"Hey—I resent that." (Source)

We're going to let you in on a little music industry secret: those guys who performed almost stark-naked at Woodstock in 1999 (or Woodstock 1969—take your pick); those terrifying German guys who set everything on stage and themselves on fire; the rock stars who sing gleefully about trashing hotel rooms...they might not be the most responsible people in the world.

That's where band managers come in. Band managers take care of all the business-y stuff so the band members can focus on their music...among other things. So while the band is doing their thing on stage, band managers are working their butts off behind the scenes to make sure all goes smoothly. 

They're like really hard-working shadows of band members...if shadows could talk, negotiate contracts, book gigs, and balance spreadsheets.

For their trouble, band managers can expect a decent salary—around $64,000 per year—but that's only if they're managing a decent band (source). In reality, your salary as a manger will depend entirely on the success of the band. 

The life of a musician is hardly ever typical, and the same goes for the life of a band manager. What exactly band managers do, and how they get paid for what they do, varies widely, depending especially on where the band is in their career.

 

Even if the "studio" is in your attic. (Source)

Let's say your friends started a band, and you didn't want to get left out but you also couldn't play an instrument if your life depended on it. Good news. You can become the band's manager. At this point in the game, it's kind of like being a "fan-plus." 

As the manager for a yet-unsigned band, you've got a lot of work to do to help them out: sending demos to record labels and radio stations, networking and promoting, trying to fundraise, and booking practice sessions and studio time.

And if the band members are super irresponsible (we know—that would never be the case), you might find yourself booking everything for them, from "pro bono" gigs in seedy dive bars to a "gig" at your dentist's kid's bat mitzvah. Suddenly, the line between band manager, groupie, and babysitter is very murky indeed.

But maybe the band you're managing is further along in their careers. You might—just might—be able to hire a road manager who can hit the road with the band while you stay behind to manage contracts and negotiations with record labels. Of course, you'll still be the first call in all emergencies—as defined by the band members.

Or maybe you have a more penthouse-suite-and-priceless-record-collection vision of being a band manager…which probably won't happen without a fairy godmother. But if by some miracle you did make it to the very top of the music management world, you'd probably be managing multiple bands and would have less day-to-day involvement with each. 

Those types of band managers spend their days negotiating more lucrative contracts, not tracking down a particular (and particularly illegal) type of explosive that the band's drummer just has to have. Or, they at least spend less of their time doing that.

 

This is interesting, but it doesn't sound great when I bang it on the bench. (Source)

But there has to be some things that are standard for all band managers, right? Right. No matter the type of band, good band managers all have similar qualities. They're great communicators, they can smooth-talk their way into (or out of) anything, and they're really good with details. They're basically what would happen if a wedding planner and an accountant had a baby...who loved music but couldn't make it himself.

Does that seem pretty far from the zany life of a rock star? You bet it is. Your job isn't to battle your inner demons and then make a song about it. Leave that to your creative genius bandleader.

You've also got to check your ego at the door if you want to become a band manager. Remember, the show is about the band—the fans are there for them and only them. And you need to be right there beside the band and the fans, pushing them all in the right direction.

Basically, band managers are jacks of all trades. They're the Swiss Army knives of the whole operation, and also the pack mules. The vast majority of band managers are juggling multiple roles that should probably only be one person's full-time job: booking agent, promoter, travel arranger, personal assistant, genie.

This is the ultimate people-pleaser's job. Except the people you're trying to please are often wild, maybe washed-up musicians who, for example, might throw a wine bottle through a window in a fit of rage just seconds before demanding that you secure for them the new baby orangutan from the local zoo. It's unlikely...but it could happen. Your band needs to be making a lot of hit singles for this job to be worth it.

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