Linkin Park Shifts To Self Management
The Collective, once one of music's most innovative firms, is closing its management division as top client Linkin Park decides to go self-managed. Will other major artists take charge of their own careers?
Michael Green lead firm, The Collective, is shutting its substantial management division to focus entirely on digital video. The Collective's music management clients included Linkin Park, Slash, Godsmack, Toni Braxton, Kelly Rowland and Staind. “We’ve built a real investment, a real MCN (multichannel network), and it’s succeeding – and my heart is no longer in the management world,” Green told Variety.
But the move may have also been participated by Linkin Park, The Collective's biggest client, deciding to go self-managed. “We’ve decided to bring our management duties in house, to directly hire talent to support the innovative ideas the band plans to pursue in the coming years,” Linkin Park's co-lead vocalist Mike Shinoda said in a statement.
Goodbye Collective, Hello Collaborative Teams.
Will other major artists chose self-management in 2015?
The landscape for managers has shifted dramatically with the demise of big-advance record and publishing deals and a new ever-shifting landscape of diverse revenue streams. Major managers now operate more as CEO's directing diverse teams and outside consultants who, in addition to radio, pr, publishing, touring and releasing records, now also explore sponsorships, song placements, social media, new media and a plethora of other opportunities.
Just as new artists are now encouraged to carefully assemble their own shifting teams, it is not hard to imagine established artists finding it both more effective and profitable to assemble permanent and temporary teams to support their career and a particular project.
Seriously? “Linken” Park?? Wow…
Can’t even spell the band’s name right…
Linkin Park, not Linken Park.
That’s ego, greed, and selfishness at play. Forgoing a proper manager, means operating without any objectivity in your organization. They’ll be surrounded by “yes” people and their career will suffer. The management team deserves credit and compensation for everything they’ve done to get the band where it is now, and just because the band members have gown into adults, that doesn’t mean that should cast aside their early mentors and champions. Managers (the good ones) serve an integral role, and while the band may not like that they’re not as hot as they once were, their career still needs over-site and guidance.
It should read “the move may have also been *precipitated* by Linkin Park”, not “participated”.
Well, first off, members of LP are pretty intelligent people. The band members are very involved in their band’s other duties than just music. Brad and Rob always had a look at papers. Brad holds some of the meeting I think. Mike and Joe looked over LP’s art department, Rob and Chester work on the touring committee etc. Except Chester, they all graduated with degrees in their respective subjects (Brad even graduated Summa Cum Laude) and with all the charity work they do, they are pretty self aware about what goes around the world. And they’ve never been GREEDY or SELFISH. They’ve always been nice to everyone. But, I guess since they are LINKIN PARK, we’ll just call them words *rollseyes*
My apologies for my spelling and typing skills.
As for the article, I thinks its an interesting experiment by what I believe to be smart guys. Every band and every business should take their own path. I’m just glad that this is increasingly an option for some artists.
Greed?! they even make a song about it and how all most musician these days are changing into pop just to blend in. They make an album just to go against the mainstream genre and still land 3rd place on billboards. These guys are NOT dumb, selfish, greedy, drugs-using, smoking or alcoholic people, trust me im proud to be their fan.
Not exactly an experiment. LP fired Michael Green’s The Collective because he was too focused on building out his MCN. No layoffs my ass.