A newfound interest of mine, artist management and promotions, likely entails a very different strategy and approach than the traditional marketing of goods and services. However, I have no doubt there a number of similarities as well which can be observed by making useful comparison of the two. As with any product, building a brand around an individual musician or a group is essential to success. With today’s technology capable of making almost anyone’s recordings sound good, the creation of an image which fans can look up to or, in some way, identify with is quite important (ei: the nerdy kids can identify with Weezer, the kids who fancy themselves ‘gangstas’ can worship Lil Wayne and 50 Cent, the ‘chill’ ones can bask in Beck’s mellow melodies, the stoners can trip out while listening to Radiohead or Queens of the Stone Age and the young clubbers can memorize all of Akon or Pitbull’s lyrics). Similarly, the marketing of any of the products that are prominent in today’s market requires a focus on the differentiation of the brand. Personally, I love all sorts of music and the content of my itunes library is so varied that there is only one word to describe each individual song within it: creative.
With the mass of music out there today, as with products, it is crucial that new artists attempt to occupy some sort of niche in the market. Taking a unique approach to the development of their music by letting their creativity flow and attempting to do something different than anyone else, though risky, will likely pay off much more than “trying to become the next _______.” For example, Kid Cudi, one of my favourite new artists, exploded onto the scene not too long ago and did so through creating some of the most original rap music I have ever heard. Rather than talking about money, women and being a gangster as has been done so many times before, he created a new sort of genre of ‘stoner-rap.’ In doing so, Cudi demonstrated that if a position in the consumer’s mind is already over-crowded, the creation of a new position to occupy can be quite 
beneficial. Similarly, a few years earlier, Kanye West released his completely original and hugely successful debut album, The College Dropout, which incorporated lyrics warning young kids about drugs and preaching Jesus. As with any industry in business, the music industry is led by those who innovate bring something new to the market. The role of a manger appears to be to encourage this development and guide the creation of a successful image as well as promoting it and spreading awareness of the artist’s ‘brand.’
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