Agent or Manager?

Once upon a time there was a clear distinction between the job description of both agent and manager but that is quickly becoming a thing of the past. An aspiring talent's first step used to be to get an agent who finds them work in the industry in exchange for a 10 percent commission. Once the talent becomes a budding star then the talent hires a manager to assist in guiding their career for a commission that can go as high as 15 percent. But today, the role of the agent is slowing disappearing and the manager is now meeting those responsibilities. A large percentage of newly minted managers working in the entertainment industry today used to be talent agents.

In California there are laws that govern the difference between the two. Basically anyone can call himself or herself a manager; and a managers job is to make sure everything that is in place happens like it should. They take care of the artist’s best interest. In order to be an agent you have to be licensed by the state of California. According to California law the definition of a talent agent is “a person or corporation who engages in the occupation of procuring, offering, promising, or attempting to procure employment or engagements for an artist.”     

It is really important for the talent to choose wisely because it could be what gets and keeps them on top in the industry. For the most part as the talent begins their career it is not necessary to have either agent or manager. They should build their career on their own first. After the talent’s career is in a place where jobs are being offered instead of auditioned for, they might consider getting a manager.

Luckily, the trend of the managers having both the skills and the responsibilities of an agent along with the ability to negotiate, the talent should be in good hands. It is also good for the talent to understand that once they reach a certain level of establishment in the industry managers will find them, they will not need to look far.

References:

Kamal Moo http://www.johnson-moo.com/entertainment-manager-vs-agent/

Sad Day for Hip-Hop

The Hip-Hop music industry has truly lost an incredible asset in business with the sudden death of artist manager and business executive Chris Lighty. 

Mr. Lighty was the founder of record label and management company Violator where he launched careers in the music industry. His client list read like a Grammy Award roster with names like Missy Elliott, P Diddy, LL Cool J, Fifty, JaRule, and Mariah Carey.

He was instrumental in negotiating deals for his artist that took their career to the next level.  One of the most memorable deals is the one that united a partnership between his artist Fifty-Cent and Vitamin Water. Fifty bought 10% of the company, which was a product of Glace’au. Once Coca-Cola purchased Glace’au for the tune of $4 billion, Fifty became a millionaire. Chris also inked deals for other artist like LL Cool J with The Gap and Busta Rhymes with Mountain Dew. 

I do not find it necessary to add to the reported speculation about the reason which lead Chris to take his own life. Because sadly we will never know what really catapulted him over the edge to end it on Thursday, August 30, 2012.

According to (Chinese and Hutchinson) his wife Veronica is quoted saying, “He was a genius” (New York Daily News, 2012). 

I agree with Veronica, Chris Lighty was not only a genius in the art of business negotiations but he was a compassionate and wonderful human being. He was someone I admired in the music industry because he was raised by a single parent, graduated from the New York school of “ the streets of the city” and became a self made multi-millionaire with integrity in an industry where that quality is hard to find. I only wish I had the opportunity to meet him. He was one of the people I had hoped to learn from as a newly minted artist manager myself in the entertainment business.

I would like to extend my condolences to his family, friends, Hip-Hop community and music industry. Chris Lighty will truly be missed. May he now rest in peace and may God have mercy on his soul.  

 

References:

Retrieved from http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/music-arts/chris-lighty-wife-strife-day-hip-hop-big-suicide-article-1.1151164

Retrieved from http://global.christianpost.com/news/chris-lightys-death-shakes-hip-hop-world-celebrities-in-mourning-80874/

Retrieved from Google images http://www.google.com/search?q=chris+lighty+50+cent&hl=en&client=safari&rls=en&prmd=imvnsuo&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=WYFGULOZMILa8ATHi4DADw&ved=0CAgQ_AUoAQ&biw=1223&bih=646