Sometimes, a helping hand goes a long way.
Business Manager for songwriters, composers, artists & bands
Bringing my network and experience to the table when it's helpful.
This works for DIY artists too!
Are you making revenue streams work for you?
This short exercise helps you reflect on your current revenue streams as an artist manager or self-managed artist and identify your financial priorities. It takes around 5–10 minutes. There are no right or wrong answers. The aim is clarity, not perfection.
Business Manager to Ian Pickering
Ian Pickering is a British songwriter, lyricist, vocalist and producer based in France. He is best known as the lyricist and co-writer behind the platinum-selling band Sneaker Pimps, with credits including 6 Underground, Spin Spin Sugar and Tesko Suicide.
Over a career spanning more than 30 years, Ian has written and collaborated with artists including Front Line Assembly, Natalie Imbruglia, Anomie Belle, Slighter, Valerie Renay and others. He is published by Domino Publishing.
Alongside his catalogue work, Ian records and releases solo material under the name The Noise Who Runs, combining alternative rock, electronica and socially conscious songwriting. His latest album, RE: GEN X, explores contemporary culture, politics and the legacy of Generation X, a lyrical sequel to the Becoming X, the first Sneaker Pimps’ album.
As well as writing and recording, Ian teaches English and has developed lyric-writing workshops and appreciation courses, with an increasing focus on expanding opportunities in writing, sync, collaborations and live performance.
Join the queue of the “Rave Club For Two: and try to get in there. Have a right laugh together or go home.
Mye_Taai Business Manager
Mye_Taai are a rave club punk duo + 1. Empowered by stories, told through grim basement rave club tunes with bits of their own. We met on the plane home from Tallinn Music Week and are neighbours. What better reason to work together? Sometimes, it's just meant to be. I love this band's energy and work ethic.
"Who the f k is Barry? Who the f k is Mike? Who the f k is Rik? And what the f k is a Mye_Taai? It’s all-day authentic, it’s original, it’s for the future. You’ll get it in five years or sooner than that. No apologies, no filter. A big celebration, error and ultra parties. And it is: we just do."
- Mye_Taai from The Hague, NL - "Rave Club Punk"
Adding my network and experience to your team, so you can keep making music.
BirdPen Business Manager
BirdPen is an English duo formed by Dave Pen (guitarist-vocalist in Archive) and Mike Bird (Archive guitarist). Their music blends alternative rock, electronics and atmospheric textures with strong songwriting. Building on our relationship of almost two decades, I support BirdPen in their creative journey and in finding partners where I can.
“With a sound that draws comparisons with the likes of Wire, My Bloody Valentine and Radiohead amongst many others, BirdPen bring together a distinctive blend of distorted psychedelic guitars, strong base lines, experimental electronica and Krautrock often creating cinematic and uplifting moods, albeit with a defined narrative to deliver. And having received a nomination for Best European Independent Album at the IMPALA Awards for a previous album, there is a clear indication that this is a band on the right path. Strangely it appears that BirdPen are more widely acknowledged across the European continent than in their own backyard in the UK so there is still much to unlock from their undoubted potential. It may be that All Function One is just the album to do that and you are well advised to have a listen.”
- Louder Than War
Money matters. Recommended resources and a thank-you discount for my community.
With over four decades in music and rights, Lionel Lodge has worked across licensing, sync, publishing, and creative practice, alongside a successful career as a touring artist and producer.
As CEO of the award-winning SyncLodge and an educator at major institutions, he brings grounded expertise on royalties, IP, and music industry systems, insights reflected throughout these publications.
A useful guide for independent artists, labels, and rights managers planning to grow internationally or reinforce their local strategy.
Empower Creatives, by Lionel Lodge
A global eBook series charting music-support systems country by country. What you’ll find: • Grants, export offices, and creative-support bodies • Cultural infrastructure insights • Straightforward guidance for building sustainable international careers
If you manage catalogues, negotiate rights, or support artists, this is a detailed resource on how income flows through collecting societies worldwide.
Rights & Revenue, by Lionel Lodge
A 300+ page global analysis of how music rights societies distribute income in practice Includes: • Verified payout benchmarks across PROs and CMOs • Country-by-country licensing systems • Practical guidance for creators, publishers, and platforms
Also available
Empowering Creatives
Europe, UK, Northern Europe, Southern Europe, Central Europe, Western Europe, Eastern Europe New England, Mid-Atlantic, East North Central, West North Central, South Atlantic, South Central, Mountain Global, Canada
The more informed our creative community becomes, the better positioned we all are
Enter code at checkout: 7IH7E80D6R
Buy a book and enjoy free updates and new editions of that book for 12 months. Share code with your contacts and theirs!
with Mye_Taai, Roodkapje, Rotterdam, September 2025
"A punk vibe drenched in electronics, incredibly nimble fingers on the controls, and a singer who conjures something new from his vocal arsenal with every line, almost seeming to speak sign language with his hand movements..."
- 3voor12 Rotterdam | review Roodkapje 16 Sep 25 show
with Ian Pickering, MiCannes Conference, May 2026
There's a lot of sharks out there, beware!
Artist management partner - Mika Karhumaa
Mika Karhumaa is an artist manager, industry strategist and author with over 30 years in the international music business. His book The Art of Music Business Management – For Artists & Managers (2nd Edition, 2024) is widely used in universities worldwide, and he lectures regularly on the subject. Mika supports artists with career development and co-management, and provides guidance on building a visible and credible online presence, an essential skill in the AI era. I can connect you with Mika if his services are of interest.
Testimonial
“Mika and I have been collaborating for many years. He is not your typical artist manager. Mika devotes genuine, no-strings-attached time and encouragement to many people. He is my go-to advisor on management technicalities, always honest and consistently putting the interests of others before his own.”
- Mandy Salem-Aubry | Managing Director, MSA Music Services