A new report from the European Music Managers Alliance based on a survey of more than 350 artist managers across Europe identifies mental health, the gender imbalance and the streaming business model as key areas of concern, where more work should be done by the sector to facilitate or lobby for change.
"This groundbreaking research will help EMMA and the wider industry better understand the barriers faced by music managers across Europe", says Jess Partridge, Executive Director of the pan-European group for artist managers. "These findings will empower EMMA to strengthen and connect the music management sector, foster diversity and enhance managers' capacities".
The research highlighted that music management is primarily led by freelancers and small businesses. 49.1% of those surveyed are sole traders, while 45% work for companies with no more than five employees. Most managers, 60.6% of those surveyed, make money by charging their clients a commission.
Given the size of the companies and the intensive role of management, most managers work with a relatively small number of artists at any one time. The median number of artists that respondents currently manage is three, while 78.3% had a roster of five or fewer artists. A very small percentage - just 1.9% - had rosters of more than 20 acts.
When asked about the most important skills required for working in management, respondents listed protecting the health and well-being of clients, accounting and financial planning, and legal and contractual negotiation. The top three challenges for individual managers were finance, time management and networking.
As for challenges facing the sector at large, better access to mental health resources for both managers and artists was identified as "imperative", with the report stating that "increased partnership across the industry to support the mental health and wellbeing of creatives and industry professionals is necessary".
More work is also required to address the gender imbalance in the sector. Although the majority of respondents (51.9%) were women, female managers are more likely to earn less. 51.5% of female respondents said they reside in the lowest income categories, compared to 27.1% of male respondents.
Many of those surveyed also believe that the streaming business model should be reformed to the benefit of artists and songwriters, with support for shifting to a user-centric system for royalty payments and legislation to force fairer remuneration for creators.
One of the managers quoted in the report, Marie Dimberg of Stockholm-based Dimberg Jernberg Management, says: “Over the three decades that I’ve been a manager I’ve seen the music industry go through several seismic changes.
"At any given time, we handle hundreds of moving parts and complex issues, alongside the mental health and wellbeing of our artists", she goes on. "It’s very easy to put yourself last, and to overlook both your own needs as well as the demands of your own business”.
The EMMA report will be discussed at the Eurosonic conference in Groningen tomorrow, 18 Jan, at 1.30pm. You can download the report at the link below.
