Label and Publisher
  • Assignment 4: Strategic Team Development for a Career Milestone

Lesson 5: Copyright and Publishing

  • Traditional Role of a Publisher
  • When Does It Make Sense to Bring On a Publisher?
  • Publishing Deals
  • Traditional Music Publishing Deal
  • Copublishing Deal
  • Publishing Administration Deal
  • Workshop: Publishing Deals
  • Performing Rights
  • Mechanical Licenses
  • Synchronization Licenses
  • Special-Use Licenses
  • Setting Up Sessions, Pitching, and Putting Your Publisher to Work
  • Assignment 5: Publishing Deal

Lesson 6: Record Labels and Master Recording Rights

  • Traditional Record Label Deals
  • The Role of Traditional Record Labels
  • 360 Deals
  • Impact of 360 Deals
  • Label Services and Distribution Deals
  • How Chance the Rapper Thrived Without a Traditional Record Deal
  • Royalties
  • Neighboring Rights
  • Managers Playing the Role of a Label
  • Navigating a Record Label
  • Label Services
  • Assignment 6: Contemplating a Recording Contract with a Label

Lesson 7: Touring

  • Touring Smart
  • When Not to Tour
  • Building a Touring Plan
  • Pre-Tour Planning: Tour Offers, Budgets, and Global Touring Deals
  • Offers
  • Budgets
  • Role of a Promoter and Global Touring Deals
  • Confirming, Launching, and Marketing a Tour
  • Marketing a Tour
  • Building Out a Touring Team and Organizing a Touring Rider
  • VIP Packaging, Merchandise, and Ancillary Touring Revenue
  • Sponsorships and Branding: Collaborative Partnerships on the Road
  • Assignment 7: Touring Strategy

Lesson 8: Twenty-First–Century Deals and Ancillary Revenue Streams

  • Producer, Songwriter, and Mixer Deals
  • Producer Deals
  • Managing Writers and Producers
  • Artist Deals
  • What to Look Out for in Record Deals
  • What to Look Out for in Publishing Deals
  • Side Artist (Feature) Deals
  • Key Elements of Side Artist Deals
  • Catalog Deals
  • When Do Catalog Deals Make Sense?
  • Branding and Sponsorships
  • How to Initiate and Structure Brand Partnerships
  • Talent, Literary, and Beyond
  • Types of Crossover Deals for Artists
  • Blockchain Technology in the Music Business
  • Creator and Influencer
  • Assignment 8: Producer and Songwriting Deal

Lesson 9: Artist Strategy, Marketing, and Embracing New Technologies

  • Developing an Artist Brand
  • Artwork, Press Photos, Videos, Etc.
  • Workshop: Logo Match!
  • Managers and Creative Teams
  • Marketing Plan
  • Building and Understanding the Target Audience
  • Marketing Plan Example
  • Setting Goals and Measuring Success
  • Embracing Social Media and Short-Form Content
  • Authenticity and Strategy
  • Role of Data in Social Media
  • Fan Engagement and Retention
  • Radio and PR
  • Radio and PR Campaigns Today
  • Assignment 9: Marketing Plan

Lesson 10: Learning as You Go: Overcoming Obstacles

  • Final Project Preview: Artist Management Plan
  • Learning As You Go—Don’t Be Afraid to Ask For Help
  • The Risks of Pretending to Know Everything
  • Dealing with Conflict
  • Building Long-Term Industry Relationships While Managing Conflict
  • Working Effectively with a Music Publisher and Record Label
  • Working with Publishers
  • Working with Labels
  • Touring Crew and Why This Is Important
  • Think Ahead and Grow
  • Assignment 10: Conflict Resolution

Lesson 11: Level Up: Managing Artists at Every Stage

  • Starting From Scratch: New Artists
  • Evaluating
  • Challenges of Building a Foundation
  • Getting to the Next Level and Sustaining
  • Picking Up Where Another Manager Left Off
  • Doing the Homework Before Signing On
  • Setting Yourself Apart
  • Picking Up the Pieces and Moving Forward
  • Growing Pains
  • Staying the Course
  • Comparison Trap and Pressure to ‘Keep Up’
  • Prioritizing Mental Health
  • Mid-Level Artists
  • Evaluating and Recalibrating
  • Sustainability vs. Stardom: Defining Success
  • Managing Expectations and Avoiding Burnout
  • Mid-Level Artist Case Study: Brittany Howard
  • Superstar Artists
  • Room to Grow and the Risk of Losing It All
  • Manager’s Role in Sustaining a Superstar Career
  • Superstar Artist Case Study: Taylor Swift
  • Assignment 11: Mapping and Advancing the Artist Journey

