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Tom Cochrane thinly veiled his less-than-amicable opinion of his former manager, Bruce Allen, in the song "Citizen Kane", from Red Rider's Boy Inside The Man album. But most people would scoff or quickly dismiss the lyric now, it was so long ago. Both have had huge success, and in this business, triumphs are applauded and failures fade into the background. What it proves is that no amount of business acumen or musical talent can save a band client-management relationship.
There is no sure-fire partnership, no sure-fire way to the charts, no man or woman who can turn a box of Kraft Dinner into Filet Mignon - but it can't hurt to try.
If it's not someone with clout, or who talks a good game, and starts making your band interesting to other people, then it's a neophyte manager with an act whose songs and showmanship shine like a Grammy Award under the hot stagelights.
For Nigel Best and the Barenaked Ladies, it was an equal partnership which combined innovation, creativity and humour. It was their unconventional charm, the dare to be different, sometimes shameless buffoonery which won the hearts of three people before it wont the attention of the industry. They were fiercely independent, smart and it didn't hurt that they had a knack for writing witty pop tunes.
“What I want, and what I’ve always received from them, is a commitment to working. Ultimately, this is a job for all parties involved,” says Best, who jokes that breakfast in bed (sunny-side up) and a Christmas cards once a year are his only other demands.
Bottom line- bands don’t need management until there’s something to manage. And in this cottage industry of independent releases and thriving live music circuits, it makes sense for a band to at least bury their noses in some industry ‘How To’ books and get a firm grip on their won career. It can be overwhelming - and discouraging- but in the long run it will prove useful, career-advancing, and might even protect a band from those few low-life managers out there. Within this article you’ll find lots of information from both managers and artists on what it takes to build a successful artist/manager relationship in today’s changing music industry climate. |
