Building Your Artist Team

Every music career starts as a solo operation. You write, record, release, promote, book, and manage everything yourself. That works until it does not. At some point, the volume of work, the complexity of the decisions, or the size of the opportunities exceeds what one person can handle while still making music.

Building a team is not about hiring as many people as possible. It is about adding the right person at the right time for the right reason. Every team member costs money (through commission, retainers, or fees), and every team member you add changes the dynamics of how decisions get made. The goal is a team where everyone's role is clear, everyone's compensation is fair, and the artist can focus on the creative work that drives everything else.

This guide covers every key role in a music team, when to add each one, how they are compensated, and how the team evolves from solo operation to full infrastructure.

The Roles

Manager

What they do. Oversees career strategy, negotiates deals, coordinates the rest of the team, develops opportunities, and handles day-to-day business operations. The manager is your primary business partner and the person who connects your creative work to the industry.

How they are compensated. Commission: 15-20% of gross income. They earn when you earn.

When to add. When opportunities are arriving faster than you can handle them, when the decisions are complex enough to need a strategic partner, or when the business side is consuming so much time that it is affecting your creative output. For a detailed readiness framework, see When to Hire a Music Manager.

Booking Agent

What they do. Secures live performance opportunities: club shows, festivals, tours, private events, and corporate bookings. They negotiate fees, advance logistics, and manage your performance calendar. A good agent builds a routing strategy that grows your live draw in target markets over time, not just books whatever comes in. See How to Plan and Book a Tour for how the booking process works, whether you are doing it yourself or working with an agent.

How they are compensated. Commission: 10-15% of gross booking income. Agents do not charge upfront fees.

When to add. When you are consistently drawing an audience to local shows and want to expand beyond your home market. An agent needs proof of live draw before they can pitch you to venues and festivals. If you cannot draw 50-100 people in your home market, most agents will not have enough to work with. Build local draw first, then seek an agent to expand your reach.

Note: In the United States, talent agents are regulated differently than managers. In states like California and New York, agents must be licensed. Managers are generally not permitted to procure employment (book shows) on your behalf without an agent's license, though this line is frequently blurred in practice.

Entertainment Attorney

What they do. Reviews and negotiates contracts, advises on legal matters (copyright, trademark, business formation), and protects your interests in deals. An entertainment attorney understands the specific deal structures, industry norms, and legal nuances of the music business in ways that a general business attorney does not.

How they are compensated. Hourly rate ($250-$600/hour is typical), flat fee per project (contract review is often $500-$2,000), or occasionally a percentage of deal value for major negotiations. Some attorneys work on retainer for ongoing relationships.

When to add. Before you sign anything significant. Your first management agreement, label deal, publishing deal, or major sync placement should all be reviewed by an entertainment attorney. You do not need one on retainer early on. You need one you can call when a deal lands on your desk.

Business Manager (Accountant)

What they do. Manages finances: bookkeeping, tax planning, royalty tracking, tour accounting, budgeting, and financial reporting. A music business manager understands the specific revenue streams, deduction categories, and financial structures unique to music careers.

How they are compensated. Commission (typically 5% of gross income), monthly retainer, or hourly/project fees. Commission-based business managers usually require a minimum income threshold.

When to add. When your music income reaches a level where tax planning and financial management become complex enough to justify professional help. For many artists, this is around $50,000-$75,000 in annual gross income, though the threshold varies. Before that point, a good CPA who understands self-employment income and quarterly taxes is sufficient (see Music Business Essentials for Artists for the basics).

Publicist

What they do. Secures press coverage: reviews, interviews, features, podcast appearances, and media placements. They write press releases, build relationships with journalists and editors, pitch stories, and manage your media presence around releases and milestones.

How they are compensated. Monthly retainer: $1,000-$5,000/month for indie publicists, $5,000-$15,000+/month for larger firms. Some work on a per-campaign basis ($2,000-$10,000 per release cycle). Publicists do not work on commission.

When to add. For a specific release campaign where press coverage would meaningfully impact the outcome. Most artists do not need a publicist on retainer year-round. They need one for 2-3 months around a significant release. Wait until you have a release that justifies the investment: a strong single, a debut album, or a moment (like a viral clip or notable sync placement) that gives a publicist a story to pitch.

