 By Waiswa Brian
  Artiste (Personal) managers are involved in counseling and advising artists (or songwriters, producers, engineers, instrumentalists/musicians, etc) on all matters related to their musical careers. Traditionally, personal managers primarily focused on shopping for Record and/or Publishing deals for their clients, and then helping to navigate their clients through the deals and b…eyond. Today, the role of the personal manager has evolved into a much more hands-on approach regarding helping their clients reach fans directly, and assisting clients in running their own recording, publishing, merchandising and performing/touring operations.
 Even though (for certain types of “mainstream†artists/musicians/songwriters) traditional Record and Publishing deals may still make some sense, the deals that most managers pursue for their clients are in the areas of sponsorship, branding, merchandising, and/or licensing. The personal managers’ job therefore is to – while helping clients run their own “companies†– help figure out which deals (if any) complement the clients’ independent operations and fit into their long-term career plans.
