Welcome to The Manager’s Playbook, my personal newsletter where I share insights, tips, and strategies for artist managers on how to navigate through the music business.

Ruiz’s Letter:

The Metric for Success Isn’t Dollars, It’s Impact.

Dear reader,

This week has been one for the books, and I couldn't resist sharing a moment that means a lot to my family and me.

TLN just honored me with the title of Top 10 Most Influential Hispanics-Canadians for 2023. It's not just an accolade; it's a reflection of the journey I've been on for over a decade. As I stand in this spotlight, I can't help but think of all the incredible individuals who've shaped my world.

My work isn't just a job; it's a passion shared with incredible people. Shoutout to those who've become more than colleagues—an extended family ideating thousands of dreams, executing them into reality.

My culture, our culture, is the melody that runs through everything. It's the rhythm that keeps me moving forward. And above all, God—he’s my ghostwriter of this life's album.

This honour isn't just a recognition of me; it's a nod to the impact my collaborators and I have made together past and present. I thank you. Truly.

The metric for success isn't dollars, it's impact.

It's about the lives touched, the stories amplified or changed, and the efforts echoing in spaces that didn’t think or know we had it in us.

So here's to all of us, creating a wave of influence, prioritizing real connection, and making every beat count. Thank you TLN for this humbling recognition. Honoured and blessed, truly.

-Ruiz

STRATEGY

Spotify Wrapped: Which Numbers ACTUALLY Matter for your artist?

There’s a lot of data that we have to make sense of as artist managers. A lot of it is just for show. Being able to identify what’s important, what it means, and how to build off of it is crucial for success. I’m going to go through a few numbers from the Spotify Wrapped data that I find useful. Hopefully it’s useful to you.

Top 10, Top 5, Top 1 Artist for Fans

In my mind, your artist’s Top 10, Top 5, Top 1 for fans are the most important numbers to look at. Let’s take a look at my artist Marley Bleu’s numbers for example:

_{Note* Marley released only 1 song “Unintentional” with Pink $weats in 2023. Therefore, these numbers reflect 12.5 weeks of data between August 04 (release date) and Oct 31 2023 (Spotify wrap cut off date). Nonetheless, they tell a story.}

First and foremost, I look at the top 10 artist for fans “246”. This number tells me we had a strong start for her debut single. Not enough top fans to hit the road and headline a tour but definitely a solid start to water the seed in specific markets. Secondly, I’ll compare her “Monthly Listeners Top Cities” with her “Instagram Followers Top Cities” via Chartmetric (all-in-one platform for artists audience data) to see what story the data is telling us.

Apart from the evident strategy of releasing more music in 2024, a few things stand out to me with some potential actionable items:

1) LA is the top Spotify Monthly Listeners/ Top Followers for Instagram. How can we serve this base immediately?.. New music? Pop-ups? Paid ads?

2) Her top 5 markets on Spotify (LA, Bangkok, Toronto, Sydney, Quezon) are interesting. They have crossed over from Bangkok and Quezon due to Pink $weats fandom in those regions (both in his top 5 via Chartmetric). Worth exploring fan acquisition in these markets to grow a connection with this audience. Paid ads possibly?

3) LA, Chicago, NYC are the only markets that cross over. This lets me know there’s a solid presence in these markets. What can we do to deepen the relationship with her and her fans in these cities?

4) Identify a comparable artist who is touring small capacity venues (150-500) across any given region, draw similarities to their monthly DSP streams/IG followers and identify how much more work needs to be done to consider a 10-15 city tour. Ultimately, the math gotta math.

Streams to Listeners ratio

A large listenership is always a good thing. It lends to the fact that your music is being consumed by a wide audience and has “hit song” or “mainstream” potential.

However, a smaller, yet loyal listenership can also have a very significant impact and be a great thing. Take $uicide Boy$ for example. In 2023, they accumulated 3 billion streams and garnered 32 million Spotify listeners, boasting a global fanbase that fills arenas. While not deemed "mainstream" by industry standards, their dedicated following rivals that of Taylor Swift's Swifties, Nicki Minaj’s Barbs and other fan communities in various aspects.

