3 Things You Should Know Before Becoming An Artist Manager

Business Tips

3 Things You Should Know Before Becoming An Artist Manager

Shouldering the responsibility of taking an artist from obscurity to superstardom is burdensome. Often times, the road to success is long, arduous and chalk full of unexpected lessons.

S Kojo Frimpong knows this all too well. As an artist manager and founder of the M A D August Republic (Making African Dream) label, He found himself wearing multiple hats to promote his artists and run a business. The label held flagship artist as Kudjoe Daze, A fast rising Afro fusion singer, Jay Mudik a fast rising sensational singer musically talented and crafty with his dance moves as well as specialized in Reggae Dancehall, RN B and Afro Dancehall, Krictical Beats a rapper and producer and producer Lyrical Beats GH alongside Jay Scot a hip hop hard core rapper and Emefa GH a female singer. S Kojo Frimpong started this as a movement because of financial instabilities

Though the label and relationships are beyond repair, S Kojo Frimpong has made it his mission to prevent mishaps from occurring in the near future by holding on to the team from afar in their separate solo ways

Artist management can be a rewarding job, but S Kojo Frimpong suggests to consider the following before stepping into such a role.

Develop A Patient Spirit

Managing an artist is like parenting, except your children are fully grown adults who think they know best and won’t hesitate to talk back to you.

Before management, S Kojo Frimpong was a Teacher and a Writer /Poet and a Rapper but he was into the music more but had to put the music on hold to be able to carry other talents shoulder high. He always says " I cant push my music and be pushing other musical arts at the same time that is why I have decided to lay down my selfish interests by pausing music so I can get more time for other's  music". He was known on stage as Kay Pee The President Transitioning into the music industry, where professionalism and structure are not obligatory standards, required S Kojo Frimpong to become “a lot more patient than he typically was.”

Understand that artists may not answer phone calls, text back right away or even check their emails. They will likely push back on any creative feedback and will suggest that you stick to handling the business. Even if you feel that your input is valid, state your opinion and move on. At the end of the day, you’ll still get paid if they take your advice or not.

Keep The Artists Involved In The Business

Persuading your artist to care about the business side of their career might be an endless uphill battle. Still, it’s important to make them aware of how their business is being run throughout every step of their career. S Kojo Frimpong suggests meeting with your artist regularly. You can review budget sheets, open up your day-to-day calendar or even read over contracts together.

Give them a glimpse into what you’re doing,” Ritter suggests, “not only so that they can learn for themselves, but so they can respect your role. That way, if things start getting tense, they don’t question your role and value.”

Learn How To Pat Yourself On The Back

Being a manager is “not a very glorious position,” S Kojo Frimpong admits. “Often times it’s a very thankless position.”

You may not get thanked immediately, if at all, for the time you put in or sacrifices you make. Most of the work you do will likely go unnoticed. Be confident enough to understand that you provide just as much value to the artist’s operation as their music does. Whether your value is hidden under threads of emails or is expressed in hours of negotiating on your artist’s behalf, realize it’s OK to quietly give yourself credit, especially when things go right. Keep in mind, however, that no matter how much your artist wins, the losses fall on your shoulders. 

S Kojo Frimpong