Orrin Ezralow: What I've Learned about Music Management

I am doing an independent study project with Orrin Ezralow on artist development, promotion, and management. Through my discussions with Orrin, I've learned a lot about the different avenues a musical artist can take. The role of the manager is to guide a musicians in the right direction, finding the best ways for an artist to make a living off of his or her talent in ways that fit the artists personality.

I am going to outline the different ways a musician can become successful:


Composing/Writing the Music: A songwriter makes 50% of the profits of any further production or performance of the music created. This is the most profitable way to make music. A musician writes a song and sells it and then does not have to perform it necessarily and the song gets passed into different venues of interest, whether it be film or whether it gets used by another performing artist.

Licensing: getting the rights to the music.


Selling CDs/Concert Tickets: Some artists make a huge profit on selling CDs without necessarily going on tour! Selling CDs in the next component of making money off of music.

Performing the Music: Going on tour, getting paid to do gigs, etc.



The thing I've really enjoyed about Orrin is he knows how to maximize the talents of an artist in a lucrative way without exploiting the artist. He finds a way to make money off of the true personality and vibes a specific artist gives, and also really makes sure the artist has the right drive to go into the field he or she chooses. This is so important because it allows the artist to be themselves and to thrive using their talents.


A manager helps bring out the strongest qualities of a musician and highlight those things as the artist continues to develop in other areas. For example, if someone is an incredible folk guitar player but really aspires to do a heavy rock CD, the best bet would be to go into what the artist does best, and work from there, and if heavy rock comes later than thats okay, but if it isn't a strength yet it may not be ready to enter into trying to get a record deal or something like that. Focusing on talents and developing those talents by taking lessons and practicing and having a united image is a great way to have a successful entrance into music making and selling.

A good manager helps guide the musician in a path that matches the artist's life, and also takes care of a lot of the logistics: paperwork, press, promotion companies, booking venues--they really "manage" all of the technical things that most artists would rather not have to deal with. In return they get a percentage of profits on certain things outlined by signed documents and agreements (these exact percentages I am completely not sure about, but this is the general idea from what I've gathered).