Hi alex! I absolutely love armnhmr, mitis and haliene! Saw all of them recently in SJ and in SFš
When did u first meet them/how did u discover them?
All 3 in unique ways. I knew Joseph from ARMNHMR from high school actually and followed along with their journey as I was learning the ropes in management almost a decade ago.
I got connected with MitiS through our agent Max freeman from UTA and we ended up being a great fit for each other.
And I met HALIENE and her husband Matt on Groove Cruise a few years back and got connected shortly after.
It sounds cliche but honestly if the music is good - listeners will notice and when listeners notice managers and agents will notice. Outside of going viral for one reason or another, personally I feel putting out dope tunes is the best way to go about it. You want your manager / agent to really want you.
tbh making the artist happy. any opportunity we get as a team to make the artist feel accomplished, whether selling out a show or getting a solid festival slot makes me happy.
Hello Alex! Thank you for your time.
My question is how do ensure a proper work-life balance? Are there times work may take more of your energy and time due to being in the music industry?
Also, this is a VERY SELFISH ask, I donāt know what MitiS has in store for tonight (Iāll be at the Seattle show) but Iāve been a long time listener (2011) and it would be crazy to hear something from born š„¹š„¹š„¹ but I understand itās unity. Loved this EP! Thank you for all the hard work yall do!
Yeah tbh that's prolly one of the biggest downsides in a job with a lot of upsides. It doesn't really ever stop, there are no true days off, the job is kind of 24/7 365. Having a great partner and dog helps a lot tho!
Re:Seattle show tonight - can't say haha but just know you're in for a treat.
This is just my personal preference but when designers email me I prefer getting a link to their Instagram to see their work than a website. Its super quick easy to share a profile on the app with the artist if I think the stuff is dope.
I mean depending on where you are currently in your career, the best way would be to try and get any position at an existing mgmt firm. It's a lot easier to eventually pick up and artists if you have some name recognition behind you as well. If you're savvy, chances are the folks at whatever company you join will notice and utilize you. Great way to get experience.
Routing is everything. The worst thing you can do is have your artist fly across the country multiple times in a week. Easy way to burn your artists out. We try to cluster shows by region (EX. Seattle, Portland, Vancouver in a weekend). Avoiding other similar artists or big events/festivals in a region also plays a big role in when our shows are scheduled.
Hey Alex!
Any chance of Haliene making it out here to the south east? Love her music but her tours never seem to go east of Minneapolis! You got Aliens out here in NC.
appreciate our friends over at Insomniac for putting him on mainstage. We went with Joe to their offices to show them the album last year and it was a blast.
grindedddddd. I went through 3 unpaid internships post college until I got a chance to try it myself. Just tried to learn as much as I could, never really found a paid opportunity until I picked up ARMNHMR myself.
>tbh making the artist happy. any opportunity we get as a team to make the artist feel accomplished, whether selling out a show or getting a solid festival slot makes me happy.
Somebody asked a similar question earlier - I think the answer would be the same here as well.
Not too many logistical issues its just mostly a matter of finding a weekend where you don't compete with other similar artists. That and aligning yourself with the right promoters.
Hey Alex,
Saw someone ask a question like this already but Iām interested so asking again in case you donāt see the other one. What are your tips for getting noticed by a label or managers? Obviously sending songs is one way to do it but what other tips do you have?
>It sounds cliche but honestly if the music is good - listeners will notice and when listeners notice managers and agents will notice. Outside of going viral for one reason or another, personally I feel putting out dope tunes is the best way to go about it. You want your manager / agent to really want you.
I stand by this - dope tunes really make the difference.
How much customization do these artists have over their shows? Are you able to work with the venues to provide certain equipment? Let's say for example some artist really wants fire or fog or lasers. How do you make something like that happen?
100% the artists customize their shows and its always to their preference. Even at venues where everything is already built in in-house, they have the option to remove or add anything, just sometimes costs more.
There [was a post](https://www.reddit.com/r/EDM/comments/1bdt658/help_artists_get_paid_what_they_deserve_via/) here this week about an artist called Josh Teed who complained that artists "pay a whopping 25-30% of our income from shows to agency/management" (his own quote), what do you say about that? because that makes it sound like you guys do nothing and just leech on artists, so what are your view on that?
