Is it unhealthy to be a manager? And do managers actually get the recognition they deserve? That was one of the big questions at one of the panel debates during SPOT+ – and thus, the spotlight turns on managers’ – rather than musicians’ – mental well-being.
The panel consisted of manager Kat Jarby from Kaja Management, manager Arense Warny from Carrie Management, and Thomas Hyllested, who is an organizational consultant at the Danish Musicians’ Union. The debate was moderated by psychologist Simon Gents, who set the tone with the words:
“Although we rarely talk about it, managers face many of the same work issues as musicians: Uncertain finances, skewed work-life balance, a high level of competition in the industry, and so on. Additionally, managers often feel they have no one to turn to with problems, leading to many experiencing stress and dissatisfaction,” says Simon Gents.
Lost a good friend to suicide
Early in the debate, it became clear that the issue surrounding managers’ well-being is something that all three panelists have worked extensively with in their everyday lives. Kat Jarby, manager at Kaja Management, mentioned, for example, that in early 2024 she wrote a column for Kulturmonitor, in which she offered three suggestions for improving well-being.
“I wrote the column because I lost a friend who was a booking agent and manager, to suicide. It hit me hard. Among other things, I wrote that more transparency across the industry would help – so we’re not constantly throwing mud at each other because no one knows what others are doing,” says Kat Jarby and elaborates: “Managers do a lot of invisible work through calls, emails, research, and so on. More transparency would provide greater understanding – and therefore more empathy and respect.”
This assertion is something that manager Arense Warny can wholeheartedly support. As co-founder of the management agency Carrie Management, she is also a co-author of the manifesto on which the entire agency’s business is based – and transparency is likewise a keyword.
“Transparency is the first word we put on our manifesto. We expect everyone to be completely honest with each other – and I have the experience that the manifesto has a really good effect both internally and with artists and partners,” says Arense Warny.
The evil manager?
After a good debate about the importance of transparency, the panel addressed another central issue – namely, the perception of managers. According to the panel, this can be yet another reason why many managers feel pressured and lonely.
“It’s interesting that managers are often portrayed as ‘the evil manager’ who steals money from the musician. Many tend to forget that managers only earn money if the artist earns money – so there’s a lot of work to be done before we even get paid,” says Kat Jarby.
Thomas Hyllested, who through his work at DMF has advised hundreds of both musicians and managers and therefore has insight into both sides of the issue, agrees that managers are often made out to be antagonists on a completely unfair basis.
“At DMF, we believe that the vast majority of relationships between managers and musicians are conducted in a good and proper manner. It’s very few who are actually ‘the evil manager’,” says Thomas Hyllested, quickly backed up by Kat Jarby:
“Totally agree. In my opinion, the manager is the artist’s ally. We are on the artists’ side. And it would be wonderful – for once – to see a movie with a musician who has a really good manager,” says Kat Jarby, receiving great applause from those present in the room.
Text: Katrine Kynde Knudsen
Photo: Line Svindt
Er det usundt at være manager? Og får managere egentlig den anerkendelse, de fortjener? Det var et af de helt store spørgsmål til én af paneldebatterne under SPOT+ – og hermed bliver der altså vendt op og ned på det hele, når manageres – fremfor musikeres – mentale helbred løber med spotlyset.
Panelet bestod af manager Kat Jarby fra Kaja Management, manager Arense Warny fra Carrie Management samt Thomas Hyllested, der er organisationskonsulent hos Dansk Musiker Forbund. Debatten blev modereret af psykolog Simon Gents, som startede ud med at sætte tonen med ordende:
“Selvom vi sjældent taler om det, så står managere med mange af de samme arbejdsproblematikker som musikere: Usikker økonomi, skæv work-life balance, en høj grad af konkurrence i branchen og så videre. Derudover oplever managere ofte, at de ikke har nogen at gå til med problemer, og det fører til, at mange oplever stress og mistrivsel,” fortæller Simon Gents.
Mistede god ven til selvmord
Allerede tidligt i debatten blev det tydeligt, at problematikken omkring manageres trivsel er noget, som de tre paneldeltagere alle har arbejdet meget med i deres hverdag. Kat Jarby, manager hos Kaja Management, nævner blandt andet, at hun i starten af 2024 skrev en klumme til Kulturmonitor, hvori hun kom med tre bud på, hvordan trivslen kan forbedres.
“Jeg skrev klummen, fordi jeg mistede en ven, der var booking agent og manager, til selvmord. Det ramte mig hårdt. Jeg skrev blandt andet, at mere gennemsigtighed på tværs af branchen ville hjælpe – sådan så vi ikke hele tiden kaster mudder på hinanden, fordi ingen ved, hvad andre laver,” siger Kat Jarby og uddyber: “Managere laver meget usynligt arbejde gennem opkald, mails, research og så videre. Mere gennemsigtighed ville give større forståelse – og dermed mere empati og respekt.”
Denne påstand er noget som manager Arense Warny kan bakke helhjertet op omkring. Som medstifter af managementbureauet Carrie Management er hun nemlig også medskriver af det manifest, som hele bureauets forretning bygger på – og her er transparens ligeledes et nøgleord.
“Transparens det første ord, vi fik på vores manifest. Hos os er der en forventning om, at alle er fuldstændigt ærlige over for hinanden – og jeg har en oplevelse af, at manifestet har en rigtig god effekt både internt og hos artister og samarbejdspartnere,” fortæller Arense Warny.
Den onde manager?
Efter en god debat om vigtigheden af transparens, adresserede panelet en anden central problemstilling – nemlig opfattelsen af managere. Den kan nemlig, ifølge panelet, være endnu en grund til, at mange managere føler sig pressede og ensomme.
“Det er interessant, at manageren ofte fremstilles som ‘den onde manager’, der stjæler penge fra musikeren. Mange har en tendens til at glemme, at managere kun tjener penge, hvis artisten tjener penge – så der skal altså et stort stykke arbejde til, inden vi overhovedet får løn,” fortæller Kat Jarby.
Thomas Hyllested, der gennem sit virke hos DMF, har vejledt hundredvis af både musikere og managere og derfor har indblik i begge sider af sagen, er enig i, at managere ofte gøres til antagonister på et helt uretfærdigt grundlag.
“Hos DMF er det vores opfattelse, at langt de fleste relationer mellem managere og musikere foregår på en god og ordentlig måde. Det er forsvindende få, der faktisk er ‘den onde manager’,” fortæller Thomas Hyllested og bakkes hurtigt op af Kat Jarby:
“Helt enig. I min optik er manageren artisternes allierede. Vi er på artisternes hold. Og det ville være skønt – for én gangs skyld – at se en film med en musiker, der har en rigtig god manager,” siger Kat Jarby og møder stort bifald fra de tilhørende i lokalet.
Tekst: Katrine Kynde Knudsen
Foto: Line Svindt
