Music Management 2.0

For emerging bands getting on stage and having a crowd to play to is the first step that needs to be taken in order to succeed in the music industry. However, this is not easy when they are starting in this business. Traditionally, gatekeepers such as agents or record companies control access to the stage. Now, digitalization has created a new path of communication that can help bands to get in contact directly with promoters. Venues and promoters can be contacted through different online services, some of which are social network services, such as Facebook, Instagram or Twitter. The aim of this paper is to study in which ways digital media are employed in music management practices of emerging bands with the purpose of acquiring bookings? With an exploratory design, this paper used quantitative methods to investigate this topic. An online survey (N = 153) was conducted to explore the reality that bands are experiencing when trying to find, by themselves, venues to play at. We found how some of these online tools can at the moment replace gatekeepers in some aspects of the managerial process. Concepts such as disintermediation, self-management and decentralization were also studied here. It was found that emerging bands are highly decentralized, being present on and using many different online services in order to self-manage their careers. However, even when self-management is frequently practiced and disintermediation is common, gatekeepers, such as external agents, are still a very attractive asset for emerging bands for the many benefits that these external agents’ work can contribute to their clients’ career. Online tools have been proven to have great potential, being able to substitute the middlemen if they are used correctly.