<p><strong>Your weekly guide to the music biz and how it all works:</strong> don&#39;t forget - you can become a <a href="https://www.patreon.com/12218634/join">⁠⁠<strong>Superfan of the podcast for free – and access an extra 20 mins of show each week!</strong>⁠</a></p><p>This week, it&#39;s time for another interview with one of the people who make it all happen. Steve speaks to <strong>Niamh Byrne</strong>, who managed <strong>Blur, Elastica, and Turin Brakes</strong>, before founding Eleven management, which works with artists like <strong>Damon Albarn and Gorillaz</strong> – and she’s also the chair of the Music Managers Forum, the global organisation that represents music managers.</p><p>So... she is a great person to ask: what&#39;s it like being a manager today – and how is the role changing?</p><p>(As ever, our <a href="https://www.patreon.com/12218634/join" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow"><strong>Patreon Superfans</strong>⁠⁠</a> get a bit extra - you’ll hear the full unedited interview, including Niamh’s thoughts on AI and the future of management.)</p><p><strong>Niamh explains to Steve how:</strong></p><ul><li><p><strong>Great management is built on trust and vision</strong> — artists need operational backing while they create, and managers must hold the long-term destination and strategy.</p></li><li><p><strong>The manager role has expanded significantly</strong> — managers now carry much of the execution workload that labels historically handled.</p></li><li><p><strong>How labels are still important</strong> — even though managers can now replicate many label functions, access to capital keeps traditional deals relevant.</p></li><li><p><strong>Manager-led campaigns are increasingly viable</strong> — teams can now run marketing, digital, data and fan strategy directly (as with upcoming Gorillaz releases).</p></li><li><p><strong>Managers are undervalued</strong> — despite delivering end-to-end commercial and operational value, compensation models often still reflect a “deal-maker only” role</p></li><li><p><strong>Adaptability is now a survival skill</strong> — with more release paths and tools available, managers must continuously evolve and build flexible, independent-capable business models.</p></li><li><p><strong>You can read Music Ally’s full report on the chat here too:</strong> <a href="https://musically.com/2026/01/26/today-managers-could-probably-do-everything-but-funding-is-really-difficult" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">https://musically.com/2026/01/26/today-managers-could-probably-do-everything-but-funding-is-really-difficult</a></p></li></ul><p>===================================</p><p><strong>As ever, we welcome your feedback, emails and – in particular</strong> – any questions you might have about how the music biz works!</p><p>Email us: <a href="mailto:[email protected]" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">⁠⁠</a><a href="mailto:[email protected]" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow"><strong>[email protected]</strong></a><a href="mailto:[email protected]" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">⁠⁠</a></p><p>See you next week!</p><p>Steve and Stuart</p><p>======</p><p>TPOM online: <a href="http://tpom.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">http://tpom.uk/</a></p><p>Support The Price of Music on Patreon:</p><p><a href="https://www.patreon.com/ThePriceofMusic" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">⁠⁠</a><a href="https://www.patreon.com/ThePriceofMusic⁠⁠" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">https://www.patreon.com/ThePriceofMusic⁠⁠</a></p><p>Follow Steve on X - @steve_lamacq</p><p>Follow Stuart on X - @stuartdredge</p><p>Follow The Price of Music on X - @PriceofMusicpod</p><p>For sponsorship opportunities, please email - <a href="mailto:⁠⁠[email protected]" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">⁠⁠[email protected]</a></p>