There is no single piece of artist management software that does the whole job. Every manager runs a stack: storage, press kits, links, posting, email, calendars, contracts, rights data and merch. This guide goes category by category, says what each one has to do once you have three to ten artists, and lists what to check before you sign up for anything.
Start with the roster test
Most artist manager tools are built for one artist. At four artists, every tool becomes four logins, four bills and four places where something goes stale. Before features, run every tool through three questions:
- Can you reach every artist from one login without their password? Shared passwords break the day someone changes one.
- Does the data belong to the artist? If the relationship ends, the artist’s catalog, fans and files should stay with the artist. A tool that puts everything in the manager’s account makes that exit messy.
- Does it stay current without you? A press kit you re-export every month is a press kit that is wrong most of the month.
The guide to managing multiple artists covers the weekly rhythm; this article is about the tools underneath it.
1. File storage
What it has to do: hold masters, stems, artwork, photos, contracts and video for each artist, in a folder structure that is the same for every act, with sharing you can revoke.
Dropbox and Google Drive are the usual answer, and both do the job. The roster problem is structure. Decide one naming rule (artist, year, release, asset, version) and one folder layout, and apply it to every act on the first day. A shared folder per artist, owned by the artist and shared with you, is easier to hand back than one that lives in your account.
What to look for: per-folder permissions, link sharing you can switch off, and enough space for uncompressed audio and video.
Artist Results keeps each artist’s songs, albums, videos and images in cloud storage inside their account, with stream-only or download links when you send a track out. Contracts and stems can stay in Drive or Dropbox.
2. Press kits (EPK)
What it has to do: give a booker, journalist or playlist curator one link with the bio, music, video, photos, press, tour dates and current numbers, and stay current without a re-export.
The patchwork version is a Canva PDF rebuilt every release, which means one of your kits is always out of date. The EPK guide covers what goes in each section.
What to look for: a live link, numbers that update from the artist’s connected accounts, the artist’s own branding, and a PDF version for the people who still ask for one.
Every Artist Results plan includes a live EPK with streaming and social numbers that stay current, custom colors, fonts and logo, and a designed PDF version.
3. Link-in-bio and smart links
What it has to do: put several destinations behind the one link a social profile allows, and route fans to the right streaming service for a new release.
Linktree is the best-known link-in-bio tool; Linkfire is built for music smart links. Either works. The roster question is whether each artist has their own account and whether the links get updated on release day. A link page pointing at last year’s single is an avoidable miss.
What to look for: one account per artist, click reporting by destination, and someone on your team who owns the release-day update.
4. Social scheduling
What it has to do: let you plan and schedule posts for several artists across several networks, see what went out, and read what worked.
General schedulers such as Buffer and Later support the major networks, and plenty of managers use them. The roster cost is the setup: each artist’s networks connected, each calendar kept separate, reports read per act.
What to look for: posting to every network the artist actually uses, a calendar per artist, reports per platform, and access that does not require the artist’s passwords. The social media guide makes the case for one platform done well per artist rather than five done thinly.
On Artist Results Platinum and Diamond plans, posting to every major platform runs from one screen inside each artist’s account, with scheduling, campaigns and reports on followers, reach and engagement per platform.
5. Email and fan CRM
What it has to do: capture fans, tag them, email them, and run automated sequences, with the list owned by the artist.
Mailchimp is the general-purpose default. Laylo is built for music drops and lets fans sign up for alerts by email, phone or Instagram DM. If you are comparing contact and CRM tools specifically, the artist CRM comparison goes through them in detail.
What to look for: sign-up forms, tags and notes on each contact, templates, automations, and an export the artist can take anywhere. The fan list is the asset that should never move with the manager.
Artist Results Diamond includes fan sign-up forms, contacts with tags and notes, email templates, email automations, and every fan comment in one inbox, all inside the artist’s account.
6. Calendars and booking
What it has to do: show every show, session, release date and deadline for each artist, and keep holds, offers and confirmed dates straight.
A shared Google Calendar per artist covers most rosters. Agencies and larger teams use booking platforms such as Gigwell, which handle bookings, contracts, invoicing and logistics in one system.
What to look for: one calendar per artist with color-coded holds and confirmations, sharing with the artist and crew, and a single owner for each date.
Artist Results does not do booking. It does keep each artist’s tour dates on their EPK, and Platinum and Diamond plans can sell tickets to show dates with QR check-in at the door. The first indie tour guide covers the booking side.