By drawing comparisons with other artists, Kwesi @ MUCH visually demonstrates the strength of their fanbase contributions and how they stand out:

@much

This goes to show that if you have a tightknit community like the $uicideboy$ in the music industry, they will support you endlessly! #Spo... See more

$b and their managers Dana Biondi & Kyle Leunissen have done a phenomenal job of going incredibly deep with their fanbase ensuring they are in the driver seat of their own careers.

Build A Community!

In essence, the crucial element in all of the aforementioned is constructing a fanbase that can be deeply engaged beyond platforms—be it through SMS, newsletters, in-person interactions, and more. For any good manager, the main objective is to gather audience data without the interference of algorithms.

PAY ATTENTION

ROSTR WRAPD 2023

ROSTR just released ROSTR WRAPD, their yearly review of the music industry. They do a fantastic job at tracking and summarizing all of the activity in the different parts of the industry.

This goes over the hottest activity that took place with management signings, their rosters, publishing companies, and more. It gives a real visual of all of the different pieces that are a part of the “machine.”

For those who are not familiar with ROSTR, it is the fastest & most up-to-date music industry directory.

Streaming Platform Alternatives Bringing Power Back to Artists..

If you’re not familiar with LaRussell, you should be. He’s probably the GOAT artist to follow on socials to help you understand how to monetize your business and make a sustainable career out of it.

With all the Spotify wraps popping up last week, he posted something different that caught my attention. A wrap for a platform called EVEN. EVEN claims to be a streaming platform alternative that was created to help recording artists get fairly compensated for their music. It addresses the issue where an individual fan has to stream a song over 200 times for the artist to make a single dollar.

On EVEN, all music is held behind a paywall, meaning fans have to pay to access the music. It also has an interesting private community feature. Both of these elements together allow artists to monetize their core fanbase right away and engage with them on a more personal level. Another platform that has a similar cadence is GROUPED.

If your act is not on a major label (UMG, SONY, WARNER), it’s worth exploring these platforms to see if it makes sense for your artist.

Get to Know Dave Free, pgLang Co-Founder & Creative Collaborator with Kendrick Lamar

Dave Free is a name that everybody in the industry should get to know, if they don’t already.

Free co-founded pgLang with Kendrick Lamar in 2020, a multidisciplinary creative services company spanning music, film, products, and more. Prior to founding pgLang, he served as the co-president of TDE, was a part of the directing duo The Little Homies and served as Dot’s manager until Anthony Saleh (Nas) took over the reigns in 2021

In the interview, Dave reflects on his experience as a record executive at TDE, the influence of language and survival instincts in music, and the impact of technology on the industry.

Not many people have the insight on how to cut through the industry as he does. It’s an interview filled with gems.

Nothing but respect for Free and the journey he’s been on. It’s an incredible run.

INDUSTRY NEWS

Spotify to axe over 1,500 jobs in latest round of layoffs per Music Business Worldwide

Note* This article came out on Monday. As of today, many, if not all, of those lay-offs have unfortunately happened. If you're aware of any job opportunities in the music industry, any assistance in connecting the dots for these individuals will be greatly appreciated. Many talented professionals have been displaced, hopefully they find new opportunities asap.

Christmas wave is here

This weekend about 7% of all music streams will be Christmas music. Evidence? Brenda Lee’s “Rocking Around the Christmas Tree” goes #1 on Billboard Hot 100…65 years after its initial release.

ON REPEAT..🔥

STREAM:
Spotify | Apple Music

WHAT WE’RE WATCHING

The Diary of a CEO Podcast feat. Busta Rhymes

The Diary of a CEO is an incredible podcast. They do a great job of going deep into the minds and journeys of their special guests. Busta Rhymes, an industry vet, shares gems and info that he’s never revealed before. This is a must watch / listen.

CHECK THIS OUT..

The Best Music Industry Job Openings

Speaking of ROSTR, they have an industry job openings board. Have a look. Stay hungry. Stay open.

Bio

I’m Mauricio Ruiz, the Founder/CEO of 8 Til Faint, a talent management agency whose past and current clients include Grammy nominated, Juno Award winning multi-instrumentalist and singer songwriter Jessie Reyez, Marley Bleu and more. I am also the Co-Founder of Mad Ruk Entertainment, a content agency with over 3 billion long form video streams worldwide. Clients past and current include Eminem, Celine Dion, The Weeknd, Nike, NBA and more.

Follow me on IG @mauroisruiz

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