Artiste Managers, Entertainers And Showbiz Space

Uzo Chikere

Every business needs effective, efficient and functional management. Entertainment is serious business contrary to wide belief that it is a mere pastime. It is show business but sadly, some people who have most times gate crashed into the entertainment space have over time created the impression that it is all about the show without as much as laying any modicum of emphasis on the business component of the entire package.

Artistes of different persuasions are basically creative people who even in there care-free disposition devote more time and energy originating new ideas as well as rehearsing their would-be performances. By so doing, they hardly pay attention to planning and proper organization of the real business.

It is in this wise that the dire requirement of artiste manager comes in. This operative is just a component of what show business pundits describe as artiste support team in the entertainment industry which comprises a personal manager, attorney, business manager, booking agent, and groupies.

But the artiste manager is key to the business success of the artiste’s shows. Also doubling as the personal manager, the artiste manager plays such roles as advising and counseling in any or all areas of the artiste's entertainment career, such as representing the artiste in business negotiations; supervising professional engagements; coordinating publicity and promotion.

Others include soliciting recording, publishing, merchandising and endorsement contracts; directing and supervising the business aspects of the artistes' career; coordinating relations with record companies; song selection; assembling a professional support staff; being available to confer with artiste; acting as a buffer between the artiste and the rest of the world and shaping the artiste's image.

In the Nigerian industry, the bane of many artistes’ careers is the neglect of this essential figure in the scheme of things which has adversely affected the entire process in terms of positioning it for amassing the deserved benefits as is the case in other climes. Many artistes in Nigeria would rather go for endorsement negotiations; performance engagement meetings; marketing and recording contract than concentrate on their creative process.

Those among them who have availed themselves of the services of quality artiste managers have obviously made the positive difference in their career. That brings to mind such top acts as 2-Face Idibia, P-Square, Ice Prince, Muma Gee, Azeezat, Wizkid and MI among others.

However, the success rate of any artiste with a manager depends largely on how amenable the artiste is to harnessing the manager’s services as well as the kind of working relationship existing between them including remuneration for the manager.

The compensation regime for a manager is normally expressed as a commission which is typically 10-25% of the artiste's gross earnings. But there are exclusions from commissionable income such as among others, music publishing income retained by or payable to third parties including, without limitation, songwriter royalties payable to co-writers and publishing company administration fees; bona-fide third party costs incurred in connection with motion picture and television synchronization licenses; actual recording costs, (including applicable union scale payments to artiste) of artiste's master recordings and audiovisual works and recoupable tour support payments;

The inability of many Nigerian acts to engage artiste managers to organize their show business for optimum result according to followers of the entertainment industry, include ignorance, dearth of funds and at times the feeling that they can do it alone so as to conserve scarce funds.

But artistes who have worked under the guidance of some notable Nigerian artiste managers have resplendent stories to tell about the trade. 2-Face has been for years managed by Efe Omoregbe, a well-known persona in the industry and his career has remained on the rise.

Twin brothers,P-Square managed effectively by their sibling, Jude Okoye aka Engees, have continued to grow in their business with an astonishing rapidity.

Another high calibre artiste manager who has ensured the rise of Ekpeie lady entertainer, Muma Gee is Sunday Are of Joy Entertainment fame.

Also in good hands and making progress in her career, is Azeezat being managed by her husband, Seyi Allen.

The use of services offered by artiste managers is not a choice but rather, a rule guiding the industry. For entertainment to be fully regarded as a serious field of endeavor, it behoves the practitioners to strictly apply the necessary formalities that will confer on it the importance and the place it deserves in the Nigerian business environment.