Skip to content
Innovatoire
The Artist’s Business Method · Course map

Lesson 04 / 24 · 15 min · preparation time

Set up a weekly business practice

Treat administration as a short recurring practice. A modest routine is easier to sustain alongside writing, rehearsal, study or paid work. Keep one list of next actions, each small enough to begin immediately.

Work through it

  1. 1
    Reserve a regular 30-minute business session, or two shorter sessions if that suits you.
  2. 2
    Use the first ten minutes to file credits, receipts and new information. Use the next fifteen for one priority action. Use the last five to choose the next action.
  3. 3
    Make a simple contact record: name, role, why the connection matters, public submission route, last contact and next step. Keep it private.
  4. 4
    Write your current three priorities. If a task needs someone else, record who and when you will follow up.
  5. 5
    List the help you may need and its purpose: a manager coordinates career work; a booking agent finds live work; a music solicitor reviews rights and deals; an accountant helps with financial records and tax. Ask for a defined service and check experience before committing.

You are ready to move on when…

You can leave an application or outside reply pending. Record the next step before moving on.

Weekly slot / priority 1 / priority 2 / priority 3 / next action / person I am waiting for

Resources for this task

Further reading · Passman chapter references

Optional reading · Passman, 11th edition. Chapters 2–6: responsibilities, fees and selecting advisers.

Optional reading from the 11th edition (2023). No purchase needed. US legal context: use current UK sources for local procedures.

Deeper explanation · Before a bigger commitment
Choosing a manager, agent or adviser

Start with the problem you need solved. Check relevant experience, references, capacity and conflicts of interest. Ask what work is included, what you pay, which income attracts commission, how long the arrangement runs and what happens when it ends. Have proposed terms reviewed independently.

ISM: contracts for musicians ↗

Keep practising. Return to this routine every week throughout the method.

Next: Separate the song from the recording.

Notes, readiness ticks and progress stay in this browser. They do not automatically sync across devices. Download a backup to move or protect your work. Keep passwords, bank details and identity documents elsewhere.