What an artist manager actually does
A good manager is your business partner: they set strategy, chase and negotiate opportunities (shows, sync, deals, collaborations), coordinate your team, and handle the logistics that eat your time. They typically take a percentage of income (commonly 15-20%) rather than a fee. Crucially, a manager grows what exists, they don't create it from nothing.
Do you actually need a manager?
Be honest about your stage. If you have real momentum, income, and more opportunities than you can handle, a manager multiplies you. If you're still building, an early single, no steady income, a manager has little to work with, and few good managers will take you on, because their pay is a cut of income you don't yet have.
What most early artists actually need is development: strategy, releases, positioning, audience, the foundation. That's a different thing. See artist development vs artist management.
When to get one
- You're turning down or fumbling real opportunities because you can't keep up.
- You have income a manager's cut wouldn't cripple.
- The business side is stealing time from the music.
- You have a clear direction a manager can execute, not one they have to invent.
How to find and approach management
The best managers find you through momentum, so building that is step one. Beyond that: warm intros beat cold pitches, target managers who work with artists at your level and in your genre, and show them traction, not just potential. Approach with what you've built (numbers, releases, a plan), not "can you make me famous."
And know the alternative: many independent artists in India do their own management for years, with the right systems and occasional expert help. You don't have to hand over a cut to grow.