MANAGEMENT IN REGGAE

By Nadine White
17th October 2015

Managers are responsible for overseeing business transactions surrounding the artist and helping to ensure that they come to fruition. With the help of a Public Relations faction, they would also help to ensure that the integrity and public opinion of the artist remains somewhat intact. There are many who assert that good managers are easier to come by in Jamaica than in the UK; at the last Reggae Fraternity UK (RFUK) meeting, legendary producer and co-panellist for the evening Mad Professor argued this point, suggesting that UK reggae practitioners/artists take some hints from how business is conducted on the Jamaican reggae circuit.

Certainly, in the past, you had stables such as Penthouse records that were said to have assisted in nurturing artist development and provide ad-hoc, informal training. But whilst UK reggae artists can certainly learn a thing or two from Jamaican reggae artists and practitioners (particularly from a marketing standpoint), I do not think that one country is particularly better off than the other, in terms of management.

Prof’s assertion lead to me consider what qualifies one to call themselves or indeed another a 'good, effective manager'? As far as I am concerned, some formal/academic training within a relevant field to management is necessary for the cause. Yes, hands-on experience cannot be beaten but it can be enhanced. The study of business related subjects such as Accounting, Finance, Business Studies, Management make valuable additions to vocational experience.

There are also certain qualities which make for a good management which, frankly, cannot be taught such as foresight, tenacity, patience and interpersonal skills. Unfortunately not everyone possesses these and, hence, not everyone is capable of managing artists or anything else, for that matter. An individual who instead encompasses unprofessionalism and cut throat opportunism, an insistence of "flying by the seat of one's pants" is not management material, yet these tend to be the type of characters who occupy many management positions in reggae. And reggae is a small scene, so it is not hard to encounter folk!  Whilst this abrasiveness is probably a direct result of wear and tear from certain extenuating life experiences, it still has a knock-on effect on the high turnover rate of artists and occurrence of perfectly avoidable business losses.

After a very public, bitter parting of ways with former management team Heavy D Promotions, Jamaica Dancehall artist Gully Bop declared: “I need a manager, not a damager”. I won’t get into the “isms and scisms” of that particular fall out because mi nuh know ‘bout dat, but I will say that more of the former and less of the latter is needed in reggae, for sure.

 It also saddens me to observe that many managers within reggae are either the spouses, bed mates or relatives of the artist, who are just ''trying a t'ing". One cannot conduct their business affairs off the back of ‘bring ins’! We all want to feed the team, sure, why not? But it is important for a manager to know what they're doing otherwise everyone will be hungry, mi love!

When Busy Signal and the same Gully Bop left third party companies and came under the management of family members, suddenly their level of wider success and quality of musical output began to decline. It can all be a bit too messy; emotions and personal convictions can kick in - in lieu of business conduct - and judgement can become impaired. Hiring family members is a question of executing sound judgement and applying ethical principles; does the artist pre-consider scenarios where there might be a conflict of interests? UK massive, did you know that The Equality Act 2010 outlaws special treatment in terms of “pay, promotion and working conditions” when it comes to hiring members of one’s family? I wonder if this standard is upheld when we conduct our ‘business’ in reggae or is it a case of cutting corners?

I'm not saying that it’s always bad for business when the manager is related to the artist though [for the purpose of this blog, let’s call them ‘famagers’]; Beyonce was managed by her father and Michael Jackson by his and they’ve both enjoyed resounding success. Sanchez has been managed by his wife Monica Jackson since 1995. It is said that Bob Marley’s children manage his Estate alongside a team of specialist staff; an autonomous and family orientated set-up.

On the other hand, the Marleys’ cultural and economic stance puts them in a rather unique position  for self-governance so they are a bit of an anomaly. Besides, as far as I am aware, most of the Marley sons’ individual careers are managed externally. And, no offence, but I am sure that the outsider knows little of what the pressures of working in the music industry as man and wife yield behind closed doors. As for Beyonce and Michael Jackson, their paternal relationships became extremely strained and the management arrangements did not stand the test of time either. After eventually firing her father, Beyonce admitted that: “she just wanted her Dad back”. So whilst apt ‘bring-ins’ can indeed beget fruition, can one ever truly win with a ‘famager’ at the helm of their career?’. I mean, the arrangement stands to mash up or at least permanently, negatively alters relations!

Reggae artists needn’t go about, trying to manage themselves either; as far as I’m concerned, that only stands to distract them from making good music. However, there are many who either cannot afford good management (granted), opt for famagers for a discounted rate or are simply too cheap to invest in good management. These are problems that need addressing. And when we are talking about the order of business, formality is needed otherwise it just will not thrive…whatever your profession.

It is a ‘catch 22’ and no one said that it’s an easy situation; after all, reggae music is about striving for betterment. I was going to end with ‘Rome wasn’t built in a day’ but when it comes to our music and culture, that reference does not seem appropriate. Still, y’get the idea!