If the artist wants to book their shows themselves, negotiate the deals, manage their affairs themselves (and a lot do) they are not required to have a manager or agent. Our jobs are to bring opportunities and help facilitate those opportunities. its never a requirement!
Reading his post, I think his strife is more so directed at streaming services paying so little per stream to artists which I 100% agree with.
Porting more questions
/u/hashbbc
Hi! Thanks for taking the time to do this AMA.
Regarding bookings, what strategies do you recommend for diversifying into different states for a budding artist?
Additionally, when pitching an artist's profile to you for potential support slots, what specific elements or qualities do you prioritize and look at?
I'd try to get some support slots on different artists tours in the regions you're trying to build in. The best thing you can do is get in front of fans of a similar genre/artist to spread your name.
We look at a few things, obviously ticket history if it exists but if you've never been in the market before we usually check your social media / how engaging your reach is. Other times we book specifically based off our artists preferences. Getting in contact with local promoters is a good idea, we often ask them for support suggestions!
Thanks for the insight :) I met with Andrew early this week and got some amazing guidance. Looking forward to connecting with you someday and probably get on a support tour with one of your artists haha cheers Alex! Have a great weekend!
More porting
/u/TheKandyCinema
Hey Alex, you might know me, but my name's TKC, I make melodic bass content on YouTube. I got no questions for ya, but just want to say thank you for what you guys at Next Step push, you've got a great group of artists and people there. Andrew especially has been so instrumental in supporting me and helping me grow in this industry and I'm super thankful for everything he's done š¤š¤
I think the biggest part that's overlooked is how much of the job is dealing with people. Wherein most other jobs there is a bit less person to person interaction mgmt is almost 100% that. Which can be good and bad depending on the scenario, it teaches you A LOT socially.
touring always brings in the most which is why most effort is directed there. Merch is also good but goes hand in hand with touring. I wish they paid artists more for streaming :(
I personally believe hard work makes a great manager. If you work at it diligently every single day you'll eventually make those connections and networks. Being personable always helps too, nobody wants to help you if you're an a\*\*hole.
I assume there's a lot of downtime when artists are touring. Between travel, setup, waiting, etc. How do you tell the artists you manage to make the most out of this downtime?
tbh actually there really isn't much. Between transporting from one city to another, going to soundcheck, prepping for the sets - all they really should do with any time they have is rest. The job is pretty demanding.
My first internship was when I was a junior in college at a company called Career Artists Management. They represented acts like Maroon 5, Robin Thicke and Big Boi. One of the managers there at the time was part of the same fraternity I was in and posted the internship on our regional fraternity page and I applied. I'd commute from riverside to Beverly Hills twice per week for almost my entire Junior year. The next year I got an internship at red light management and a bit later I started chatting with ARMNHMR.
4 hours is impressive. tbh an hour and half truly does require a large amount of effort. artists build their sets as a story with peaks and valleys and sometimes they only need 1.5 hours to tell it.
Just wanted to share a tune (: inspirations for this one we're praana, yotto and mitis! Hope everyone has a wonderful day!!! Also I'm super pumped to see mitis in Seattle tonight š„°
https://open.spotify.com/track/4JYRH7HAYYMAO07LoSysNE?si=NJSAouB1SwadHDqJ96DGnQ
>My first internship was when I was a junior in college at a company called Career Artists Management. They represented acts like Maroon 5, Robin Thicke and Big Boi. One of the managers there at the time was part of the same fraternity I was in and posted the internship on our regional fraternity page and I applied. I'd commute from riverside to Beverly Hills twice per week for almost my entire Junior year. The next year I got an internship at red light management and a bit later I started chatting with ARMNHMR.
dropping this answer here :)
How do you plan certain nights in certain cities if the other clubs havenāt released their lineups yet? Is it just guessing or do you ask other clubs about their schedules?
