Managing Established Acts and Their Rabid Fans
Artist managers know all about rabid fans. The good ones find ways to work directly with them that go beyond street team clichés. Fans wear animal costumes onstage, help determine tour routes and album track lists. They are certainly called upon to fund projects now. What parts of the artist-fan relationship are healthy? What parts are creepy and intrusive?
Presenters
Scott Booker began his career in the music industry as a clerk at Sound Warehouse in Midwest City. He moved on to manage the Rainbow Records chain in Oklahoma City while he was going to school at Central State University. Shortly after graduating with a degree from CSU in education, he met local band the Flaming Lips and began managing them in 1990, creating Hellfire Enterprises Ltd, an artist management company. Booker continues to work with three-time Grammy winning the Flaming Lips as well as up and comers Colourmusic, Stardeath and White Dwarfs and Horse Thief. He has also worked with Academy Award Nominee Elliott Smith, and other acts like Wheat and Mercury Prize nominees British Sea Power. In 2003 Booker co-founded World’s Fair Label Group – a service company that runs record labels for artists, so they can self release their own music. Several years ago he sold his ownership in World’s Fair to focus more on helping build the Academy of Contemporary Music at UCO. In less than two years the ACM@UCO has attracted nearly 500 students and has attracted artists like Roger Daltrey and Jackson Browne to the school for master classes. Scott lives in Edmond with his wife Jennifer and 5 year old son Harrison.