Professional Manager / Song Plugger Jobs

About This Music Career

A Professional Manager, also known as a Song Plugger, works for a Music Publisher, and has a number of duties including performing administrative functions of the publishing office. The Professional manager also must locate hit songs that can be added to the Publisher's catalog. So, he or she must have a goof ear for music, and must be able to decipher a good song from a bad one. The Professional Manager can find material by attending concerts, clubs, showcases, etc., and by also going through material sent to the publishing company, listening to a each song little by little until one sticks.

Not only must the Professional Manager find songs, but he or she needs to find acts to record songs from the publisher's catalog. Each time this happens, the publishing company makes money. The goal is to try to get a song recorded enough that it becomes a standard, leading to increased revenue.

Most Song Pluggers use personal contacts to get songs recorded, so a healthy contact list is crucial. By contacting people in the industry (such as acts, Record Producers, A & R Personnel, Personal Managers, etc.), the Professional Manager often can get his or her song listened to.

If the Professional Manager has a song that he or she really believes in, they will often assist artists with making high quality demos. These professional-sounding demos help the individual sell the tune, and are either delivered in person or mailed to the key players. If the Professional Manager does not personally know the person they are sending the demo to, they will usually make a phone call or write a brief note to accompany the demo - it is very rare for a Professional Manager to send a demo tape completely unsolicited.

Salaries
The size of the music publishing company, the number of songs recorded, and the songs' popularity all factor into how much the Professional Manager will earn. Professional Managers usually receive a weekly salary, plus bonuses, and yearly salaries usually come out to between $25,000 and $100,000.

Employment
The toughest part is getting started as a Professional Manager, but there are many, many acts looking for material to Record, and many songs that need to be published.

Advancement
Advancements for Professional Managers come when he or she starts to pick up more and more songs that have become hits, or when they match a hit song with an act who records the song. Many Professional Managers become major purchasers of songs for prestigious music publishers. Sometimes, individuals go out on their own and form new publishing companies.

Education and Training

A formal education is not required of Professional Managers. While many people in the profession are former musicians, other individuals have degrees in areas ranging from business to music to broadcasting. If the Professional Manager wishes to move into other phases of the industry, it would be useful to have some business background. Any seminar or course on music publishing would also be helpful.

There are some schools that formally offer music business or music merchandising as college majors. There are also a number of seminars given on the subject, most of which will prove helpful to the aspiring Music Publisher.

Experience, Skills, and Personality
Experiencing different sections of the music industry is something most successful Professional Managers have. From these experiences, he or she has accumulated useful personal contacts who can help the Professional Manager towards success.

The Professional Manager must have a feel for the right song, while maintaining the ability to put songs and artists together in an effort to get the song recorded. Also, if a person has a good song and believes in it, he or she must have the work hard and persevere until they find someone else believes in it too.

Unions and Associations
Professional Managers might belong to the Music Publishers' Association of the United States (MPA) and the National Music Publishers' Association (NMPA). These organizations provide programs, conferences, seminars, etc., on music publishing aspects. The Professional Manager may also be an associate member of the National Academy of Arts and Sciences (NARAS).

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