Distributor

What they do. Delivers your music to streaming platforms (Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon, etc.) and digital stores. Handles encoding, metadata delivery, and royalty collection from platforms. Some distributors offer additional services like playlist pitching, sync licensing, and marketing support.

How they are compensated. Annual fee, per-release fee, or commission (percentage of revenue). Models vary significantly. See Music Distribution Guide for a detailed comparison.

When to add. Before your first release. You cannot put music on streaming platforms without a distributor. This is the first "team member" most artists add, even if it is a self-service platform like DistroKid or TuneCore rather than a human relationship.

Publisher

What they do. Manages your songs (compositions, not recordings). A publisher handles sync licensing for your compositions, collects publishing royalties globally, pitches your songs for placements, and in some cases helps with songwriting opportunities (co-writes, cuts by other artists).

How they are compensated. Percentage of publishing income: typically 15-25% for an admin deal (collection only), or 25-50% for a full publishing deal (collection plus active pitching and sync placement). See Music Publishing: How It Works and When You Need a Publisher for the full breakdown of deal types and when a publisher is worth it.

When to add. When your catalog is large enough and generating enough activity to benefit from global collection and active pitching. If you have a handful of songs with minimal streaming activity, a publisher will not prioritize your catalog. If you have 30+ songs, active streaming, and sync potential, a publisher (or at least a publishing administrator) can capture income you are not currently collecting. For detailed royalty mechanics, see Music Royalties Explained.

Social Media Manager / Content Creator

What they do. Creates, schedules, and manages social media content across platforms. May also handle community management (responding to comments, DMs, and fan engagement). Some specialize in content creation (shooting and editing video), others in strategy and scheduling.

How they are compensated. Monthly retainer: $500-$3,000/month depending on scope and experience. Some work per-post or per-project.

When to add. When content creation is consuming significant time and the quality or consistency of your social presence is suffering. This is often a freelancer or part-time contractor before it becomes a full team role. Important distinction: a social media manager is not a replacement for you showing up authentically. The best arrangement is usually the artist creating the raw content and the social media manager handling editing, scheduling, and optimization.

Tour Manager

What they do. Manages logistics for live performances and tours: travel, lodging, load-in times, soundcheck coordination, settlements (collecting payment from venues), and day-of-show operations. On larger tours, the tour manager also manages the touring crew and handles the budget.

How they are compensated. Weekly salary during tours: $500-$2,500/week depending on tour scale and experience. Some also receive a per diem for expenses.

When to add. When you are touring regularly (multi-date runs, not occasional one-offs) and the logistics are complex enough to require a dedicated person. For most artists, this becomes necessary when you are doing 10+ dates in a run and managing travel, settlements, and day-of logistics while performing is unsustainable.

Team Evolution by Stage

The team you need depends on where you are. Here is how most careers progress.

Stage 1: Solo (Pre-Traction)

You are: Writing, recording, releasing, and promoting your own music. Probably working a day job. Building an audience from zero.

Your team: A distributor (self-service). Possibly a producer or engineer you work with regularly. That is it.

Your priorities: Make music. Release consistently. Build an audience. Learn the business basics yourself so you understand what each team role does before you start paying someone to do it.

Stage 2: Early Traction (Building Momentum)

You are: Getting some streaming activity. Drawing 50-150 people to local shows. Growing an email list and social media presence. Starting to get inquiries from blogs, small venues, or other artists.

Your team: Distributor. An attorney you can call for contract review. Possibly a freelance social media manager or content creator if content is your bottleneck.

Your priorities: Keep releasing. Grow your live draw. Start building relationships with industry contacts in your genre. You do not need a manager yet, but you should be meeting people who could become one.

Stage 3: Active Growth (Opportunities Arriving)

You are: Getting booking requests from outside your home market. Labels, publishers, or sync supervisors are reaching out. Your release campaigns are generating meaningful results. Income is growing but so is complexity.

Your team: Manager. Attorney. Distributor. Possibly a booking agent if live is a significant revenue stream. Campaign-based publicist for key releases.

Your priorities: Sign with a manager who can coordinate the growing business. Start delegating the operational work so you can focus on music and high-value activities. Build systems for tracking income, managing contacts, and planning releases.