Lesson 12: Your Artist Management Plan

  • What Does the Future Hold?
  • How to Prepare for a Future with AI
  • The Artist Management Plan
  • Constants
  • Variables
  • Marketing Plan
  • Financial Summary
  • Assignment 12: Your Artist Management Plan (Culminating Experience)

Requirements

Prerequisites and Course-Specific Requirements 

Prerequisite Courses, Knowledge, and/or Skills
This course does not have any prerequisites.

Textbook(s)

Software

Student Deals
After enrolling, be sure to check out our Student Deals page for various offers on software, hardware, and more. Please contact support@online.berklee.edu with any questions.

General Course Requirements

Below are the minimum requirements to access the course environment and participate in Live Classes. Please make sure to also check the Prerequisites and Course-Specific Requirements section above, and ensure your computer meets or exceeds the minimum system requirements for all software needed for your course. 

Mac Users

  • macOS Monterey 12.0 or later

PC Users

All Users

  • Latest version of Google Chrome
  • Zoom meeting software
  • Webcam
  • Speakers or headphones
  • External or internal microphone
  • Broadband Internet connection

Instructors

Ardie Farhadieh
Ardie Farhadieh

Author & Instructor

Ardie Farhadieh started his career in artist management at the Windish Agency, where he was responsible for a roster of more than 100 DJs and artists, overseeing immigration, contracting, tour routings, in-house tour management, and internal processes. Shortly after Windish, he headed up the marketing division at the Billions Corporation, where he was the corporate, branding, and sponsorships agent for the entire agency. The roster he worked with at Billions included Arcade Fire, Mumford & Sons, Bon Iver, the Head and the Heart, Glass Animals, St. Vincent, Sufjan Stevens, and many others. While at Billions, Ardie was also crucial in helping build the Fans First presale program alongside Spotify, which is now used industry-wide. After Billions, Ardie started Wick Management, representing Marian Hill, and taking the duo from an act who only had one song out to developing them into a major label, platinum-selling, internationally touring entity. It was during this time that Ardie earned recognition from Billboard as a music industry professional “on the rise” in the magazine’s 40 Under 40 feature. Ardie is currently a manager at Split Second Management, where he continues to represent Marian Hill, as well as Slenderbodies, the Kilans, and DJ/producer Michael Brun.

Montse Carty
Montse Carty

Instructor

Montserrat (“Montse”) Andrée Carty has worked in various areas of the music industry: artist relations, programming, and global marketing for music companies including Sony Music Entertainment, Pandora Media, Amazon (Goodreads) and a few non-profits (including the San Francisco Symphony and Boston Ballet). She has also worked in artist management – both as an independent manager for artists including Misty Boyce (Lord Huron, Sara Barielles)'s solo career and as a Day-to-Day at a management company for artists including Mary Chapin Carpenter. She recently worked for CD Baby as the Community and Events Manager where she managed the DIY Musician Conference and DSP (Spotify, Amazon, Pandora etc.) Partner Virtual Sessions. Montse is the Interviews Editor for the literary journal Hunger Mountain, and the host of the podcast “Musings of the Artist,” where she interviews musicians, writers, and other artists. Montse received her B.M. from Berklee College of Music, M.S. from Boston University and M.F.A. from Vermont College of Fine Arts.

What's Next?

When taken for credit, Artist Management can be applied towards the completion of these related programs:

Related Certificate Programs

Related Degree Majors

Related Music Career Roles

Employers look for skills learned in this course, when hiring for the following music career roles:

A&R Director

A&R Representative

Artist Manager

Artist Relations Manager

Music Agent

Music Contractor

Music Coordinator
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Questions?

Contact our Academic Advisors by phone at 1-866-BERKLEE (U.S.), 1-617-747-2146 (INT'L), or by email at advisors@online.berklee.edu.

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