Your weekly guide to the music biz and how it all works: don't forget - you can become a ⁠⁠Superfan of the podcast for free – and access an extra 20 mins of show each week!⁠

This week, it's time for another interview with one of the people who make it all happen. Steve speaks to Niamh Byrne, who managed Blur, Elastica, and Turin Brakes, before founding Eleven management, which works with artists like Damon Albarn and Gorillaz – and she’s also the chair of the Music Managers Forum, the global organisation that represents music managers.

So... she is a great person to ask: what's it like being a manager today – and how is the role changing?

(As ever, our Patreon Superfans⁠⁠ get a bit extra - you’ll hear the full unedited interview, including Niamh’s thoughts on AI and the future of management.)

Niamh explains to Steve how:

• Great management is built on trust and vision — artists need operational backing while they create, and managers must hold the long-term destination and strategy.

• The manager role has expanded significantly — managers now carry much of the execution workload that labels historically handled.

• How labels are still important — even though managers can now replicate many label functions, access to capital keeps traditional deals relevant.

• Manager-led campaigns are increasingly viable — teams can now run marketing, digital, data and fan strategy directly (as with upcoming Gorillaz releases).

• Managers are undervalued — despite delivering end-to-end commercial and operational value, compensation models often still reflect a “deal-maker only” role

• Adaptability is now a survival skill — with more release paths and tools available, managers must continuously evolve and build flexible, independent-capable business models.

• You can read Music Ally’s full report on the chat here too: https://musically.com/2026/01/26/today-managers-could-probably-do-everything-but-funding-is-really-difficult

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As ever, we welcome your feedback, emails and – in particular – any questions you might have about how the music biz works!

Email us: ⁠⁠thepriceofmusicpodcast@gmail.com⁠⁠

See you next week!

Steve and Stuart

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