Nurturing Musical Talent in the Digital Age with Tarsame Mittal
With the exponential growth in music creators in the Digital Age it is only expected that managing musical talent would become a critical function needing its own domain expertise. Tarsame Mittal’s, TM Talent Management has gone on to emerge as one of the most sought-after entities in the arena of Talent Management.
In a revealing chat with IPRS, he takes the wraps off the business of Talent Management, his immediate and future plans and offers creators an insider’s view on choosing the right Talent Manager for their career.
1. Talent Management is a term much talked about. How would you define talent management?
Talent Management at the onset is about drawing and developing the vision for the artist you are working for. Broadly, the talent manager’s role lies in guiding and developing the professional career of artists they manage in the industry. The role of a talent manager can be as diverse as overseeing the day-to-day affairs of an artist; advising and counselling the talent concerning professional matters, scouting for new opportunities, negotiating on behalf of the talent, working on long-term plans, and even being the artist’s go-to person for personal decisions which may affect their career. A music manager becomes a key element in managing the myriad pieces that make up a career in music. With the overarching influence of digital media in the music industry, managers must set in motion suitably dynamic strategies to deliver the best they can for the artist to emerge as top talent managers. Beyond a mere perfunctory role, talent management is a relationship built between the talent and the artist manager cemented by trust, understanding and confidence in each other’s ability.
2. At what stage do you think a music creator needs a career/talent manager?
Artist management is like marriage. Compatibility is what matters in the end. The day, when as a creator or artist, you find your right talent manager is when you should start working with him or her. It’s a win-win relationship. What matters most is the synergy between the two with the artist finding space to flower as a talent in the immediate and long-term future.
3. For an artist looking for a management company what should he or she look for before signing up?
I would say that there isn’t any set formula for choosing your talent management company. The biggest agency or the most successful talent manager cannot guarantee your success unless your talent manager has conviction in you and your talent. It is very important to fathom whether your agency has the bandwidth and intent to devote dedicated time and explore the best opportunities for you. If a talent agency or a manager could churn out success stories at will, every artist will queue up to join that agency or appoint that manager. The reality though is different. We are in a creator-to-consumer business. The talent manager with conviction and the required know-how can show the right way and guide in the best possible manner. He cannot play the role of the artist or the creator. End of the day the talent has to shine. An artist also has to be transparent with the manager to help him/her understand the talent’s potential, inhibitions, aspirations and overall expectations. It’s like being the partner in the creative journey and knowing each other in the best possible manner.
4. How has the business of music management evolved since you founded TM Talent Management?
Music management has come a long way over the years. There’s a deluge of young talent managers who have come into the industry and are doing really well. Actually, what defines an artist’s success is not how big the agency is but, how well the manager understands the psychology of the talent he/she is managing. With digital taking over the entertainment landscape, there has been a lot of learning and unlearning involved. The nuances of the digital landscape are currently best understood by youngsters from 12 to 25, who know it like the back of their hand. Understanding the mindset of the artist and their aspiration becomes vital. To have a connection with the talent and being in the same mind-space is crucial for a successful association.
5. With the top talent you are managing, can you throw some light on what exactly you are doing for them? What happens when an artist comes on board for the first time and what are the stages of progression?
Before taking an artist on board, we have at least 3-4 rounds of discussions to understand the expectations and the tangible outcomes of the partnership. Once we have decided on the task at hand we analyse the talent and chalk out the way forward plan in steps. Every artist who signs up with us has different requirements. Each has a varied set of strengths and weaknesses so, as a talent management company we try to give our best to all our artists without really grading our talent. While some need to create an identity and explore a new beginning, other musicians need to monetize their catalogue and their reputation. Studying the background, the specific requirement of the artist and market analysis we offer bespoke solutions for every talent. This is our usual pattern of offering the best to the talent with us.
6. What according to you is the USP of TM talent management?
Our USP lies in the trust in the relationship we establish with our artists and the talent we manage. As an organization, we have been successful in creating a transparent and honest relationship with our artists, clients and employees. In a business where our role lies in understanding and leading the way for individuals and helping create success stories, trust and confidence in each other are paramount. The artistic journey has to be traversed in sync and laid upon the bedrock of these two elements for it to go anywhere
7. Where do you see TM talent management in the coming years?
There are two distinct roles in the sphere of talent management. One is that of a talent manager and the other is the Management aspect, which looks into the finance, marketing, collaborations, contracts and deals. We look forward to associating with more talent managers from different regions and genres so that we can have both the talent and the manager come on board and extend all the necessary support as a talent management agency on the larger front. The future lies in collaboration. It makes more sense to allow each one to lend his/her expertise in the domain they have excelled and drive better outcomes through our inputs to take it to great heights. Today, there are multiple players in the industry playing their roles successfully. Hence instead of trying to build each block individually, we are looking at bringing all the blocks together and weighing in our expertise to create a winning association in attaining goals through targeted tasks while utilizing the scope of the present-day music industry.
