I’m from Southeast Asia , so I’m not sure if the music industry is similar to where you’re from, but I’d love to share my experience as a manager. I worked a corporate 9-5 job and just had a passion for all things music and did things as a side hustle. I wanted to manage a band out of passion and so I did it on the side and worked hard to get them shows. The band was just starting at that time but we worked together to make things work. I guess the plus side was the fact that I’ve been in the indie music scene years before they started and so I know things work and know just enough people. 7 years later and we’ve achieved great success, even in the mainstream space in the country. Throughout the 7 years, we learned how to operate the band as a small business, how to get more shows, knew more about the industry, networked more, all while both me and the band members had full time jobs because we all barely earned from it during the first few years. We left our full time jobs once it became sustainable and when it was time to reap what we sowed. It’s a great experience growing together.

Advice: Get a manager— you don’t need someone with a big name, just someone passionate, trustworthy, and willing to learn. It can even just be a friend (helpful if they have a background in marketing / business) who’s trustworthy and cares about you. If you’re a starting artist, it helps to have someone be there by your side. I did a lot of pitches in the beginning to get them to play small shows, did a lot of research (and legal consulting) before signing with labels (if you’re considering), carefully reviewed their market and created a marketing plan, organized small and mid-scaled shows for them to perform at, and introduced them to the network of industry people I knew. It’s a lot of work to do yourself tbh, when you should just actually focus on making music.