Distinguished Business Management from Earwig Music

A Music Business Management Company for Chicago & Beyond

How many musicians do you know that are good at managing their money and finances?  Just watch an episode of Behind the Music and you’ll hear about this musical artist or that one dipping their toe in a little success and then blowing what they’ve earned almost overnight on lavish houses, cars and parties.  Or how about the ones who forget to pay taxes and then have the IRS on their backs?  The experienced music business managers at Earwig Music have seen it happen to many a blues, jazz or traditional folk artist because they simply didn’t want to listen and thought they were all of a sudden the Warren Buffets of the independent music scene.   Don’t let that happen to you or your band when a good music business manager can help you carefully manage your income and investments.  At Earwig Music, we’ve got one of the best in our founder Michael Frank, a man with a passion for music and over 40 years of business management success in the oftentimes brutal independent music scene.  Michael and the rest of our music business managers want you to taste success but also savor that delicious flavor for many years to come.  If you’ve got the talent we’ll handle the rest, from booking gigs, contract negotiations, paying taxes, tour budgets, investment strategies and more.

What does a Music Business Manager do?

Good music business managers wear many hats for the artists they represent, as they help them record, create and perform their music.   With 40 years of experience under our belts at Earwig Music, we know the jazz, blues and traditional folk music industry around the clubs of Chicago and beyond well, along with music composition and history.  People call our business managers many things; like talent agents, artist managers, music business consultants and more.  We don’t care what they call us really, as long as they understand what our music business management team can do to energize their careers.  And many musicians have trusted us over the past four decades to effectively manage their scheduling, marketing and financial affairs.  Here are some of the ways Earwig Music’s business managers can assist you with that you can focus your energy on making awesome music instead:

• Writing contracts- A good music business manager represents their clients well while preparing contracts that are a win-win for both the independent artist and the music management company as well.  How to communicate and negotiate effectively is also an important characteristic for a business manager who’s got your back.
• Handling financial affairs- Musicians oftentimes trust their music business manager to oversee their financial dealings.  Those duties can include anything from paying taxes on time, to budgeting their expenses or even developing an investment portfolio.  Details for stipends and salary payments are usually also handled by the music business manager.
• Managing concerts and recording sessions- The last important responsibility of a music business manager has to do with the music itself, and that’s what it’s all about.  They spend a great deal of time scheduling recording sessions or booking gigs for their clients.  Business managers may have national or even worldwide contacts, like we do at Earwig Music, which means possibly getting sponsorships to offset touring or general concert costs.  Travel and lodging needs also must be determined, and that’s where a good music manager comes in.  On the recording side, business managers represent their artists by scheduling recording sessions, and then assist with the promoting, distribution and marketing of that client’s products.

At Earwig Music, we’ve been empowering the careers of jazz, blues and traditional folk musicians since 1978 as a music business management company based in Chicago.  But we’ve also been helping artists within the independent music scene more effectively manage their finances and investments on a global scale since our inception.  If you are an independent musical talent seeking to build a financial future you can believe in, contact us today and one of our music business managers will be glad to get together to speak with you about your goals.