my daughter has the choice between don buchwald and shirley grant as well as a few smaller agencies please let us know who we should choose she mainly wants to get into singing (recording not broadway)

This thread should be helpful.
http://bbs.backstage.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/9611031/m/850105921

The music biz is different from "show" biz.

You need to have honest conversations with both before you choose. Let them know your goals and expectations and ask them how they will help you meet them. They should present you with a plan that you both agree on.

DBA (Don Buchwald) is an agency, Shirley Grant is a manager. There's some recent discussions on the advantages of one or both or etc. Just search under the find button

mom3, none of the showbiz managers and/or agents are appropriate for kids pursuing careers as recording artists. In fact, most of the showbiz reps view it as a conflict of interest. Please PM me if you would like some advice on how to proceed and what options you might have. I suggest you read Donald Passman's book "All you need to know about the Music Business." This book will teach you the nuts and bolts of the recording industry, how the industry is structured, how to assemble a team, who the players are, etc. GL.

I just noticed this post...I to have a dd that is interested in pursuing a singing career. We have been sending out headshots and resumes to managers/agents but have had no luck. After seeing this post maybe I've been sending them out to the wrong group of people. Are there a different group of mgrs for kids pursuing a singing career? She's not against the acting either its just that she would prefer straight singing or musical theatre. She does take vocal lessons and also does community theatre. Any advise would be appreciated.

Musical theater falls under the umbrella of acting. MT kids are repped by the usual suspects (agents and managers who rep actors). If your DD wants to pursue a career ONLY as a recording artist (not MT), performing rock, pop, R&B, country etc, then the showbiz managers and agents are not going to be interested nor able to help, Most do not have knowledge, experience or connections in the recording industry.

Thank you. That does help but then where do I start? I just bought the book by d. passman so I will spend some time this weekend reading but does it go into detail as to how to find and where to find the representation? You know like the ross reports gives you a list of agents/mgrs. Is there another publication for the music industry I should be focusing on? Thanks again for your help. I see from other posts on this site that you are very knowledgeable and helpful to others who are just trying to find their way.

quote:

Originally posted by shiningstar:
Thank you. That does help but then where do I start? I just bought the book by d. passman so I will spend some time this weekend reading but does it go into detail as to how to find and where to find the representation? You know like the ross reports gives you a list of agents/mgrs. Is there another publication for the music industry I should be focusing on? Thanks again for your help. I see from other posts on this site that you are very knowledgeable and helpful to others who are just trying to find their way.

Passman's book is a great place to start. Unless your young artist is a writer, performer, solo act, you will need to find someone to create the package, so you do not really need representation, you need to find someone to develop and package their talent. The music industry is so huge, convoluted an swimming with sharks. It's very easy to find someone to manage and produce an artist, but most of the ones who are easy to find are sleazes who are out to lock in talent and steal their money. Check out "the indie bible" for starters. You will have to do a lot of research before you will find reputable people to work with your young artist. Unfortunately there is no recipe or specific trajectory. The best advice I have is to proceed with extreme caution, check out the references of everybody with whom you come into contact. If you hire a great atty, they will know the players and would be able to tell you if someone is reputable and would be able to review contracts to determine if they are legit and fair. Sorry I can't point you in one direction and say, "here's the list of people." As far as I can tell, it's just not out there.

Gotta run...my twins are running amok!!!!

I wanted to add a little more info in general and the realities of trying to break into the music industry. It definitely takes more than just being a good singer and recording a CD. I found several YouTube videos on the music business that you can watch. One of the videos is by Donald Passman, the writer of the excellent book kipmil suggested. The harsh reality is... It's definitely not a money maker unless you can network, network, network and gain exposure, exposure, exposure with public performances and/or going on tour, keeping the artist and their music in the public eye. So, bottom line is you can make CDs to your hearts content, but if the music artist is not out there marketing themselves on a continuous basis, there is almost no money to be made by the artist. People like Hilary Duff, Mylie Cyrus, Raven, etc., had music success because they had TV shows first, so they already had created a large fan base, in addition to having "Disney" behind them. Even then, they still have to tour and promote themselves. The other artists who have succeeded without TV first, did nothing else but write and sing everywhere they could to constantly build their fan base and stay in the public eye to gain more and continuous exposure to promote their music. Also, the music writers actually make more in royalties than the artists that only sing the writer's songs. So, it's always in the best interest financially for singers to write or co-write their own music. Just giving you a heads up on the beginning basics and reality of the music industry.

I don't mean to burst any bubbles, but it's a tough world out there. To do anything in the entertainment industry, whether it's acting or singing, it requires constant marketing, PR and building a fan base who are going to be the potential buyers. If that isn't an issue and the artist has the time to make it happen, then that's awesome! Even with an agent, manager, attorney and publicist, the artist has to be available to market themselves.

Ditto everything mominbiz said! Marketing, marketing marketing...a CD doesn't sell itself, and you can't make money on a CD alone. The money is made in touring and merchandising - all part of the marketing. If you thought showbiz was tough, well, the music biz is a thousand times tougher.