Ep. 002 - What Artists Get Wrong About Management episode artwork

EPISODE · Mar 24, 2026 · 43 MIN

Ep. 002 - What Artists Get Wrong About Management

from The Producer's Desk · host David S Hargrett & Jamison Ross

In this episode of The Producer’s Desk, we’re pulling back the curtain on artist management — what it is, what it isn’t, and what most artists get wrong when they say they need a manager.A lot of independent artists are looking for management without fully understanding what they’re actually asking for. Management is not magic, and it’s not rescue. It’s strategy, vision, labor, relationship-building, and often a real investment of time long before the money makes sense.We break down what managers really do, why management is often not as lucrative as people think, how the role has changed as labels do less, and why many artists are aiming for the wrong kind of manager at the wrong stage of their career.We also talk about:how to think about finding a managerwhy many artists are not yet attractive management clientswhy growing with someone may make more sense than chasing someone biggerwhat artists need to bring to the tablewhy the artist-manager relationship is like a marriage built on trust, time, and long-term commitmentIf you’re an artist, manager, or creative entrepreneur trying to build something real, this conversation is for you.Subscribe to The Producer’s Desk for practical conversations at the intersection of music, business, culture, and life.#TheProducersDesk #ArtistManagement #MusicBusiness #IndependentArtist #ArtistDevelopment #MusicIndustry #CreativeEntrepreneur #MusicManager

In this episode of The Producer’s Desk, we’re pulling back the curtain on artist management — what it is, what it isn’t, and what most artists get wrong when they say they need a manager.A lot of independent artists are looking for management without fully understanding what they’re actually asking for. Management is not magic, and it’s not rescue. It’s strategy, vision, labor, relationship-building, and often a real investment of time long before the money makes sense.We break down what managers really do, why management is often not as lucrative as people think, how the role has changed as labels do less, and why many artists are aiming for the wrong kind of manager at the wrong stage of their career.We also talk about:how to think about finding a managerwhy many artists are not yet attractive management clientswhy growing with someone may make more sense than chasing someone biggerwhat artists need to bring to the tablewhy the artist-manager relationship is like a marriage built on trust, time, and long-term commitmentIf you’re an artist, manager, or creative entrepreneur trying to build something real, this conversation is for you.Subscribe to The Producer’s Desk for practical conversations at the intersection of music, business, culture, and life.#TheProducersDesk #ArtistManagement #MusicBusiness #IndependentArtist #ArtistDevelopment #MusicIndustry #CreativeEntrepreneur #MusicManager

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Ep. 002 - What Artists Get Wrong About Management

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This episode is 43 minutes long.

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This episode was published on March 24, 2026.

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In this episode of The Producer’s Desk, we’re pulling back the curtain on artist management — what it is, what it isn’t, and what most artists get wrong when they say they need a manager.A lot of independent artists are looking for management...

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