Canadian Artist Managers: A Profile

Canadian Music Network
Oct 10, 2002

Toronto’s Solutions Research Group conducted a study based on detailed surveys completed by 117 Canadian artist managers in the spring of 2001. “A Profile of the Artist Management Sector in Canada” was published by the Music Managers Forum Canada in June 2001. Here’s a summary of the findings:

- The “average” Canadian artist manager is a male in the 25 to 54 age group with more than 10 years of experience

- 31 percent of managers are women

- 54 percent are full-time managers and the rest are part-timers

- 53 percent are sole proprietorship, 30 percent operate or participate in an incorporated business and 16 percent are in partnerships

- 42 percent of management companies are one-person shops, 22 percent are comprised of two people (either full- or part-time) and 36 percent are part of companies with three or more employees

- 69 percent of managers were active in the music business in the year prior to becoming a manager

- 51 percent of managers in Canada are based in Ontario, with 16 percent in Quebec, 12 percent in British Columbia, 11 percent in Atlantic Canada and 10 percent in the prairies.

- A full-time manager dedicates nearly six days to artist management during a typical week, looking after an average of 3.6 acts

- A part-time manager dedicated about three day to management, looking after an average of two acts

- 10 percent of managers report personal incomes of $100,000 or more, while 55 percent make less than $25,000 annually from their profession

- Full-time managers make significantly more than part-timers, but even 30 percent of them report annual incomes of 25,000 or less

- 46 percent of males make more than 25,000 per year versus 25 percent of females

- The typical manager derives about half of his or her income from artist management, and only 20 percent of managers make all of their income from the profession

- Full-time managers derive 75 percent of their personal income from artist management versus just 15 percent among part-timers

- A typical manager is responsible for about three acts and has managed eight acts over his or her career

- Female managers, full-timers and those in larger companies manage more acts

- Marketing, image consulting and booking/scheduling are the leading functions of managers, followed by making travel arrangements and dealing with recording agreements and that process

- 74 percent of management business is conducted in Canada, with 18 percent in the U.S. and 8 percent in the rest of the world

- On a typical artist launch, 35 percent of the funds come from the manager’s pocket, 36 percent come from the artist, 13 percent come from record labels, 8 percent come from private investors and 8 percent come from other sources

- Live performances and touring generate 47 percent of revenues, with 17 percent coming from record sales, 12 percent from salaries, 7 percent from publishing, 7 percent from merchandising and 4 percent from record deal advances

- Artist development accounts for 23 percent of all expenses, with 21 percent covering overhead, 19 percent going to travel, 15 percent to pay for professional expenses, 11 percent allocated to staff costs and 7 percent to investing in technology

- 46 percent of management partnerships and corporations reported making a profit in the last year

- FACTOR is the leading source of outside funding for artist development, used by 62 percent of managers in the last five years, while 33 percent had accessed money from Video FACT

- One in three management companies own other music-related companies such as record labels or publishing firms

- SOCAN, FACTOR, CARAS, and MMF are the key organizations for manager membership or participation

- Canadian Music Week and North By Northeast are the leading meeting places for a majority of managers in Canada.

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