As part of our Horizon Future Leaders series of interviews, we are connecting with the music industry’s next generation of leaders to gather candid advice and insights into their career journeys.
This week we caught up with Tabeah Berler, artist manager and founder of Pon’t Danic Music, where she looks after three artists and two writer/producers, all while building a new publishing company in Manchester.
Tabeah’s path has been entirely self-directed, growing alongside her first client and making early breakthroughs by showing up, taking opportunities and learning by doing. With more artists taking a DIY route, she sees growing space for adaptable, hands-on collaborators who can help artists navigate independence and build sustainable careers outside the traditional label system.
Her advice for anyone coming up in the industry? Work with people you believe in, set clear boundaries early and value healthy working relationships. Show up, stay adaptable and focus on building trust long before you need it; because the strongest opportunities often come from the connections you’ve already made.
👇 Keep reading for Tabeah’s reflections on navigating independence, building from scratch, and why staying informed, watching what’s working in different markets and paying close attention to each artist’s fanbase are essential for long-term success.
What's your current role in the music industry?
I’m an artist manager currently looking after three artists and two writer/producers. Alongside that, I’m in the process of setting up a publishing company in Manchester.
What does your general day-to-day look like?
No two days are exactly the same, but on a quieter day you’ll usually find me in the office. I start with emails, then catch up with my artists on anything that needs planning like shows, release timelines, strategies, or social media ideas.
I try not to overload my day with calls, but during release or touring phases it can be back-to-back conversations with artists and their wider teams.
Around 20% of my time is spent looking at budgets, which admittedly is my least favourite part of the job, but also one of the most important. On other days, I’m on the road with my artists or on set for shoots.
What steps did you take early in your career to gain experience and build skills to get you where you are now?
Like many people in this industry, I got thrown straight in and learned as I went. I started with an internship at Rolling Stone magazine in Berlin which was next to a media uni where I then applied to study music management. At the same time I started my company Pon’t Danic Music as a concert promoter business.
I stopped my studies about two years in as I didn’t feel like it was giving me what I needed and I was getting too busy with promoting shows. Starting in the concerts field really showed me the value of touring and the financials behind live shows, which now as a manager is incredibly useful.
When I began managing artists, I probably knew 10% of what I do today. I asked questions constantly, leaned on people with more experience and realised there’s no such thing as a “stupid” question.
My first management client was also at the very start of their career, so we grew together. I learned early on that you can add a lot of value through attention to detail and building a strong artist image, even before you have deep industry connections or a big business structure around you.
Once that image was strong and we had something exciting to talk about, the right opportunities started appearing and I learned how to handle the new demands as the artist’s career evolved.
What opportunities did you explore early on that were particularly valuable?
At the start, I took every opportunity that came my way. I never worked under someone else, which in hindsight might have made networking easier but building everything from scratch earned me a lot of respect, and in some cases, extra support from people who admired the approach.
I went to every industry showcase I could, showing up anywhere I thought it made sense to be. Many of my early opportunities came from being present. For example, in my first year as a promoter, a friend who’d spent time in South Africa told me about an artist called Jeremy Loops and suggested bringing him to Berlin.
I booked his very first German show, partnered with FluxFM - who were already supporting him - and that gig led to FluxFM then asking me to build a showcase series with them called Bergfest. From that, a whole wave of new connections and projects opened up.
Has the opportunity landscape changed since then?
I think opportunities have shifted to favour people who already bring a specific skill set, rather than those who can simply learn on the job. That might be my management perspective speaking, because we’re expected to juggle so many things now.
That said, with more artists taking a DIY approach and staying independent, there’s growing room for hands-on collaborators outside the traditional label system.
Artists at every stage need people who can help them navigate that independence, which means there’s space for creative, adaptable people to make a real impact.
Are there any specific internships, projects, or initiatives you’d recommend to newcomers?
The MMF is a brilliant resource for managers and I wish I’d known about them earlier in my career. They run fantastic programmes to support and connect people.
If you can, interning with a bigger management company or other music business can be very valuable. The knowledge, network, and opportunities you gain will be much easier to access in that environment.
I was lucky enough to self-fund trips to showcase festivals when I was starting out, but I know that’s not realistic for everyone, so an internship can be a great way to get in the room without that financial barrier.
What advice do you have for building and leveraging a professional network in the music industry?
I’d say the main thing is to get out there and meet people. Having an artist that others are excited about will make those conversations easier, but you can start building relationships before that by genuinely enjoying the process of meeting and connecting with people.
Especially with new artists, a lot of partnerships come from belief in the team as much as the music. Always present yourself as professional and reliable which helps form long-lasting connections, even if you don’t work together until later down the line. You never know when the right project will bring those early contacts back into your world.
How has the evolving digital landscape impacted your role, and where do you focus to stay ahead?
Digital and social media have become a much bigger part of my role than they used to be. I make a conscious effort to keep up with trends, platforms and digital marketing strategies so I can support my artists in those areas.
It can be distracting as you can easily get sucked into the constant churn of content creation and analytics, so I try to schedule dedicated time for digital work, leaving space in my day for the rest of my responsibilities.
What trends or changes do you see on the horizon, and how can early career professionals prepare?
The industry moves so fast that it’s easy to get overwhelmed trying to predict the future. My approach is to stay as informed as possible, watch what’s working in different markets, and pay close attention to what each artist’s fanbase is reacting to.
One shift I do think will continue is artists moving further away from the traditional label set-up. That will keep reshaping what a manager does, and it means we need to keep finding new ways to stay ahead of the curve.
What's one piece of advice you wish someone had given you at the start of your career?
I wish someone had told me how important healthy working relationships are and that those start with clear boundaries. In the early days, you’re so eager to prove yourself that you forget to protect your own wellbeing. But if you’re not healthy and balanced, you can’t give your best to the artist.
Boundaries create mutual respect, and that’s the foundation for a sustainable, productive partnership.