Stage 4: Established (Full Infrastructure)

You are: Touring regularly. Multiple revenue streams generating significant income. Label deal or distribution deal in place. Press, sync, and partnership opportunities are consistent.

Your team: Manager. Booking agent. Attorney. Business manager. Publicist (campaign or retainer). Publisher. Social media support. Tour manager for live runs. Possibly additional specialists (radio promoter, branding consultant, merchandise manager) as needed.

Your priorities: Optimize. Every team member should be adding measurable value. Review team performance regularly. Make sure the economics work: your team's total cost (commissions, retainers, fees) should be proportional to the revenue and opportunities they generate.

How the Team Works Together

The most common dysfunction on an artist team is not incompetence. It is poor communication and unclear roles. Every team member should know who is responsible for what and how information flows.

The manager is the hub. All team communication flows through or is coordinated by the manager. The booking agent talks to the manager about tour routing. The publicist coordinates with the manager on press timing. The attorney reports to the manager on deal status. The artist communicates primarily with the manager, who translates strategy into action across the team.

Regular team communication. For active campaigns or tour cycles, a weekly team call or email update keeps everyone aligned. The manager typically runs this. At minimum, every team member should know: what is releasing and when, what the marketing plan is, what live dates are confirmed, and what deals are in progress.

Defined decision authority. Clarify who can make decisions without artist approval and who needs to check in first. A manager might have authority to approve press opportunities under a certain threshold. A booking agent might have a minimum fee below which they do not accept offers. Define these boundaries in advance so decisions do not stall.

Avoid redundancy. If your manager is handling playlist pitching and your publicist is also pitching the same playlists, you are paying twice for the same work. Map out who handles what and eliminate overlap.

Common Mistakes

Hiring too fast. Adding team members before the economics justify it drains your revenue without proportional return. A manager taking 20% of $15,000 is $3,000 that could fund your next release. Every hire should pass a simple test: will this person generate more value than they cost?

Hiring in the wrong order. Getting a publicist before you have music worth covering, or a booking agent before you have local draw, wastes everyone's time. The sequencing matters.

Not having written agreements. Every team relationship needs a written agreement, even informal ones. Verbal deals create disputes when money arrives. See Music Business Essentials for Artists for contract fundamentals.

Letting the team make creative decisions. Your team advises. You decide. The moment you are making music to satisfy your team's strategy instead of your own creative instincts, the dynamic has inverted. Strategy should serve creativity, not the other way around.

Ignoring team conflicts. If your manager and agent are not communicating, or your publicist is working against your manager's timeline, address it immediately. Unresolved team dysfunction compounds and eventually costs you opportunities or relationships.

Not reviewing team performance. At least annually, evaluate every team relationship. Is this person adding value proportional to their cost? Are they communicating effectively? Are they meeting the goals you set together? Loyalty matters, but it does not override performance.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does it cost to have a full team?

Commission-based team members (manager, booking agent, publisher, business manager) collectively take 40-60% of gross income at the highest end. This is why established artists need significant revenue to sustain a full team. At the earlier stages, most of your team works on a project basis (attorney, publicist) or is a self-service platform (distributor), keeping costs manageable.

Can I have two managers?

Some artists have a personal manager (career strategy and day-to-day) and a business manager (finances and accounting). These are different roles. Having two people in the same role (two personal managers) creates confusion and conflict. One manager should be the primary decision-maker and coordinator.

Do I need a team if I am signed to a label?

A label provides some team functions (distribution, marketing, sometimes publicity and radio). But a label represents its own interests, not exclusively yours. A manager, attorney, and business manager work for you specifically. The larger the label deal, the more important it is to have your own team advocating for your interests within that deal.

Should I hire friends?

Only if they are genuinely qualified for the role and you can maintain a professional relationship. Friendship and business relationships have different dynamics, and mixing them without clear expectations and written agreements damages both. If you hire a friend, treat it as a professional engagement from day one: written agreement, defined responsibilities, regular performance conversations.

When should I fire a team member?

When they are consistently not delivering on their responsibilities, when communication has broken down despite attempts to fix it, when the economics no longer justify the relationship, or when trust has been violated. Always consult your attorney before terminating an agreement, and handle every exit professionally.

Read Next:

• When to Hire a Music Manager

• Music Business Essentials for Artists

Coordinate Your Team:

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