Is music management and merchandising a good major?

Music Management & Merchandising Careers

• Answer:

  Though careers in music management and merchandising can be lucrative, they are demanding professions that require a lot of work and dedication. Music artists need a great deal of support in managing their careers while they are at home and on the road. If you're willing to put in the effort and have the perseverance to gain the experience required, music management and merchandising can be a lot of fun. Personal Manager The personal manager plays one of the most important roles in a professional music artist's career. A personal manager is the liaison between the artist and everyone else, including record labels, accountants, publicists, lawyers, promoters, booking agents, and fans. His primary responsibility is to provide professional career advice to the artist, according to personal manager Vince Pilleggi of Music, Inc. He will also mediate disagreements among band members and seek out record contracts. There is no degree or certificate required to be a personal manager; however, music business experience and industry contacts are absolutely necessary to do the job well. Tour Manager A tour manager oversees responsibilities associated with touring. She will hire tour crew, write the tour contract and work directly with venues. When equipment and instruments are shipped overseas, she is also in charge of customs forms and ensuring the equipment is safely secured for international transit. There are no degrees or certificates required for tour management, but it is advisable to have prior tour experience. Tour Merchandise Concerts provide an excellent opportunity to sell artist merchandise, and the tour merchandising manager oversees anything associated with tour merchandise. This includes designing the products, selling merchandise at concerts and shipping merchandise overseas for international tours. Tour merchandising managers should not only have previous tour experience, but should understand art and design and have marketing and sales skills. It is also beneficial to have a likeable personality, due to close contact with the artist's fans. Although no degree is required, it is helpful to have a degree in marketing or design.