The Manager’s Playbook 061: Charlie Rocket - 2 Chainz, Music Marketing, Artist Development, Fan Building & Mindset

In this episode of The Manager’s Playbook, Charlie Rocket joins us for a powerful conversation on artist development, music marketing, fan building, independent artist strategy, and the mindset required to win in the music business.Best known for helping build 2 Chainz and for his evolution from music executive to public speaker and entrepreneur, Charlie breaks down why he believes success often requires a level of intentional “delusion,” the kind of belief that allows artists, managers, and executives to move before the proof is there. We talk about what it really means to chase purpose over money, why overthinking kills momentum, and how some of the best careers in music are built through conviction, consistency, and action.Charlie also shares practical gems on breaking artists without money, building authentic fanbases, local market strategy, mixtape culture, release strategy, manager leadership, publishing, label relationships, streaming growth, and audience development. From 30-day blitz campaigns and “boiling a pot of water” in one city, to winning over 2 Chainz and navigating a life-changing brain tumour diagnosis, this episode is full of hard-earned lessons on music industry strategy, artist growth, and long-term career building.Whether you’re an independent artist, manager, A&R, music executive, or creative entrepreneur, this is a conversation about belief, leverage, execution, and what it really takes to build something that lasts.Simply put, a conversation like this doesn't come cheap.If you’re earning publishing income, make sure you’re collecting all of it.KOSIGN, powered by Kobalt, offers direct global publishing collections and real-time royalty transparency in a flexible, artist-friendly format. It’s highly selective, but free to apply here: https://bit.ly/4b438pjWatch the full episode on YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@managersplaybook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠New episodes drop Tuesdays @ 10am ET