Artist managers: The evolving image of the artist manager

The imminent staging of the 34th annual conference of the International Artist Managers’ Association (IAMA) at the Royal College of Music (RCM) prompts the memory of a working visit to the RCM for this column in the 1980s. Four students about to set off into the music profession talked with me about their understanding of the part which artist managers (then referred to as ‘concert agents’) could play in their futures.

One of the three singers who volunteered to be quizzed was bass-baritone Gerald Finley, who has, of course, gone on to build an outstanding international reputation. At the time, he seemed to have a mature, level-headed grasp of the way things worked, and looking back Finley recalls, by way of an explanation, that ‘already as a student I’d been taken up by an artist manager on a freelance basis.’ All he remembers of any formal RCM provision of information about managers is a talk given by Robert Rattray, then of the Lies Askonas artist management office, later a leading light of the merged Askonas Holt business. ‘I remember feeling very depressed about my prospects when Robert described how difficult it was for young singers to make headway, with managers’ books so full. But his recommendation that you go and audition at the many opera houses in Germany as an important first step was advice I followed, to good effect.

‘Things, I think, are even more difficult for young singers now. But I detect that savvy managers are more likely to be seen at RCM performances these days, keen to find exceptional talents early. And of course, via their social media and other promotional skills, young musicians who do find representation have the opportunity to fully collaborate in creative partnerships with artist managers and thus progress their careers. Gone are the days when agents were just “bookers” of concerts.’

Since Finley’s time at the RCM, the scope of the college’s career advice to students has blossomed. The Creative Careers Centre was founded in 1999 (as the Woodhouse Centre) to support musicians in bridging the gap between student and professional life. ‘We’re recognised internationally for our innovative approach,’ says Diana Roberts, head of the centre and entrepreneurship tutor at the RCM. ‘Crucially, the services of the Centre are available to students for up to five years after graduation.’

When it comes to specific advice in the area of artist management, Roberts finds students seek answers to very basic questions. ‘They ask how they should approach artist managers, what the benefits are of securing an artist manager, and what the pitfalls are. The Creative Careers Centre offers a bespoke service to students. Advice is tailored to reflect individual career aspirations. The department offers one-to-one support, resources, guidance, workshops and presentations by industry specialists, plus a broad range of professional opportunities and contacts.’

The Centre’s staff recognise the likely need for students to think entrepreneurially, preparing them for ‘a proactive, sustainable and fulfilling career,’ as Roberts puts it. ‘Our latest pioneering scheme, RCM Accelerate, was launched in 2021, in response to the global pandemic and the unprecedented challenges young graduates faced at that time.’

Artist managers have passed on their wisdom to students at various conservatoires. James Brown (whose office in Cambridge carries his name) trained as a viola player at the RCM before embarking on an orchestral career. Comparing the current provision of advice at the college with his time there is ‘like night and day,’ he observes.

For those students with the ambition of finding management but who nonetheless don’t obviously possess true star appeal, Brown (pictured left) stresses ‘the need to build a positive picture of what you’ve done, including a record of your engagements, yes, but also re-engagements and so on. You must do all you can to promote your image. You need to show that you really engage with audiences. However, the recommendation of an artist from somebody I truly respect is very often the path to my taking that musician on.’

Equally, when he’s spoken to students Brown has emphasised the need in many cases for cold realism. ‘The last thing you want to do is crush optimism and ambition, but for many students the best option for the future may be a portfolio career which individuals put together themselves under their own steam and with hard work – not just solo dates, but ensemble work, teaching, PR and so on. This is, in itself, a career. And there’s always artist management as a profession, of course!

Brown has often also been involved in artist management-awareness sessions at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, where Trevor Ford has run a range of sessions on musical careers. Among the many concerns raised by students is the size of artist managers’ commission – for some students, an area which provokes a certain cynicism about the profession. Yes, says Ford, ‘you have to emphasise that an artist manager will very likely take 20 per cent of your fees in commission, but any less than that and they simply won’t be able to do an effective job for you.’

And Ford takes pains to explain the need for young musicians to fully engage with their managers once they’re offered representation. ‘Fifty years ago, you expected your agent to simply get on and put dates in your diary. Now the relationship is so much more of a partnership, in which both artist and manager have to work together to build public awareness. You can’t expect an artist manager to do it all. If you haven’t done so already, you need to think about creating a really good website. You need to provide useful contacts. You have to network.’

Whatever else has changed in the college’s provision of career advice, one practical service offered by the RCM (and other conservatoires) stretches back to Gerald Finley’s days as a student – and featured in another of my columns back then. Then, as now, the RCM acted as a kind of concert agency, placing students in performances away from the college. These days the facility carries the title of Professional Engagements Service. ‘Musicians can audition for the service,’ Diana Roberts explains. ‘If accepted, they’re hired by established partners, clients, organisations, and members of the public to perform recitals and at events to work as freelance orchestral and session players, accompanists, repetiteurs, chorus members, and composers. Fees and contracts are negotiated to ensure they fall in line with industry standards. RCM musicians have performed at some of London’s most prestigious venues and landmarks.’

Such opportunities were vital in Finley’s development. ‘I gratefully received the chance they gave for me to build repertoire. Hugely valuable. Those performances stood me in such good stead.’