From Sideman to Center Stage: Michael Manson on Marketing Your Music (Episode 14)

Make Music Your Business.

Nomad introduces Michael Manson as the best bass player on planet Earth, and he's only half joking. Michael played with George Duke for the last 17 years of George's life, and he has played with Jeff Lorber, Larry Carlton, David Sanborn and Kirk Whalum, where he and Nomad shared a stage for eight years.

In Episode 14 of The Career Musician, the topic is moving from sideman to center stage, and what it takes to run a solo artist career like a record label. If you have wondered how to market your music as an independent artist, this one is the bottom line.

Radio is one tool, not the whole toolbox

Nomad and Michael started with history. Back in the day, the suits and radio people weren't digging hard fusion, and artists needed radio for mechanical and performance royalties. That is part of how the smooth jazz format, or what they both prefer to call contemporary jazz, came to be.

Now bands like Snarky Puppy have bypassed the middleman, building their audience on YouTube and Instagram. Michael's take: radio is now just one marketing tool of many. It's not the be-all, end-all anymore.

Pay for the buzz, play the long game

For a new single, Michael hires a social media person for a three-month campaign, then takes it over himself and keeps it going. Did he see a return? Yes, but he doesn't measure it only in dollars.

"Your imaging will pay off. If not now, it will pay off later."

Michael Manson, 4:41

He said most of his money as a solo artist has gone into PR and advertising. The goal is for people to connect the bass player they saw with George Duke to the artist with his own record. Once they connect, you've won, because now you have a place on their shelf. These days that shelf is a playlist on Spotify or a satellite station, but the idea is the same.

Relationships open the door

Nomad put it plainly: the older you get, the more you learn that everything is relationships. Michael agreed. His relationships with the people in suits got him in the door, and the artist-to-audience relationship grew over time.

His spins on satellite radio's Watercolors channel, which he calls one of the last bastions of good music, came the same way. The station already knew him from his work with Kirk. Then a radio promotion guy he met through his first record deal cultivated the relationship and later went freelance. That is Work begets work. The gig you play as a sideman today builds the audience for your own record tomorrow.

Build a team that tells you the truth

The radio promo guy works hard for Michael because he cares about the music. And if a single doesn't feel right to him, he says so. Nomad pointed out that he is acting like the A&R a label would provide. A label wouldn't let you record one song and push it. You record ten and hope you get three or four great ones.

"It is important to find people who are on your team who really, really care about you, about the music."

Michael Manson, 8:50

Nomad's advice: when someone you trust gives you constructive criticism, don't get offended. Take it, and make the corrections that make it more commercially viable. That is Objectivity, straight out of ETHOS. You want program directors, playlist curators and bloggers to keep coming back for your sound.

"Let us not forget that we must learn to run our show like a business."

Nomad, 10:21

That means writing, producing and recording, plus radio campaigns, social campaigns and a team you trust. It takes time to build what a record label used to give you, but artists are doing it every day.

The agent: the last piece of the puzzle

A booking agent has to really believe in you and have a vested interest, because they are looking for a return too. An agent who treats you like just another gig won't work hard for you. Michael's agents bend over backwards for him. And sometimes he'll take a lower guarantee for exposure in a new venue or market. They call that investing in the market.

No perfect schedule

Asked how he splits his day between family, business and music, Michael was honest. It changes every day. A quiet Monday might mean four or five hours on his instrument. By Wednesday the calls and emails take over. Sunday is family time. Inspiration can hit at 2 a.m., and jet lag after a month-long Asia tour with Jeff Lorber had him still waking up at 2 or 3.

Nomad's road trick: as soon as he lands and drops his bags, he works out, 30 minutes to an hour of cardio, then settles into a sleep pattern so he's not falling asleep on stage. Take care of the body that plays the gig.

The takeaway

Moving from sideman to artist is a business decision as much as a musical one. Invest in your image for the long term, build relationships, find people who care and tell you the truth, and treat your career like your own label. If you are still building the sideman side of your career, start with the free Get the Gig guide. You can find Michael's music at mikemanson.com.

Get the gig. Keep the gig. Build the career.

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