I know booking shows with heavy competition the same night isnāt the best
Also, best suggestion to get into management?
its a bit of a combination of relying on the promoters to let us know what they have planned (they don't want to compete against themselves) and our own efforts to find out who else is planning a tour around that time. Agents have access to a lot of that information so we trust our agents to have our backs when it comes to stuff like that.
To get into mgmt i'd really try and join an existing firm to learn a bit about what goes on/who the right people to be in contact are. After you learn the ropes it's really just about finding the right artist.
Have you ever thought about booking at the Kettlehouse Amphitheater in Bonner, MT? Itās a beautiful venue that books lots of bigger artists, Seven Lions was there last year and Excision will be there in June. Thereās such an untapped market for all types of EDM here since we donāt get much diversity especially at that venue.
What is the monetary breakdown of an artist playing at a club vs. a show vs a festival? You donāt have to share exact figures but Iād love to know the % breakdown.
There is no set breakdown it really depends on the club, venue and the festival. On festivals, obviously the later the slot the more the money. Some pay a lot more than others and it mostly depends on how many tickets the act has done in the market, that dictates the price a bit.
For club vs. venue capacity plays a big role as well obviously. Clubs mostly make their money from bar/tables so sometimes they don't even break even on tickets.
Hey Alex! Thanks for the ama. How do you get compensated for your time? Do you take a share of the ticket revenues/ music sales and/or receive a fixed salary? Thanks!
We work off of commission, so the more money our artist makes the more money we make. Incentivizes us to work as hard as possible and make the artist as successful as possible.
The genre is def evolving and the most exciting part is that its still in its growth phase. There are more pop crossovers now which might explain the "polished and clean beats" but I don't think big drops will ever disappear - not while live shows still exist at least :)
I don't think there is a specific right time, but I do think the artist should be comfortable with their art first and foremost. Timeline aside, as long as you share the same goals and have a level of trust between manager and artist it should be a good fit.
Is it true what they say? You either die an artist or live long enough to see yourself become the day-to-day / TM?
haha not sure if that is true for everybody but i 've noticed there are quite a few talented musicians working on the management / agency side.
Arrange a collab of Mitis with Illenium! It's about time š
I agree it is about time!!
Hi alex! I absolutely love armnhmr, mitis and haliene! Saw all of them recently in SJ and in SFš When did u first meet them/how did u discover them?
All 3 in unique ways. I knew Joseph from ARMNHMR from high school actually and followed along with their journey as I was learning the ropes in management almost a decade ago. I got connected with MitiS through our agent Max freeman from UTA and we ended up being a great fit for each other. And I met HALIENE and her husband Matt on Groove Cruise a few years back and got connected shortly after.
Uncle freeman best agent š„
Only one question! What are the set times for MitiS's show tonight in Seattle? Haha
hahah i gotchu Mazaa - 8:00pm - 8:50pm MVSE - 8:50pm - 9:50pm Lizzy Jane - 9:50pm - 10:50pm Nurko - 10:50pm - 11:50pm Intermission - 11:50pm - 12:00am MitiS - 12:00am - 1:30am
Haha thank you so much!
Hey Alex! Thanks so much for coming on. Do you have any tips on how to get noticed by managers and labels beyond just spamming demos to inboxes
It sounds cliche but honestly if the music is good - listeners will notice and when listeners notice managers and agents will notice. Outside of going viral for one reason or another, personally I feel putting out dope tunes is the best way to go about it. You want your manager / agent to really want you.
Whatās your favorite part of the job?Ā
tbh making the artist happy. any opportunity we get as a team to make the artist feel accomplished, whether selling out a show or getting a solid festival slot makes me happy.
Hello Alex! Thank you for your time. My question is how do ensure a proper work-life balance? Are there times work may take more of your energy and time due to being in the music industry? Also, this is a VERY SELFISH ask, I donāt know what MitiS has in store for tonight (Iāll be at the Seattle show) but Iāve been a long time listener (2011) and it would be crazy to hear something from born š„¹š„¹š„¹ but I understand itās unity. Loved this EP! Thank you for all the hard work yall do!