7. Contracts and accounting
What it has to do: hold signed agreements where you can find them, track what each artist earned and spent, and produce the numbers your commission is calculated on.
This is usually an e-signature tool, a folder of signed PDFs and accounting software such as QuickBooks, or an accountant who works with musicians. Keep each artist’s money in its own books or at least its own class, so commission statements are easy to defend.
What to look for: signed copies stored per artist, income tracked by source (streaming, live, merch, sync, publishing), and statements the artist can read.
Artist Results is not an accounting or contracts tool.
8. Rights and catalog data
What it has to do: hold, for every song, the ISRC for each recording, the ISWC for the composition, every writer and publisher with their split, and each writer’s PRO and IPI number.
For most rosters this lives in a spreadsheet, a distributor dashboard, the PRO portals and a publishing administrator such as Songtrust. The most common problems are a recording carrying two ISRCs after a re-upload and splits that differ between the split sheet and the PRO registration. The ISRC guide, the split sheet guide and the PRO comparison cover each piece.
What to look for: the codes and splits stored on the song itself, in the artist’s account, so they travel with the catalog.
Every Artist Results plan stores ISRC, ISWC, writers, publishers, splits and credits on each song in the music library, and songs can be registered with ASCAP, BMI and SOCAN from the song page.
9. Merch and live sales
What it has to do: sell merch online and at shows, pay the artist directly, and tell you which artist each sale belongs to.
Shopify is the common online store, and Spotify for Artists can connect a Shopify store so merch shows on the artist’s profile. Bandcamp sells music and merch together.
What to look for: a store per artist, payouts to the artist’s own account, and a way to sell at the show from a phone.
On Artist Results Platinum and Diamond plans each artist gets a merch store and booth mode for selling at shows from a phone. Fans pay the artist directly, and Artist Results keeps a 1.5% platform fee.
The roster stack on one page
| Category | Common tools | The roster requirement |
|---|---|---|
| File storage | Dropbox, Google Drive | One folder layout, owned by each artist |
| Press kits | Canva PDF, website page, live EPK | Live link, numbers that update themselves |
| Links | Linktree, Linkfire | Updated on release day, every act |
| Social scheduling | Buffer, Later, native apps | Calendar and reports per artist, no shared passwords |
| Email and fans | Mailchimp, Laylo | List owned by the artist |
| Calendars and booking | Google Calendar, Gigwell | One calendar per artist, one owner per date |
| Contracts and accounting | E-signature, QuickBooks, an accountant | Books kept per artist |
| Rights data | Spreadsheets, PRO portals, Songtrust | Codes and splits on the song |
| Merch | Shopify, Bandcamp | Store per artist, paid to the artist |
Where Artist Results fits
Artist Results covers the press kit, the catalog with rights data, social posting, fans and email, and merch, inside each artist’s own account. It does not replace your accountant, your contracts folder, your booking agent or your distributor. Artist Results is software, not a management company, label or distributor.
The manager side is simple. A manager account is free: choose “Manager” at sign-up, and the hub lists every artist on your roster with their plan and status. Pick an artist, press Continue, work in their account, go back and pick the next. You can invite an artist who already has an account or create one for them. The Artist Results for Managers page walks through it.
FAQ
Is there one piece of artist management software that does everything?
No. Contracts, accounting and booking are specialist jobs, and most managers keep separate tools for them. The goal is fewer tools, each passing the roster test, with the artist’s data in the artist’s account.
What should I consolidate first?
The press kit and the catalog. They are the two things that go stale fastest across a roster, and they are the two things bookers, press and societies ask for.
Do I pay for my own manager account?
On Artist Results, no. Manager accounts are free. Each artist needs a paid plan, which the artist can pay for, or you can pay for several artists at once from the Billing tab. Ask us about roster pricing.
What happens to an artist’s data if I stop managing them?
On Artist Results, nothing in the artist’s account moves. The artist owns the account and the data; your access ends and that is all.
Which plan does each artist need?
Every plan includes the live EPK, music library and AI writing assistant. Platinum adds social posting, reports and merch. Diamond adds fan forms, contacts, email and the fan inbox. Plans are $15.99, $25 and $49.95 a month per artist.
The bottom line
The right artist management software is a short stack where every tool passes three tests: one login for you, data owned by the artist, and information that stays current without you. Keep specialists for contracts, money and booking. Put the press kit, catalog, posting, fans and merch in the artist’s own account and work inside it. That is how Artist Results for Managers is set up, and the manager account is free. Start your first artist’s 7-day free trial on Gold or Platinum monthly and add them to your hub.