Managing Artists in Pop Music: What Every Artist and Manager Must Know to Succeed [Paperback]

Mitch Weiss (Author), Perri Gaffney (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 2003

Discover the real story through a “week in the life of a music manager” in this guide to successful talent management! Through entertaining, real-life stories of famous artist-manager teams, Managing Artists in Pop Music analyzes, criticizes, and details what a talent manager must know in order to become an effective advisor and representative. Readers will learn scores of insider secrets for acquiring clients; negotiating fair contracts; avoiding career manipulation; and dealing with promoters, media, attorneys, and even unions. Packed with surefire career tips, industry guidelines, and sample contracts, here is the perfect springboard to success for music managers, recording artists, singers, and rock bands!





• Provides a complete course in music management from the point of view of both artist and manager

• Includes artist-management agreements, booking agreements, independent contractor forms, and booking summaries with clear explanations of each

Editorial Reviews

Review

“

Every manager and artist should read this book; a primer on how to be a good manager. A how-to book well told in a fast paced story form with real life situations, crises and solutions.

” (Robert Reilly, Entertainment Manager )

“Mitch Weiss has achieved a very difficult task...explaining the complexities of artist management in a comprehensive, practical, ethical and entertaining way. His book is an essential tool for anyone involved in the entertainment industry.” (Richard P. Dieguez ESQ., Entertainment Attorney ) --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

About the Author

Mitch Weiss has been a talent manager for more than 25 years, forging the careers of such pop icons as The Village People. Perri Gaffney is an actress who has performed on radio, television, and film. Both authors live in New York City.

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Allworth Press (April 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 158115268X
• ISBN-13: 978-1581152685
• Product Dimensions: 6 x 0.5 x 9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,302,640 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A terrific guide, cleverly laid out---artists take note, July 6, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Managing Artists in Pop Music: What Every Artist and Manager Must Know to Succeed (Paperback)

Hard to imagine a book doing a better job than this one does of walking someone through the world of pop music management. The authors have hit on a clever way to provide a wealth of detail, wisdom and rules, while keeping things entertaining: The narrative follows three days in the life of a manager of a band, using that story on which to hang the nuts and bolts. That way, you not only learn the tricks of the trade, but you get a sense of the life as well. This book would by no means be of interest only to someone who wants to get in strictly on the management side--I'm a (hopefully up-and-coming) musician, and almost everything in the book seemed potentially helpful to me, both in understanding what I can expect in a manager, and in learning approaches to self-management as well. This book is a tremendously valuable addition to my career-development library.

5.0 out of 5 stars Updates the Timeless Lessons of the First Edition with the Timely Lessons Needed for Success in the Digital Era, January 21, 2012

By 

bwbatlarge - See all my reviews

This review is from: Managing Artists in Pop Music: What Every Artist and Manager Must Know to Succeed (Second Edition) (Paperback)

Entertainment manager Mitch Weiss has a celebrity client list that has included the Village People, the Glamazons, Sir Ari Gold and other pop culture icons in his 25 year career. In his book, Managing Artists in Pop Music: What Every Artist and Manager Must Know to Succeed, Weiss teams up with author Perri Gaffney to share the ins and outs of the music business.

Weiss and Gaffney help their readers to navigate their way through the overwhelming world of music, which can be a daunting undertaking. The advice has been time-tested; their proven formula for success offers "Six Rules of Management," "Contractual Clauses to Know," and "Qualities to Look for in an Artist," among other indispensable words of wisdom.

The format for the book is unique and engaging, taking readers through three days in the life of a music manager. It is jam-packed with lessons that will prove to be invaluable, including: taxes, artist interviews and the press, creating a marketable image and how to deal with unexpected and unfortunate surprises like drugs and rehab and the death or resignation of a band member.

This practical and applicable guide even offers sample artist management agreements, booking agreements, record deals, and forms for independent contractors with analysis. The second edition updates the timeless advice of the original text with timely advice on doing business in the digital era, a time when "The music industry is somewhere between chaos and flux."

Weiss and Gaffney's guide is written in accessible language and divided into bite-sized chapters and segments that make it easy to refer back to relevant lessons over and over again. Managing Artists in Pop Music is the complete handbook for anyone looking to break into the world of pop music. Weiss and Gaffney's book will undoubtedly become a treasured resource to its readers, providing them with the tools that they need for success in the music industry.

4.0 out of 5 stars Great introduction to the business, September 10, 2009

By 

J. Van Guse - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Managing Artists in Pop Music: What Every Artist and Manager Must Know to Succeed (Paperback)

I purchased this book to help me with the review and involvement of managers on a day to day basis and an overview of rules of engagement. I found the book very helpful and I have gone back to it occasionally to refresh myself. Good tool.