Lost Ones

You may have seen my post from Twitter this past week, where I detailed a recent story of a manager who decided to stop working with me, before fully giving me a shot to prove myself. 

I was initially disappointed about the split, but wasn't surprised. And as I stated in my post: "I can’t even feel wronged, because the manager didn’t have me spin my wheels to help build his artist, only to leave me high and dry. He just didn’t understand my value or know how to activate me. But I still think he’s capable and is good for his artist."

This is an important distinction, because often when we (as managers or agents) decide to work with an up and coming artist, we take on the risk of doing a ton of work for little to no compensation. Then, as soon as we help the artist grow their career to the level where others begin to show interest, they leave for "greener pastures". And we become so close to the artist, that we often consider them friends, making the betrayal hit that much harder. But this situation was much different, as he was very careful to not ask much of me; and I have gotten even more clarity since posting, assuring our relationship is in tact.

If you can gain anything from my experience-- It's to NEVER burn bridges. Our egos try to convince us to blow everything up, but you'll never regret keeping your cool in these moments. 

So, while I'm getting vulnerable and honest about my failures, I wanted to share a couple situations in which I overdelivered for artists, both of whom jumped ship in favor of larger agencies. And again, these stories are never meant to blast anyone. I only share real life stories, so the lessons can hopefully help you on your path.

Build it and They Will Come

The first artist, who was referred to me by a friend, had already sold out a 700 capacity venue in his hometown, but had yet to play outside his city. I knew there was some demand for him in other markets, but we had to test it before taking him too wide. In our first year working together, I booked some short weekend runs in the markets where his streaming numbers were the strongest (this is a strategy I highly recommend for artists testing the touring waters).

We started in LA and San Francisco. Then we did Dallas and Houston; and then Denver and Salt Lake City. After over 20 shows around the country, it was time to set up a full US tour. I busted my ass, working for over three months to set up a 25 city tour, and felt like everything was right on track. Then I received a strange call...

One of the promoters informed me that another agency had reached out to them to get ticket counts. Huh? This was my tour that I worked hard to book. Why would anyone else need to know how many tickets were sold?

After calling the artist, he informed me that he was contacted by that agency with an offer to play a festival in his hometown, and with promises of more to come. So he decided to sign with them, but was nervous about breaking the news to me.

I felt mislead and insulted at the time, as I was working hard to build his touring career at an impressive pace, and he allowed one lousy festival offer to derail our plans. Fast forward to today, and that agency has done nothing more than replicate my exact routing from the first tour.

Months later, I spoke with the head of festivals from that particular agency, and he informed me that their agents made those offers all of the time, and that it became his job to somehow deliver on the overpromises of others. Keep that in mind if an agent ever tries to promise you festivals. There's a ton of competition and festival talent buyers are looking for artists that have a solid draw and fit their overall brand. There are no guarantees that anyone can book you aside from the festival staff themselves.

Overdelivering

In the next scenario, I was recommended by a manager colleague to an artist from a different country, who had toured in semi-janky dive venues throughout the western half of the US a year earlier. The artist's manager reached out and asked if I could book a legit 15 city US tour.

I quickly learned the demand was substantial, and we soon confirmed a 45 city US tour in which the offers went up 2-3x from the year prior. Then, we followed up with a 12 city European tour. 

It's important to set realistic expectations when speaking with an artist or manager, and my goal is always to underpromise and overdeliver, but this was a massive overachievement by any standards. I truly thought we were building something we could grow long-term, year after year.

But again, they were wooed by a larger agency with offices based in his home country. At least in this situation, it was an agent they had a previous relationship with; and more importantly, they didn't cut ties with me before the tour even began.

But in all three of these situations, there was one important parallel-- I didn't get caught up in emotions, and I didn't destroy a single relationship. Ultimately, it doesn't matter how I feel. People have to do what they think is best for them. I would never try to hold anyone hostage, and I don't see how anyone could do that with a clear conscience.

I've learned a key lesson over the years to never put all of my energy into one person. I keep my figurative eggs in many baskets, so if a client decides to go a different direction, I still have plenty of other work coming in. The challenge is to figure out a way to make everyone you work with feel prioritized. And if you don't have the time to prioritize a member of your team or a client, then you don't have the bandwidth add more people to your circle. You just have to be honest with yourself and everyone around you.

Thread Crumb Thursdays

I truly appreciate all of you who have already subscribed, and my aim is to keep feeding you many of the lessons I’ve learned and continue to learn throughout my time in the entertainment industry. 

If you’ve found any of my writings helpful, please recommend this newsletter to friends who would find value here. Let’s build an honest, open community, and we’ll all continue to grow together. There’s plenty of room at the top. 

And as always, hit me up @gen_erik on Twitter, and let me know if there’s a subject you’d like to see me address in a future newsletter. One love.