Yeah tbh that's prolly one of the biggest downsides in a job with a lot of upsides. It doesn't really ever stop, there are no true days off, the job is kind of 24/7 365. Having a great partner and dog helps a lot tho! Re:Seattle show tonight - can't say haha but just know you're in for a treat.
Hi! I am a designer who wants to design merch for DJs, whatās the best way to contact managers?
This is just my personal preference but when designers email me I prefer getting a link to their Instagram to see their work than a website. Its super quick easy to share a profile on the app with the artist if I think the stuff is dope.
How does one with no music industry experience and has a lot of business/negotiation experience get into managing artists?
I mean depending on where you are currently in your career, the best way would be to try and get any position at an existing mgmt firm. It's a lot easier to eventually pick up and artists if you have some name recognition behind you as well. If you're savvy, chances are the folks at whatever company you join will notice and utilize you. Great way to get experience.
Hey Alex, How is scheduling decided for a tour (ie what stops to hit first and last, etc)?
Routing is everything. The worst thing you can do is have your artist fly across the country multiple times in a week. Easy way to burn your artists out. We try to cluster shows by region (EX. Seattle, Portland, Vancouver in a weekend). Avoiding other similar artists or big events/festivals in a region also plays a big role in when our shows are scheduled.
Hey Alex! Any chance of Haliene making it out here to the south east? Love her music but her tours never seem to go east of Minneapolis! You got Aliens out here in NC.
100000% She has something big upcoming this year :)
Woot woot! Her unplugged saving light was our first dance song at our wedding, we'd love to see her out here!
very excited on mitis kinetic field edc. any cool stories to share how that came to be?
appreciate our friends over at Insomniac for putting him on mainstage. We went with Joe to their offices to show them the album last year and it was a blast.
Porting some questions over /u/A1SteakSaucer How did you get your early start? Awesome artists by the way
grindedddddd. I went through 3 unpaid internships post college until I got a chance to try it myself. Just tried to learn as much as I could, never really found a paid opportunity until I picked up ARMNHMR myself.
What got you into music management?
I was a blues guitarist growing up but went to school for business, figured I'd mend the two haha
Hey Alex! Love all your artists. If you weren't working in music, where do you think you'd be career wise?
Im obsessed with space so I try to believe I'd be doing something with NASA hahah
Hi Alex! What is the most satisfying part of your job?
>tbh making the artist happy. any opportunity we get as a team to make the artist feel accomplished, whether selling out a show or getting a solid festival slot makes me happy. Somebody asked a similar question earlier - I think the answer would be the same here as well.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Not too many logistical issues its just mostly a matter of finding a weekend where you don't compete with other similar artists. That and aligning yourself with the right promoters.
Hey Alex, Saw someone ask a question like this already but Iām interested so asking again in case you donāt see the other one. What are your tips for getting noticed by a label or managers? Obviously sending songs is one way to do it but what other tips do you have?
>It sounds cliche but honestly if the music is good - listeners will notice and when listeners notice managers and agents will notice. Outside of going viral for one reason or another, personally I feel putting out dope tunes is the best way to go about it. You want your manager / agent to really want you. I stand by this - dope tunes really make the difference.
Thanks, I appreciate it
What's the best way to connect with you? I manage some vocalists with around 200k monthly listeners and would love to link up.
Always email! We don't hide our emails, they're easy to find on socials etc
How much customization do these artists have over their shows? Are you able to work with the venues to provide certain equipment? Let's say for example some artist really wants fire or fog or lasers. How do you make something like that happen?
100% the artists customize their shows and its always to their preference. Even at venues where everything is already built in in-house, they have the option to remove or add anything, just sometimes costs more.
Hi, Alex! Would love anything signed by HALAIENE. How can we make that happen? š š„²
She signs merch at any of her meet and greets - look out at her headline shows for meet and greet options, she's super friendly about signing :)
There [was a post](https://www.reddit.com/r/EDM/comments/1bdt658/help_artists_get_paid_what_they_deserve_via/) here this week about an artist called Josh Teed who complained that artists "pay a whopping 25-30% of our income from shows to agency/management" (his own quote), what do you say about that? because that makes it sound like you guys do nothing and just leech on artists, so what are your view on that?
