Photo: Manager Chris Taylor | Jason Blume: I received a message asking me if hiring an attorney is the way to get songs to a major artist. While there’s no guaranteed formula for songwriting success, engaging an attorney to represent your songs would rarely (and I mean RARELY) be the route. If the attorney represents the artist you are targeting, it might work. Similarly, if this attorney has secured record deals for artists at the label where your target artist is signed, it’s safe to assume he or she has the connections to get your songs to the right ears.
But the overwhelming majority of songs do not find their way to an artist via an attorney. The typical route is via a music publisher.
There was a time when few artists wrote their own material. Superstars like Sinatra, Elvis, Whitney Houston, Celine Dion, Reba McEntire, Dionne Warwick, Barbra Streisand, Diana Ross and Garth Brooks rarely (if ever) wrote their own songs – at least until they became established stars.
Hit songs came from writers who sat in offices and churned out hits, i.e., Carole King/Gerry Goffin, Holland-Dozier-Holland, Bachrach/David, Diane Warren, Max Martin, Jimmy Webb, Jason Blume (HA!), and many others.
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Go here to check out some of Mr. Blume’s books and audio lectures:
https://www.jasonblume.com/audio-lessons.html
[This is a very important quote: “Our job is to write and record exceptional (not ‘good’) songs that make a publisher believe a hit artist will want to put his or her own stamp on.]
Includes a downloadable “Work for Hire/Musicians’ & Vocalists’ Waiver” Agreement
Topics include:
How to Place Your Songs with Music Production Libraries
Lyrics, Styles, & Tempos That Work Best
Understanding Music Clearance
The Role of Music Supervisors & Music Editors – and How to Get to Them
Placing Songs in Commercials
How Songs Earn Money from TV and Films – and How Much, & More.
Placing Music in TV & Film (72 Minutes)
(Thanks to COMBO Board member Larry Thompson for suggesting Mr. Blume’s educational and instructional materials!)
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Artist Managers Are the New Record Labels
Welcome to The Manager’s Playbook, my personal newsletter where I share insights from Music Executives and Artists for aspiring and emerging music managers, executives and artists on how to navigate the music industry. This newsletter is brought to you by Mauricio Ruiz.
Yea, I said it.
We’re not just handling calendars and negotiations anymore. We’re building infrastructure, hiring creative teams, running digital strategy, securing brand deals, and crafting long-term visions. Sometimes, we’re even financing rollouts. Truthfully, we’re the engine behind the artist’s business and vision. We’re the “how”.
So instead of handing all that leverage to a label, go direct. Cut a smart distribution or JV deal with no added costs on top, retaining rights, and building real partnerships with your artists. Not advances with strings, but equity in the outcome.
Don’t chase the deals. Design them. On your terms. Just ask Chris Taylor. ~ Ruiz
There was a time, not long ago, when the phrase “label support” meant everything. It meant marketing. It meant radio. It meant global reach. If your artist wasn’t signed, your ceiling felt inevitable. But that ceiling has cracked. And in many cases, it’s vanished.
Today, great managers aren’t just steering the ship. They’re building it.
Listening to Chris Taylor talk about his journey with Hall of Fame and Last Gang Records, one thing became clear: the roles have changed. Managers now wear more hats than ever: A&R, digital strategist, publicist, legal advisor, tour coordinator, sometimes even financier.
The job is no longer just about securing deals. It’s about designing ecosystems.
That one line from Chris Taylor captures everything.
And he’s right.
This shift has been slow but seismic. The infrastructure that once belonged only to labels is now being rebuilt inside management teams. It’s not uncommon to see managers owning marketing strategy, overseeing DSP relations, executing merch drops, and retaining equity in their artists’ ventures.
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Read online at:
https://www.mngrsplaybook.com/p/artist-managers-are-the-new-record-labels?
(Thanks to COMBO Board member Larry Thompson for suggesting this educational and instructional reading).
Photo: Chris Taylor, Mgr.