Given the multitude of distribution, streaming, promotion and marketing options and expectations, the business of becoming an established artist has turned into a seriously heavy lift for music acts and their managers. It’s one reason that Mick Management partnersays, “We don’t like to refer to ourselves as a management company anymore. We’re a music company.
Eshak saw his first concert in the late 1980s when George Strait and his band headlined the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo at the Houston Astrodome. “Thirty-plus years later, I was given this belt buckle by the rodeo when Leon Bridges headlined,” he says. “Truly a full-circle moment.”What are the challenges of running an artist management company today versus 25 years ago?
Eshak: The Dead were the godfathers of that, and Mick’s ethos effectively starts there. While the challenges of the industry have evolved, the code of building an artist’s career remains the same. Which is, how do you focus on building a meaningful, long-lasting relationship with your fan base? We always say, “How do we make the artist the hit and not just the songs?” Music is just part of the cocktail.
Eshak snagged this copy of the run-of-show for Saturday Night Live on Nov. 3, 2018, when Rogers appeared as musical guest. “It’s an honor each time our acts receive the invite,” he says.Maggie Rogers seems to be a prime example of someone who has grown through connectivity with her fans.-ity, for lack of a better word, and instead of sitting back and working that, she understood the importance of going around the world and connecting with her fans face-to-face.