So what is management supposed to do exactly??

[Young_Gun]

We have been hearing about how Azoff was supposedly meant to promote Chidem and organize a joint Van Halen/Guns tour etc etc. We also know that most bands management get something like 15-20% off what the band makes, which is quite alot. What exactly do management do for bands to warrant that kind of commission? Could the band's lack of promotion be blamed on management totally or at least partially? I mean aren't management the link between talkshows/magazines/etc and the actual band itself? If a talkshow wants a band on their show, they call up the bands management right? Im just a bit confused as to how much influence a band's management has over the band itself.

[Matt13]

They organize pretty much everything for the band and make sure all of their schedules are clear if they need to tour. They also secure contracts (for concerts, tours, how much they'll make, etc. etc. etc.). They also are the 'in-between' between the band and the record label and work out contract issues there. Once on tour, which management organizes, they take care of all logistics... IE... getting the stage or stages moved around, secure transportation, lodging, public appearances, private appearances, catering, itineraries, etc. etc. etc. etc.

It's quite a bit of work and if I were in a band, it would be well worth the 15-20% they get, which is usually commission based... IE... 15-20% of profits from touring and other public appearances. When it comes to album sales, it depends on the deal that's worked out. Some get a set salary, some get a percentage. It's usually not as high as 15% though.

[axlskAmpf]

They organize pretty much everything for the band and make sure all of their schedules are clear if they need to tour. They also secure contracts (for concerts, tours, how much they'll make, etc. etc. etc.). They also are the 'in-between' between the band and the record label and work out contract issues there. ...public appearances, private appearances

That's what management does, once I moved a couple items, correct.

Once on tour, which management organizes, they take care of all logistics... IE... getting the stage or stages moved around, secure transportation, lodging, ..., catering, itineraries, etc. etc. etc. etc.

Incorrect, that's what the road manager does, let's not confuse the two.

[dalsh327]

They organize pretty much everything for the band and make sure all of their schedules are clear if they need to tour. They also secure contracts (for concerts, tours, how much they'll make, etc. etc. etc.). They also are the 'in-between' between the band and the record label and work out contract issues there. ...public appearances, private appearances

That's what management does, once I moved a couple items, correct.

Once on tour, which management organizes, they take care of all logistics... IE... getting the stage or stages moved around, secure transportation, lodging, ..., catering, itineraries, etc. etc. etc. etc.

Incorrect, that's what the road manager does, let's not confuse the two.

Sometimes they do both - Peter Grant of Led Zep was a case where he was the one where he negotiated the Atlantic contract and went on the road with them, made the venues pony up 90 percent to the band.

And sometimes the band manager's the one who interacts with fans, gives them first crack at tickets and lines up the backstage passes, and sometimes polices the outside of the venue to find scalpers and t-shirt sellers. They know what's on the tour rider, and if one of the requests fell through, they usually take care of it before the band finds out (the Van Halen brown M&Ms was an attention to detail issue under the guise of a diva demand). They said if they fucked up the M&Ms, they prob. fucked up something bigger, like power, stage stability, anything that's out of the road crew's hands. Rock bands soon figure out that it's coming out of their pocket, and scale it down a bit. Some bands do away with the catered food for themselves because they have their own chef to make sure they don't turn into a fatbody. They get real massage therapists that athletes get, I think Axl's had that for years because what he does is pretty athletic and I'm sure when he wakes up he's feeling the ravages of age.

Usually the tour manager's too busy making sure the show is going good to police the outside (they usually go when someone's not on "the list" and the access is from the back), but they're ones in a collared shirt & tie in a sea of t-shirts looking like they're ready to have a heart attack.