A professional manager in the music business today must have a knowledge about a range of different areas. Many years ago, a manager was expected to oversee a very clearly defined aspect of an artist's career which largely centered around organising 'live' performances and making sure everyone who was owed money got what was agreed.

Nowadays, in addition to having to be knowledgeable about the music industry, a manager must be capable of overseeing promotion, public relations, marketing, financial management and be an expert on tax issues. In summary, a professional manager must know the 'ins and outs' of running a business.

That is not to say the success of an artist depends entirely upon how effective their manager is. It is equally as important the artist gets involved with selling the product, whether that be a new album or tour. The manager cannot be expected to do the promotional work, such as appearing on television, radio. Only the artist or band can do that.

One trap some managers fall into is getting too involved with issues that shouldn't be their responsibility. Because much of what a manager does is behind the scenes, certainly from the artist's point of view, it is easy for managers to be coerced into sorting out car repairs, school fees, leaky roofs or bank overdrafts. It is essential both the manager and the band agree from outset what the manager is and is not responsible for overseeing.

It is the manager who represents the artist at all times, therefore he or she is in the front line as far as all music industry dealings are concerned. This means the manager is responsible for liasing with large and small organisations who can play a part in the success of the artist. It is untrue to think a major artist, touring the world and selling out stadiums, can expect full cooperation from major companies in the music industry. Sometimes, the large companies are keener to invest their time and efforts in smaller acts and it is the manager's job to convince these companies to invest necessary amounts of time and money in order to increase artist's chances of success.

It is important a manager is involved with an artist's career from as early as possible. They must make it possible for the artist to get on with what they do best - making music - rather than worrying about business-related issues.

The first task a manager should sort for the artist is an experienced accountant, preferably one with experience in the music business. If the artist plans to make any money from being a performer, then a whole host of tax issues need to be addressed and sorted. If the artist plans to tour the world, they will need a valid passport and possibly travel visas.

The next task is to get the artist a recording contract. It is important this is done before the artist has a music publishing deal. Because the artist is paid royalties by the music publisher, it is important a recording contract is in place in order for the music publisher to be reassured they will make back the money they have invested. In other words, if the artist releases an album that sells millions of copies, the music publisher knows they will be able to pay the artist what they are owed and recoup the money spent to make the album available in the first place.

The manager must have total faith in the artist and both must agree upon how the artist is going to be successful. If the manager believes the artist should be creating rock music and the artist wants to be rapper, there are going to be problems.

The manager has to give the artist space and time to develop. We all know the phrase 'one hit wonder.' Many artists achieve success with their first album and the biggest challenge any artist experiences in their career is the second album. This is often due to the fact that the first album contained songs which took years to write. Once a debut album has been successful, you can be sure the record company is going to want see it done again but will not wait years for the artist to find inspiration to compose another album of songs. A record company might even want the second album underway within months of the first one being released. The manager has to be ready for this and ensure strict schedules are in place to allow the artist to create new material. It's also important the manager doesn't allow the artist to become complacent. The artist might feel they have 'made it' and become distracted or lazy. If the artist and manager agreed from outset that success was a long-term plan, then the artist might have to be brought back down to earth and encouraged to keep momentum going.

Then there is the amount of time and effort required to sort out 'live' performances. Even arranging for the artist to mime on a children's program requires time and effort. For a major tour, there is much to organise such as equipment, crew, and various types of transport. The manager must also ensure he is not booking the artist into an unsuitable venue. It would be both pointless and costly to book a gangster rap artist into a folk music venue.

As you become successful managing a particular artist, you are likely to be approached by other artists wanting your expertise. For most managers, time is the main issue when considering working with more than one artist. Whilst it is common for a manager and an artist to have little communication for months at a time, particularly when the manager is sorting out countless issues and the artist is meant to be creating new material, things can get busy very quickly again. Therefore, a manager must be very careful when considering taking on another act.

The way in which artists are managed in the UK and Europe differs greatly from how they are managed in the USA. On this side of the Atlantic, it is common for one manager to be involved with only one or two artists. In the USA, one manager might be responsible for several artists. Artist management is a very personal service. If you are keen to be involved with several artists, be prepared for some very long days and nights!

It is important to make the point that, despite stories you might have read or heard, rarely does someone choose to manage an artist with a view to conning them out of millions of pounds. If you look at some of the most successful managers, chances are they have known the artist for a long time. In fact, they probably got involved with managing them when the artist was first starting out. The relationship between a manager and the artist must be a team effort. To ensure each does what each does best, a manager should have nothing whatsoever to do with the artist's money. This should be overseen by an accountant and should not be the manager's responsibility. A wise and shrewd manager will put in place from the beginning a structure that makes it impossible for him or her to be accused of shady behaviour.

The industry standard as far as a manager's commission is anything between 15 and 25 percent of the artist's gross income. Again, the manager's commission is something that should be agreed from outset and it should also be understood that it will vary from time to time, depending upon what the manager does. Television and radio are very time consuming areas to sort out. Although they can do wonders in a promotional sense, they rarely bring much financial return. Therefore, it is common for a manager to charge in the region of 20 per cent for such work. Commission on record sales is usually between 15 and 20 per cent, with the same being paid for arranging 'live' performances.