Mock Study Case: Artist Manager & Business Manager

A mock management plan demonstrating my approach to supporting an emerging artist’s career across creative, financial, and operational pillars.

1. Summary

This case study outlines a comprehensive, year-long management and business strategy for emerging country artist Beau Waymore. It demonstrates my ability to think like both an artist manager and a business manager — balancing creative vision, financial clarity, and operational structure to support long-term, sustainable career growth.

2. Artist Profile

Artist name: Beau Waymore
Genre: Outlaw country (story-driven, gritty but polished).
Career stage: Emerging artist with strong regional buzz. Three years playing live, first management-ready moment. Three singles out. Growing touring base. Early playlist adds.
Streams: Low-to-mid, but showing upward trajectory.
Audience highlights:
– 35k TikTok followers
– 12k Instagram
– 80k average monthly listeners on DSPs
– Growing Southeast touring base (TN, KY, AL)
– Strong college-town pull
Brand aesthetic:
– Highway romantic
– Vintage truck, denim workwear, and analog grit
– Themes: second chances, the South, mistakes + redemption
– Vocal tone: raspy storyteller
Long term goals:
– Sign publishing deal
– First major support slot
– Secure brand partnerships (boot, denim, whiskey)
– Release debut EP
– Headline 500-cap rooms in 18–24 months

4. Management + Business Manager Priorities

Artist Manager Priorities

1. Brand & Creative Direction

  • Solidify visual identity
  • Photo/video mood board
  • Messaging pillars (roots, redemption, road-life storytelling)

2. Release Strategy

  • Build out 12-month content + release roadmap
  • Focus on TikTok/IG reels tied to hooks in his songs
  • Secure playlist pitching opportunities

3. Digital Growth

  • Weekly TikTok posting schedule
  • YouTube Shorts + longform acoustic sessions
  • Monthly email newsletter
  • Fanbase segmentation

4. Tour Development

  • Build targeted Southeast touring markets
  • Strategically pursue support slots aligned with sound
  • Coordinate with booking agent (once secured)

5. Press & Publicity

  • Target local press
  • Country-central outlets (Holler, Whiskey Riff)
  • Leverage social virality moments

6. Team Building

  • Photographer
  • Producer
  • Social/content assistant
  • Long-term: booking agent, publisher

Business Manager Priorities

1. Financial Organization

  • Set up QuickBooks file
  • Create chart of accounts (tour income, merch, royalties, brand deals)
  • Weekly AP/AR processing

2. Tour Budgeting & Cash Flow

  • Pre-tour advance
  • Forecast variable expenses
  • Handle per diems
  • Reconcile settlements weekly

3. Royalty Tracking

  • Set up royalty spreadsheet
  • Track income from:
    • PROs (BMI/ASCAP)
    • Mechanical royalties (The MLC)
    • Publishing (admin/publisher)
    • Neighboring rights (SoundExchange)
    • DSP streaming revenue
  • Note discrepancies + follow up

4. Contract Oversight

  • Review deal terms
  • Flag financial obligations
  • Explain recoupment status
  • Ensure tax requirements are met

5. Tax Prep & Compliance

  • 1099s
  • Entity setup
  • Quarterly tax prep with CPA
  • Maintain accurate ledgers

5. 12-Month Release Strategy: Sample Marketing Plan

Project: Debut EP — “Mile Marker 17”
Singles: 3 pre-EP, 1 post-EP
Budget: $7,500
Timeline: 12 months

Phase 1: Pre-Release (6 weeks)

  • Teaser content (10 clips)
  • Behind-the-song storytelling videos
  • Securing distribution timeline
  • Press release drafting and execution
  • Pre-save campaign
  • Email list growth push

Phase 2: Release Week

  • Daily posting schedule
  • Acoustic live version filmed
  • Local radio outreach
  • Digital ads targeting country fans
  • TikTok “use this sound” push

Phase 3: Post-Release

  • UGC reposting
  • Post-show acoustic session
  • Targeted PR follow-ups
  • Pitch to Spotify editorial through distributor
  • Fan-facing merch drop

6. Tour Budget

All numbers are illustrative estimates for portfolio purposes.

7. Royalty & Publishing Overview

All numbers are illustrative estimates for portfolio purposes.
All numbers are illustrative estimates for portfolio purposes.

8. Branding & Career Development

Brand Pillars

  1. Road-life authenticity
  2. Redemption narratives
  3. Southern storytelling
  4. Blue-collar grit

Mood Board Notes

  • Warm tones (burnt orange, denim blue)
  • Analog textures
  • Highway landscapes
  • Vintage trucks

Audience Personas

  • “The College Country Fan” – 18-25
  • “The Americana Listener” – 25-45
  • “The Blue Collar Country Guy” – 25-40

9. Internal Team Communication Plan

Weekly

  • Summary email to team
  • Royalty + financial review
  • Content + release updates

Monthly

  • Budget check-in
  • Long-term planning
  • Tour routing conversations

With artist:

  • 1–2 weekly calls
  • Approvals on expenses
  • Approvals on creative decisions

With booking agent:

  • Routing, holds, venue offers
  • Settlement follow-ups

With publicist:

  • Pitch updates
  • Press angles
  • Link tracking

With label/publisher:

  • Royalties & recoupment updates
  • Sync opportunities
  • Release timeline coordination

11. Recap Page — Why I’m a Fit

Why I’m Well-Suited for Artist Management & Business Management Roles

My background blends two worlds that rarely meet cleanly: the creative understanding of the music industry and the financial discipline of a management professional.

Across my roles in marketing, sponsorship, and finance, I’ve developed a skill set that aligns directly with what artists, managers, and business management firms need:

1. I think strategically and operationally.

I’ve managed 30+ simultaneous client projects in finance, maintained accurate reporting, negotiated contracts, and kept multiple stakeholders aligned. Those workflows mirror the multitasking intensity of managing an artist’s touring, releases, calendars, budgets, and deliverables.

2. I’m comfortable with money, contracts, and numbers.

Budgeting, approvals, AP/AR, reconciling revenue, reviewing statements, analyzing discrepancies — this is familiar territory. I know how to track every moving financial part with precision and discretion.

3. I understand artists, timelines, and the creative process.

Working in festivals, venues, and artist marketing taught me how to collaborate with artists, managers, agents, designers, and press teams. I’ve promoted shows, coordinated marketing rollouts, and worked on deadlines where creativity and logistics have to meet.

4. I’m organized, proactive, and deeply detail-driven.

Color-coded systems, structured workflows, to-do lists, clean digital files, updated spreadsheets — this is how I operate naturally. I thrive in the fast-paced, shifting environments where artist teams live.

5. I bring empathy, clear communication, and a service-first mindset.

Whether I’m explaining a contract, delivering sensitive financial information, coordinating a team, or keeping an artist grounded and informed, I’m steady, calm, and thoughtful in how I communicate.

6. Above all, I love the artist-first side of the industry.

Helping someone build a life and career out of music is the part of the industry that inspires me most. I love the blend of creativity and structure, and I’m at my best when I get to keep an artist’s world organized so they can focus on the music.

In short: I’m the person who keeps everything running, every detail accurate, every project on track, and every team aligned, while always advocating for the artist at the center. That’s exactly what I hope to bring to my next role.