humblebees-stuff

[humblebees-stuff]

Artist Management Class

This month’s Product and Artist Management course has been an enlightening journey, especially for someone like me who is both a student and an active professional in the music industry. Going into this course, my primary goal was to understand what it truly means to manage an artist, not just from the creative side, but from the business, strategic, and operational aspects as well. What I found exceeded those expectations.

One of the most impactful lessons for me was the realities of the artist-manager relationship. It’s one thing to hear about management in a theoretical sense, but it’s another to see how complex, nuanced, and multifaceted that relationship truly is. This course gave real-world scenarios that showed me how deeply a manager must understand both the personal and business needs of an artist. It’s not just about scheduling gigs and boosting exposure, it’s about long-term career development, brand alignment, creative direction, and conflict resolution. These insights aligned with Paul Allen’s concepts around career planning, team coordination, and business functions in Artist Management for the Music Business.

Equally transformative was our dive into market research, niche development, and audience analysis. As someone who creates music and also teaches others how to navigate the industry, understanding the importance of knowing your audience, their culture, demographics, and behavior stood out. Professor Jenkins’ lecture on “Finding Your Audience” was rich with commentary that helped solidify my approach to identifying niche markets, leveraging technology, and tailoring marketing messages effectively. I found myself applying what I was learning directly to my own ventures in the sacred steel music space and digital mentoring initiatives.

Steven Haines' framework in The Product Manager’s Survival Guide also challenged me to think critically about market direction and product fit. The PRESTO model, political, regulatory, economic, social, technological, and other environmental factors gave me a comprehensive way to evaluate not just trends, but the broader context that affects product and artist growth. It’s a tool I’ll carry with me into every business and creative decision moving forward.

The experiential angle, especially the live event planning, brand positioning, and final pitch assignments, brought everything full circle. It wasn’t just theory; it was application. And the bonus was the commentary from Professor Jenkins during each Zoom archive and discussion thread. His first-hand insights, grounded in personal experience, reminded me that the academic foundation is only the start, success comes from consistent learning, relationships, and adaptability.

Ultimately, PAM didn’t just teach me about managing others—it helped me refine how I manage myself, my brand, and my vision. This is a course I will continue to revisit in practice, even after graduation.

References

Haines, S. (2019). The Product Manager’s Survival Guide (2nd ed.). McGraw-Hill Education.

Danté Harmon

Product & Artist Management