When seeking managament ...

orio

What is the standard approach?

Do you approach them or do they approach you?
Is it the done thing to ask someone to take you on?

Im a musician - have my demo/EP done, bio done, all that.
Just not sure how to progress..
Any advice welcome.

drumdrum

There is no set-in-stone "approach", so to speak. Getting decent management can be a tough thing to get especially giving the number of bands/musicians out there that are all seeking the same thing.

You say you have your stuff ready to go, so why wait for an opportunity to come along to you? Things rarely "just happen" and oftentimes you gotta make them happen. In the end, the worst case you can get is a "no thanks" from the management company, and you move on to the next.

If you know of anyone with connections then by all means use them. Management companies are more likely to give some of their precious time to a CD thats handed to them by someone they trust than a CD arriving by post. If you dont have connections, get emailing! Find out who some players are in your genre and send on your stuff, and ask for feedback. Persistence is key. I'm NOT saying you badger them, but maybe send a couple of emails every week until you get a reply. Oh and what ever you do, DO NOT send your stuff as an attachment on the first email, because you run a much higher risk of their spam filter catching your email. Send on one first and ask them nicely if they would spend a minute to listen to your track. Send on one of your best tracks and hope that they like it.
Just remember though, that people are people and vary widely in tastes so be prepared for some to love it, and other to not like your stuff. With that said, listen out for repeating general criticisms (if you get some) from these people such as "song is a bit too long" etc.

What you want to get is someone who will like your stuff who can bring it to a management company directly. Be careful though, they might want some form of cut somewhere along the line for their "trouble". The music business is full of sharks so be careful!

As to who "these people" are? Well, that depends on your stuff mate. No point send ing a metal demo to a pop label etc. Maybe when you're emailing the management companies, ask them while you're at it if they can put you in touch with someone who can "vet" your work for them. Its worth a shot at the very least.

It can be quite scary to some people when trying to push yourself in the music industry. Rejection and accepting criticism is a huge element so make sure you've got a thick skin when entering. People tend to knock before they accept so perseverance is also key.
But whatever you do, dont sit on your stuff and hope that somehow your stuff will get snapped up. You make it happen!

Best of luck with it. I hope you get what you're looking for.

greenpilot

Hi Drumdrum,

good reply. No bull****, and to the point....that reminds me, we are still looking for a manager too!!

Paul

Cubenio

Good solid advice there

I would also look at the options of getting the Demo reviewed by reputable industry contacts - 'First Cuts' column in hotpress maybe?...Becarful with the online blogs - some of these writers/reviewers are hobbists only and some of the writing is terrible

Also if you're happy with the demo(not sure how many songs?) why not release it as an EP...easy enough to get up on digital stores these days so you could self release maybe? - In a better position to go to Management/Labels with some positive press in hand then

Best of luck anyway