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.
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
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: The Role and Attributes of a Successful Artist Manager
Lesson 2: Establishing a Healthy Business Structure
- 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
- 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 Haye
- Lawyer
- Deals and Contracts
- Compensation
- How Do You Find a Lawyer?
- Business Manager
- The Role of Business Manager
- Compensation
- How Do You Find a Business Manager?
- Agent
- The Role of an Agent
- Compensation
- How Do You Find an Agent?
- Labels and Publishers
- The 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
- The Traditional Role of a Publisher
- When Does It Make Sense to Bring on a Publisher?
- Publishing Deals
- Traditional Music Publishing Deals
- Copublishing Deals
- Publishing Administration Deals
- 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 Deals
Lesson 6: Record Labels and Master Recording Rights
- Traditional Record Label Deals
- The Role of Traditional Record Labels
- 360° Deals
- The 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
- The 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 Deal Making and Ancillary Revenue Streams
- Producer, Songwriter, and Mixer Deals
- Producer Deals
- Managers Who Manage Writers and Producers
- Artist Deals
- What to Look Out for in Record and Publishing Deals
- Publishing Companies
- Side Artist (Feature) Deals
- Key Elements of Side Artist Deals
- Catalog Deals
- When Do Catalog Deals Make Sense?
- Branding and Sponsorships
- How Brand Partnerships Are Initiated and Structured
- Talent, Literary, and Beyond
- Types of Crossover Deals for Artists
- 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, and Videos
- Managers and Creative Teams
- The Marketing Plan
- Building and Understanding the Target Audience
- The Marketing Plan
- Setting Goals and Measuring Success
- Embracing Social Media and Short-Form Content
- Authenticity and Strategy
- The Role of Data in Social Media
- Fan Engagement and Retention
- Radio and PR
- When Does It Make Sense to Implement Radio and PR Campaigns Today?
- Assignment 9: Marketing Plan
Lesson 10: Learning as You Go: Overcoming Obstacles
- Learning As You Go—Don’t Be Afraid to Ask for Help
- Final Project Preview
- 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—Emerging 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
- The Comparison Trap and the Pressure to “Keep Up”
- Prioritizing Mental Health
- Mid-Level Artists
- Evaluating and Recalibrating
- Sustainability vs. Stardom: Defining Success
- Managing Expectations and Avoiding Burnout
- Case Study: Mid-level Artist: Brittany Howard (Solo Artist)
- Superstar Artists
- Room to Grow And the Risk of Losing It All
- The Manager’s Role in Sustaining a Superstar Career
- Discussion 11.2: Mapping the Artist Journey
- Assignment 11: Artists’ Plans
Lesson 12: Your Artist Management Plan
- What The Future Holds?
- The Artist Management Plan
- Putting Your Plan Into Motion
- Making Changes Along the Way
- Achieving Goals
- Plan the Work, Work the Plan, and Assess the Results
- Assignment 12: Your Artist Management Plan
Requirements
Prerequisites and Course-Specific Requirements
Prerequisite Courses, Knowledge, and/or Skills
This course does not have any prerequisites.
Textbook(s)
- All You Need to Know About the Music Business (11th Edition) by Donald S. Passman (Simon & Schuster, 2023)
Software
- Office suite, such as Microsoft Office, Google Drive (free), Apple iWork, Apache OpenOffice (free), etc.
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
PC Users
All Users
- Latest version of Google Chrome
- Zoom meeting software
- Webcam
- Speakers or headphones
- External or internal microphone
- Broadband Internet connection
Instructors
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.
Author
George Howard is the founder of GHS, which advises a wide-range of clients on how to integrate technology with strategy in order to increase awareness and revenue. A partial list of clients includes: Intel, National Public Radio, CVS/pharmacy, Easter Seals, Alticor/Amway, Ora, Inc., Townsend Energy, Comstar, Monegraph, Composer Mark Isham, Snowbird Ski and Summer Resort, Wolfgang's Vault, Brown University, Paste Magazine, The Estate of the Platters, Rednote, and Daytrotter.
Additionally, George is the Co-Founder of Music Audience Exchange. Prior to this, he was the President of Rykodisc (the world’s largest independent record label), manager of Carly Simon, and original co-founder of TuneCore (the world’s largest independent music distributor).
George is an Associate Professor of Management at Berklee College of Music and Brown University where he teaches courses in entrepreneurship, marketing, copyright law, and leadership. He is the 2014 recipient of the Dean’s Award for Teaching Excellence.
George is a columnist for Forbes and a frequent contributor to the New York Times and numerous other publications. Mr. Howard holds an MA, MBA, and JD. Read Less
Instructor
Jay Coyle is the founder and "Music Geek" at the digital marketing firm, Music Geek Services. His company provides artist services for the music industry and has been a Topspin-certified marketer since 2009. Built upon a life-long omnivorous obsession with marketing bands and mixing in equal parts of knowledge gained from an advertising-focused Journalism degree at the University of Georgia along with his skills running a Marketing consultancy for 5 years in Atlanta, Music Geek Services was finally created in 2008 immediately after Jay left a marketing position at the EMI CMG label in Nashville.
Jay's first project under the Music Geek moniker was doing work as band archivist and label product manager for Canadian music veterans, Barenaked Ladies. Since then, Jay has worn a lot of hats including sales, marketing, artist development, business development, tour management, and product management. Jay is currently working with Sloan, the Presidents of the United States of America, Jars of Clay, and Carbon Leaf. Jay's core focus is to help further the careers of artists while partnering with them in a "D.I.Y. +" sort of way to have long-lasting and fan-focused careers. Read Less
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
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.
