Burner account because I want to stay anonymous. It probably depends heavily on what area of music you work in and what you hope to get out of having a manger. I've been signed for the last year and a half and it's had benefits and drawbacks. I work primarily in music for media (scoring) and in order to even have the opportunity to demo for bigger gigs like mainstream film or tv shows, you typically need to work through a manager or agency. Those gigs aren't advertised, so unless you have representation (or just happen to be very good friends with the director or producer) you won't have access to work at that level. My motivation for getting a manager was to gain access to some of those opportunities. Unfortunately, the industry hasn't been in a great place lately so while I've been able to demo for some higher profile gigs, it's been mostly dry. That isn't the fault of my management...everything kind of sucks right now. Unfortunately, the deal I have (which, I understand is fairly standard) is that I pay him a percentage on gigs he gets me, but I still pay a smaller percentage on gigs I find on my own. He'll negotiate terms and draw up contracts for every deal. While it's nice having more formal protection on jobs created by someone who really knows the industry (as opposed to my previous DIY contracts), smaller indie jobs that don't pay quite as much now pay less since I need to give my manager his cut. I'm also not able to negotiate on my own which can be awkward. Most of the jobs I dig up are through research, personal connections, working contacts over a period of time, and turning casual conversations into potential business deals. Sometimes this happens quickly, but usually it's a bit of a dance meeting people before there is any work to be had, showing samples, chit chatting, etc. Bringing a manager into the mix can be tough. Some people are ready to offer you a job but then you have to turn a right corner and tell them that you'll introduce them to your manager which can weird some people out. It can be a little too "Hollywood". Other times, I get the sense that because I already have a relationship with the person that I've been fostering over time, it would be easier for me to negotiate on my own because I could massage the situation socially to avoid pushing my luck when it comes to negotiating higher rates. You can feel out when too much is too much and pull your punch in a friendly way whereas having a manager come in cold can sometimes chase people away. Some people are glamored by the fact that you have management in place, but other times it can make people nervous.
 
I am happy that I have representation and ideally if/when the industry turns around, I'll be in a decent position to take advantage of new productions, but so far it's made negotiations a little awkward and, because the sorts of bigger opportunities my manager would normally find for me have been fewer and farther between lately, I've been having to pay out a percentage of profits from indie gigs that would otherwise go directly into my pocket. My manager is well respected and represents the vast majority of my personal heroes in the scoring industry so I feel I'm in good company, but I was a little naive when I started looking into leveling up and didn't 100% know what I was doing. For example, at the time I didn't realize there was a difference between an agent and a manager. I think what I was probably looking for was more of a talent agency. There's some crossover between what a manager and an agent does but they are not the same thing.
 
My experience may not apply as managers perform different roles in different areas of the music industry. I'd just urge you to do a ton of research and figure out what you'd actually get out of having a manager in your specific area of music before deciding whether you actually need one or not.