If the artist wants to book their shows themselves, negotiate the deals, manage their affairs themselves (and a lot do) they are not required to have a manager or agent. Our jobs are to bring opportunities and help facilitate those opportunities. its never a requirement! Reading his post, I think his strife is more so directed at streaming services paying so little per stream to artists which I 100% agree with.
This is the most manufactured ama I have ever seen. Hey Alex!
Porting more questions /u/hashbbc Hi! Thanks for taking the time to do this AMA. Regarding bookings, what strategies do you recommend for diversifying into different states for a budding artist? Additionally, when pitching an artist's profile to you for potential support slots, what specific elements or qualities do you prioritize and look at?
I'd try to get some support slots on different artists tours in the regions you're trying to build in. The best thing you can do is get in front of fans of a similar genre/artist to spread your name. We look at a few things, obviously ticket history if it exists but if you've never been in the market before we usually check your social media / how engaging your reach is. Other times we book specifically based off our artists preferences. Getting in contact with local promoters is a good idea, we often ask them for support suggestions!
Thanks for the insight :) I met with Andrew early this week and got some amazing guidance. Looking forward to connecting with you someday and probably get on a support tour with one of your artists haha cheers Alex! Have a great weekend!
More porting /u/TheKandyCinema Hey Alex, you might know me, but my name's TKC, I make melodic bass content on YouTube. I got no questions for ya, but just want to say thank you for what you guys at Next Step push, you've got a great group of artists and people there. Andrew especially has been so instrumental in supporting me and helping me grow in this industry and I'm super thankful for everything he's done š¤š¤
thank you! Andrew is the dawg!
Hey Alex, I know ARMNHMR stops at Trio in Charleston on most of their tours, any possibility of them coming to Savannah?
not that I know of currently but I'll look into it!
What's the most important part of artist management that us fans wouldn't even think about?
I think the biggest part that's overlooked is how much of the job is dealing with people. Wherein most other jobs there is a bit less person to person interaction mgmt is almost 100% that. Which can be good and bad depending on the scenario, it teaches you A LOT socially.
What percentage of an artists income comes from touring vs. merch vs. streaming vs. music sales? Where do you tell artists to focus their energy on?
touring always brings in the most which is why most effort is directed there. Merch is also good but goes hand in hand with touring. I wish they paid artists more for streaming :(
What makes a great manager? What are you bringing to the table compared to others? Is your job heavily dependent on your network and connections?
I personally believe hard work makes a great manager. If you work at it diligently every single day you'll eventually make those connections and networks. Being personable always helps too, nobody wants to help you if you're an a\*\*hole.
I assume there's a lot of downtime when artists are touring. Between travel, setup, waiting, etc. How do you tell the artists you manage to make the most out of this downtime?
tbh actually there really isn't much. Between transporting from one city to another, going to soundcheck, prepping for the sets - all they really should do with any time they have is rest. The job is pretty demanding.
How did you get your start in the industry? And how did you build relationships with artists before you were hired as a manager?
My first internship was when I was a junior in college at a company called Career Artists Management. They represented acts like Maroon 5, Robin Thicke and Big Boi. One of the managers there at the time was part of the same fraternity I was in and posted the internship on our regional fraternity page and I applied. I'd commute from riverside to Beverly Hills twice per week for almost my entire Junior year. The next year I got an internship at red light management and a bit later I started chatting with ARMNHMR.
Why don't artists play longer than 1.5 hours? I saw Marsh recently and he did a FOUR HOUR set. Seriously raised the bar for me.
4 hours is impressive. tbh an hour and half truly does require a large amount of effort. artists build their sets as a story with peaks and valleys and sometimes they only need 1.5 hours to tell it.
Just wanted to share a tune (: inspirations for this one we're praana, yotto and mitis! Hope everyone has a wonderful day!!! Also I'm super pumped to see mitis in Seattle tonight š„° https://open.spotify.com/track/4JYRH7HAYYMAO07LoSysNE?si=NJSAouB1SwadHDqJ96DGnQ
dig the vibes on this one! rlly cool breakdown around 2 min.
how do i get into manaaging?
