How to Choose the Right Music Manager (2025 Artist Guide)
- IWXO
- Nov 24
- 4 min read
Updated: Dec 2
By Nathan Darmody
Choosing the right music manager is one of the most important decisions in your entire career. The wrong manager can slow everything down… but the right manager can accelerate your growth, your brand, your opportunities, and your entire belief in yourself.
Every week, thousands of musicians search online for:
“How do I find a music manager?”
“What to look for in an artist manager?”
“How do you know if a manager is legit?”
“Do I need a manager or can I do this myself?”
“What questions should I ask a manager?”
This guide answers all of those. And also, gives you the exact red flags, green flags, and next steps to take.
Do You Even Need a Manager Yet?
Before choosing a manager, you need to determine whether you’re manager-ready.
You’re usually ready for a manager if you have:
Consistent releases
Clear musical identity
Active audience growth (even small)
Proven work ethic
Some demand whether it.s shows, playlist adds, collabs, etc.
Managers don’t build the fire for you… they pour gas on a fire that already exists.
If you’re still figuring out your pitching skills, communication, or how to reach out to potential partners, don’t worry, "YES YOU WILL", your time is coming.
(And I’ll give you a free tool at the bottom that will help.)
Take the Artist Checklist Quiz to see if you're ready for music MGMT.
What a Great Manager Actually Does
A manager is not just someone sending DMs and booking shows.
A real manager is your business partner.
Here’s what a top-level manager helps with:
Career planning
Turning long-term goals into actionable roadmaps.
Communication + industry relations
Talking to labels, agents, publishers, engineers, collaborators.
Negotiation + deal integrity
Protecting your rights, your splits, your percentages.
Accountability
Keeping you consistent with releases, deadlines, and content.
Branding + marketing strategy
Aligning visuals, messaging, and audience growth.
If someone “wants to manage you” but only talks playlists or doesn’t understand your vision… run.
Red Flags When Choosing a Manager
These are the things that destroy artists quietly:
❌ They talk more about what they want than what you need
❌ They ask for more than 20%
❌ They promise fame, playlisting, or label deals
❌ They have no clear strategy
❌ They want rights to your masters
❌ They only talk money, not mission
❌ You feel rushed or pressured to say yes
Your manager should feel like a long-term collaborator****
Green Flags: Signs You’ve Found the Right Manager
These are the traits of the managers who build real careers:
✔ They listen before they speak
✔ They understand your exact genre and niche
✔ They already have relationships in your lane
✔ They communicate clearly and quickly
✔ They understand sync, touring, marketing, AND release strategy
✔ They don’t ask for ownership
✔ They want to grow with you, not control you
✔ They add organization to your chaos
If you feel calmer, more confident, and more focused after a meeting, then that’s a good sign. Usually your gut instinct is the real indicator.
The 3–Meeting Rule
Never choose a manager after one conversation.
Use this rule:
Meeting 1: Vision Alignment
Do they understand your sound, your trajectory, your values?
Meeting 2: Strategy Review
Ask them: “What would the first 90 days of working together look like?”
Meeting 3: Logistics + Deal Terms
Percentages, expectations, communication flow, deliverables.
If someone refuses these steps or feels impatient, they are most likely wrong person.
Questions You MUST Ask a Potential Manager
Most musicians don’t ask enough questions and then end up trapped.
Here are essential ones:
What artists have you helped grow before?
What do you think my strongest lane of opportunity is?
How do you prefer to communicate and how often?
What are your expectations of me as an artist?
What do your first 30–90 days of management look like?
Do you have a team or work alone?
Are you comfortable with trial periods? (3–6 months)
What percentage do you take and from what revenue streams?
Managers who hesitate on transparency usually have something to hide.
Pro Tip: Build Leverage BEFORE You Look For a Manager
Here is the truth most artists never hear:
Managers pick momentum, not potential.
If you want better managers to pursue you:
Improve your pitches
Improve your communication
Improve your follow-up strategy
Improve your organization
Improve your presentation
And I actually built something to help you do that…
Before you ever pitch a manager, label, agent, or collaborator, you need to know how to pitch yourself correctly.
I created a 100% free guide that fixes:
Weak emails
Unclear intentions
Unprofessional outreach
Bad follow-ups
Lack of structure
Download it here:
This free guide will make your next manager pitch 10x stronger, and dramatically increase your chances of attracting the RIGHT manager who actually respects you.
Final Thoughts
Choosing the right manager isn’t about luck.
It’s about clarity, leverage, communication, and self-awareness.
And if you follow everything above, you’ll naturally attract the kind of manager who sees your vision, supports your mission, and helps turn your career into a sustainable reality.
If You Want Hands-On Help With This…
A lot of artists read guides like this and still feel overwhelmed trying to apply everything alone. If you want someone who’s been in the industry, worked with labels, handled artists, run tours, pitched A&Rs, and built real systems…
I offer 1-on-1 artist mentorship sessions where we can work on:
Career strategy
Building your identity, sound, and long-term roadmap.
Manager & team guidance
Who to bring onto your team, when, and how to approach them correctly.
Pitching & communication
Fixing your manager/label/industry outreach so it actually gets taken seriously.
Release & growth strategy
How to plan singles, content, funnels, and fanbase expansion.
Branding & positioning
How to present yourself so you stand out, not blend in.
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