3 relationships that managers should spend time developing

As an artist manager, you may wonder: How do I help my artists generate revenue? Or, if you're a new artist, you may wonder: What relationships should I be dedicating my time to and working to develop for the future?

Networking in any field can lead to some pretty amazing opportunities; the music industry is no different. In fact, it might lead to making money both now and in the future. Three important relationships to build include independent directors, startup advertising agencies, and A&Rs at publishing companies.

📚 Related: How to network and communicate, according to Edward Castillo

When you work with directors, ad agencies, or publishing companies, it’s all about sync placements. Basically, when a song gets placed in a film, commercial, TV show, video game, or other media type, it’s referred to as a sync. Sync placements can be extremely powerful ways to further your reach and influence as an artist as well as generate income.

Learn more about how these relationships might benefit you as an artist.

Independent Directors

Music is an integral part of the movie industry. When directors or producers look for songs to include in their movies or shows, they’ll pay artists to either use their music or to write songs specific to a movie or show.

For big box office movies, artists could bring in thousands of dollars just from one specific song that’s played at the beginning, middle, or end. This is definitely a great way to earn income as an artist. But for small, independent artists, making these connections isn’t as likely.

Sync Licensing

Instead, you can focus on building relationships with local independent directors or producers. For example, if you know of a local film festival, you can use those types of events to network. If you can reach out to directors and explain the type of music you make or have your manager reach out with information about your catalog, you may be able to set up a deal that way.

Working with these directors still may lead to earning a few thousand dollars. In this case, managers want to ensure they set up those deals for licensing so that their artists own the rights to the song(s). This means the song(s) will be licensed to that film for a fee and allows an artist to retain ownership to use the song over and over again.

Startup Advertising Agencies and New Music Supervisors

When a song is placed in a brand’s commercial, it usually isn't through direct interaction between the brand and the artist. Instead, most larger brands hire an advertising agency to produce the commercial, which finds the music with the help of a music supervisor.

Similar to working with independent directors and music supervisors, building up a relationship with a new advertising agency and/or music supervisor can present sync placement opportunities. Since startup agencies work on a smaller scale, they’re more likely to respond to inquiries from small artists.

Then, take the same approach as you would when networking with an independent director to negotiate a licensing deal. As the agency and/or supervisor continues to grow, you may end up having opportunities to get chosen for bigger commercials.

Even if you find a local videographer that makes commercials to approach, you should build the same type of relationship.

A&Rs at Publishing Companies

Lastly, networking with A&Rs at publishing companies can provide great opportunities for independent artists. A&Rs are responsible for signing talent to a company or record label. They research new artists, work with them to develop their stories and highlight their personalities, and pitch artists to get signed.

📚Related: How to build relationships with A&Rs, according to Eren Aydogmus (A&R, Alamo Records)

Networking with A&Rs who specifically work at publishing companies can lead to developing various revenue streams. Publishing companies can provide safer financing opportunities for artists versus record labels.

Traditionally, artists who sign with record labels give up their ownership in exchange for an advance (upfront money). When you go to a publishing company, you may have a co-publishing deal where you’re able to retain fifty percent ownership of your catalog and get a lump sum of money when you sign. Or you could even have an admin deal that could allow you to retain 100 percent of your ownership with an 80/20 split on generated revenue in favor of the artist.

📚 Related: Learn what a career as an A&R looks like

Additionally, if you have a co-pub deal, publishing companies will help get your music placed into different albums, commercials, movies, etc. These companies will also help collect your royalties as an artist and administer copyrights for you. This can help artists out a lot by getting an advance to live off of for a short time. The advance depends on the value of the songs, but it could be enough to help you survive while you continue to network or help you get to the next stage of your career.