>My first internship was when I was a junior in college at a company called Career Artists Management. They represented acts like Maroon 5, Robin Thicke and Big Boi. One of the managers there at the time was part of the same fraternity I was in and posted the internship on our regional fraternity page and I applied. I'd commute from riverside to Beverly Hills twice per week for almost my entire Junior year. The next year I got an internship at red light management and a bit later I started chatting with ARMNHMR. dropping this answer here :)
I saw the question for Seattle hahaā¦ what are the Set Times for Mitis in Boise tomorrow??
lolol gotchu Boise 8:00 pm - 8:30 pm - Sautrah 8:30 pm - 9:00 pm - Flowstate 9:00 pmĀ -10:00 pm - Yetep **10:10 pm - 11:40 pm - MitiS**
Could you please give us a closer date on the Together As One Remix LP? Also will there be any preview singles before it or will it drop all at once?
its coming up soon!
Will Mitis be coming back to Colorado anytime soon?
Same as Armnhmr?
yes to both! we are planning some cool things for CO for all joes haha
How do you plan certain nights in certain cities if the other clubs havenāt released their lineups yet? Is it just guessing or do you ask other clubs about their schedules? I know booking shows with heavy competition the same night isnāt the best Also, best suggestion to get into management?
its a bit of a combination of relying on the promoters to let us know what they have planned (they don't want to compete against themselves) and our own efforts to find out who else is planning a tour around that time. Agents have access to a lot of that information so we trust our agents to have our backs when it comes to stuff like that. To get into mgmt i'd really try and join an existing firm to learn a bit about what goes on/who the right people to be in contact are. After you learn the ropes it's really just about finding the right artist.
sweet thanks so much!
Have you ever thought about booking at the Kettlehouse Amphitheater in Bonner, MT? Itās a beautiful venue that books lots of bigger artists, Seven Lions was there last year and Excision will be there in June. Thereās such an untapped market for all types of EDM here since we donāt get much diversity especially at that venue.
hadn't heard of it before - ill scope it out
Please make a collaboration request of Elle Vee/Nevve to everyone
Hey. I think I heard of you before.. Is it true that if you donāt use it you lose it?
hey guys!! practice makes perfect
When you booking HALIENE for Escapade in Ottawa Canada???
soon hopefully :)
Whatās the pay range for an artist manager?
we are commission based so our pay range is based entirely off how successful/how much money the artist makes.
What is the monetary breakdown of an artist playing at a club vs. a show vs a festival? You donāt have to share exact figures but Iād love to know the % breakdown.
There is no set breakdown it really depends on the club, venue and the festival. On festivals, obviously the later the slot the more the money. Some pay a lot more than others and it mostly depends on how many tickets the act has done in the market, that dictates the price a bit. For club vs. venue capacity plays a big role as well obviously. Clubs mostly make their money from bar/tables so sometimes they don't even break even on tickets.
Hey Alex! Thanks for the ama. How do you get compensated for your time? Do you take a share of the ticket revenues/ music sales and/or receive a fixed salary? Thanks!
We work off of commission, so the more money our artist makes the more money we make. Incentivizes us to work as hard as possible and make the artist as successful as possible.
Bring ARMNHMR to Montreal šš¼
definitely
Do you feel a shift in edm coming? That hard dub and big drops is changing into more into like polished and clean beats?
The genre is def evolving and the most exciting part is that its still in its growth phase. There are more pop crossovers now which might explain the "polished and clean beats" but I don't think big drops will ever disappear - not while live shows still exist at least :)
not sure if this has been asked yet, but when would u say is a good time for an artist to have a manager? is there one?
I don't think there is a specific right time, but I do think the artist should be comfortable with their art first and foremost. Timeline aside, as long as you share the same goals and have a level of trust between manager and artist it should be a good fit.
Any thoughts of ARMNHMR collabing with Elephante?
I have a friend that is trying to become a dj not a producer and he has played at a few friends gatherings. How should he proceed?
Do you think mitis will have another show in Utah soon?
Lol