The music management revolution: Now’s the time for independent managers to flourish
The age of huge music managers is over. Here’s why independent managers are the future of the business, according to Oliver Moheda, an industry leader experiencing the shift first-hand.
There’s a revolution happening in the music business. The days of the mega-star music manager are over… and it means that independent managers present an exciting new chapter for the business.
Scooter Braun, one of the most recognisable music managers of all time and famed for representing the likes of Justin Bieber, Ariana Grande and many more, as well as his high profile feud with Taylor Swift over the ownership of the star’s masters, recently announced his retirement from music management after 23 years.
“One of my biggest clients and friends told me that they wanted to spread their wings and go in a new direction. We had been through so much together over the last decade, but instead of being hurt I saw it as a sign,” said the mogul, in a statement.
For those in the industry, it shouldn’t come as a surprise, but rather, a prime example of a shift in the business of music management. Now is the era of the independent manager.
As an independent manager myself, and the CEO of my company Total Artist Management Limited, I’m seeing it every day: musicians are tired of the all-powerful manager, and instead turning to smaller managers like myself for a host of business reasons.
British singing sensation and America’s Got Talent star Courtney Hadwin is the latest to follow suit.
The singer, whose performances went viral around the globe and has won over millions of followers across social media, was previously managed by Larry Rudolph, the American big-league manager known for managing the career of Britney Spears for more than 20 years, as well as the Backstreet Boys, Avril Lavigne, Miley Cyrus, Justin Timberlake and many more.
Hadwin, however, made the choice to move to Total Artist Management, and enjoy the benefits that come with a smaller team.
For starters, a music manager should be a star’s biggest cheerleader - and more and more artists are realising that mega managers can’t give the same enthusiasm equally when they manage a sprawling roster of the biggest acts in the world.
Instead, independent managers like myself are able to have an authentic excitement for a project that can’t be replicated by a huge corporation.
Similarly, the shift is not just good for business. When it comes to building a career as an artist, your manager has to completely understand your vision - and that means working closely together, with their full attention. Music is art, and the person building your brand has to understand your goals implicitly in order to become the artist you dream of.
The result? Authentic art and a better music industry which isn’t monopolised by soulless organisations.
Scooter Braun has seen the effects of it, Courtney Hadwin has joined the trend, and I’m seeing it in my business every day: The music management revolution is here, and it marks an exciting opportunity for the future of the music industry.