1. Artist Manager: This person becomes the “overseer” of an artist’s career. They are under contract to manage the “big picture” issues, like contracts, endorsements, national tours, and television appearances. They should help the artist fine-tune their market image, their musical style, and help them build relationships and alliances with other creative people. A good manager will make important strategic decisions that will dramatically impact an artist’s career and income. Managers are usually compensated contractually by earning a percentage of the artist’s total gross earnings (15 percent to 20 percent is common). Artist management is becoming more and more specialized. For example, some artists contract with one manager to handle their touring and another to handle their recording contract.

2. Booking Agent: This person or company takes over the task of negotiating the details of an artist’s live appearances. Many artists believe a booking agent will spend hours on the phone soliciting concerts for them. In most instances, this isn’t the case. A booking agent handles incoming calls for an act and then becomes the primary contact for the dates that are booked. Most booking agents are paid 10 percent to 20 percent of fees, honorariums, or offerings earned on the dates they book.

3. Publicist: This professional is often hired for specific projects by an artist or their manager but is often put on retainer to do ongoing publicity work. His/her job is to try to get as much “free ink” for their client as possible. If you read a story about MercyMe or Rebecca St. James in a local newspaper, you can be sure that story is the result of the hard work of their publicist. Publicists will do general public relations work, but often spend most of their time generating publicity around an artist’s major national tours. The publicity is meant to support the paid advertising and promotion that goes along with most tours. In most cases, a public relations firm is paid a set fee for their work, often on a monthly basis.