Be Your Own Manager

The demand on your time is enormous. Practice, rehearsals, learning new repertoire, business issues and more can easily stress you out. My little secret is to divide my day in active and re-active slots.

Even in a digital world these small pieces of paper with your contact details on there are really helpful. Get them and make sure that they represent what you stand for.

We have more and more communication tools available. Picking the right one at the right moment when in contact with festivals and concert halls is important. Some guidance from Bernhard.

A career in classical music will comprise several activities. You will play a bit solo, you might play in an ensemble, you might teach. Start to think early on about your portfolio to ensure that you are not only prepared but can really thrive in it.

Making music in ensembles

Working with agents requires close cooperation. Define together what you want to achieve and what everyone has to do. Be aware of “rouge agents” who just take money but are not really artist managers. If in doubt check at www.classicalmusicartists.com

Finding creativity for classical musicians can be hard. The pressure on their schedule is immense with practice, rehearsals, business issues and much more to take care of. You need to think about preparing the ground for creativity to happen.

Selling can be hard. As artists we would love just to be called up for a performance. Unfortunately life is different. Therefore I suggest a deal: do a bit of selling every morning and let me know how it goes.

Unfortunately your calendar will not fill up by itself. So you need to go out and sell. But build up a relationship first!

Hopefully you will never need this podcast. Nevertheless accidents and illnesses happen. Therefore it’s important that you think about them beforehand and that you make sure that you have the right insurance and a network of people to support you.

There are musicians who are not on social media at all. Others seem to spend all their time on it. Do you need to be on social media as a classical musician? Some thoughts on channels and strategy.

When starting out as a musician you might take on a job to pay your rent. This is a harsh reality. But be proud of following your dream and sharing your wonderful music even if this is not always easy.

If thinking about a music career don’t focus on your Plan B but fully commit to it. Music requires your full attention and is a lot of work. You cannot do it halfheartedly.

We are honored to receive the Association of British Orchestras’ Award Artist Manager of the Year! An incredible joy and great honor which we couldn’t have done without the many great musicians and people trusting and working with us! Thank you!!!

Even if you have just started out as a musician you are famous to your family and closest friends. You are doing something different than they are. You are performing in front of others. Dealing with this sudden “fame” is not always easy. Here are some thoughts about it.

Cold Calling takes a lot of courage but can be one of the best sales techniques available to you. Forget email. Forget letters. Start cold calling!

In today’s world we strongly rely on non-personal communication - email, texts etc. But calling someone up or visiting someone can do wonders to your sales process. Don’t be afraid to call. Yes, make your research before to find the right person but use phone calls and visits when marketing yourself.

Composers mostly need and want others to reform their works. A few thoughts on how to get your works out there.

Your fans are the backbone of your career. Not only broadcast about your upcoming concerts but start a two way communication with them. Use your media channels to provide them with relevant content.

Recordings are a calling card for young musicians. But doing a recording is even more complex than going to the studio. Some thoughts on what to consider.