Why Traditional Management Deals Need to Die (And Should Have Done Years Ago) By Trina Smith

Let’s cut to it. The traditional music management deal is broken. Not just outdated, but fundamentally flawed, exploitative, and completely unfit for the world we are working in now. If you are still expecting a manager to take 15 to 20 percent of your income while fronting your entire career, unpaid, indefinitely, then you are thinking about a music industry that no longer exists.

And to be honest, good riddance.

The Myth of the “Manager as Investor”

There is this tired old fantasy that a manager should spot your "potential", pour their time, energy, contacts and money into your career for free, and then patiently wait for something to hit so they can finally earn a cut.

But here’s the problem. In that model, only one person is taking all the risk. And it is not the artist.

When you are managing like this, you are not just offering advice. You are bankrolling someone's dream. You are emotionally invested, financially exposed, and tied to outcomes you have no control over. And in a world where streams pay next to nothing, labels are chasing TikTok trends, and brand partnerships want results before artistry, the odds are stacked.

Talent is Everywhere. So is Burnout.

Over the last few years, I have watched some of the best managers I know walk away from the business. Not because they lacked passion or skill, but because they simply could not survive it. They were drowning in admin, covering costs, chasing payments, picking up the pieces of their artists’ personal lives, and getting nothing back.

This industry already takes advantage of artists. Why are we repeating the same broken system with the people who are here to protect them?

The Retainer Model is the Future. Because it Works.

At Electric Pineapple, we work on a retainer basis. Not because we are cold, corporate, or transactional, but because it keeps things honest. When an artist invests in their own development, they show up differently. They take it seriously. They stay accountable. They become partners in the process.

Management is a job. It is strategy, logistics, therapy, admin, negotiation, and planning all in one. It deserves to be paid for. If you want someone to dedicate time, energy, and experience to your career, you need to pay them. Not after you "blow up". At the start. When it counts.

Want the Dream? Do the Work.

If you are looking for someone to take a gamble on you, run your life, fund your rollout, and wait patiently for you to make it, then I am not for you.

But if you are ready to back yourself, commit to doing things properly, and build something that lasts, then we might be a fit.

This is not gatekeeping. This is evolution. The old model is dead. It needed to die.

Let it rest. And let us build something better.

Ready to work with people who actually know how to move things forward?
If you are serious about your development and ready to invest in yourself, I want to hear from you.

Email: trina@epmg.co.uk
We are not here to chase people. We are here to build with them.