New York, Business Management and Building Sustainable Artist Careers

By Sarah Anderson, Head of Music & Entertainment at BAND

Earlier this month, I travelled to New York with Rob Quinn, our Head of Creative Industries, for the 4th Annual Trusted Advisor Music x NYC Summit.

Held in a Greenpoint, Brooklyn loft on a sunny Thursday afternoon, the summit brought together leading advisors working across the music industry. It was exactly the kind of setting where conversations feel candid, energising and genuinely useful.

And one thing stood out.

Business management, built in from day one

Every time I spend time in the US music market, I’m reminded how embedded the business manager is within an artist’s core team.

In the States, the business manager often sits alongside the manager, agent and lawyer from an early stage. They are not brought in once the deals are done or when financial complexity has already built up. They are part of the structure from the beginning, helping shape decisions as a career develops.

That still feels a step ahead of where we typically are in the UK.

Here, financial visibility is too often something that gets added later. In the US, it is more commonly built in from day one. For artists, managers and advisors in the UK, there is something important to learn from that approach.

Why early financial visibility matters

For artists building cross-border careers, strong business management is not just helpful. It is central to how efficiently their operation runs.

The complexity builds quickly.

Income may arrive in multiple currencies. Withholding tax obligations can vary by territory. Country-by-country tax treaties need to be understood and applied correctly. Touring income has to be accounted for across different jurisdictions. Royalties, advances, fees and expenses all need to be brought into one clear picture.

Done well, business management connects all of this.

It supports tax planning and compliance. It improves cash flow forecasting. It helps integrate scattered income streams. Most importantly, it gives artists and their teams the visibility they need to make confident decisions, rather than reactive ones.

Since specialist tax advisory firm MDA joined BAND last year, we have been able to strengthen our Business Management offering in ways that are already helping us better support clients in music and entertainment.

The summit was a timely reminder of the standard we should be working towards.

A reminder of why the music matters

The trip also coincided with something more personal for our team.

We were fortunate to attend the Doc ‘N Roll NYC premiere of Sound of a Dream, a documentary about our client, DJ and artist Lee Burridge, directed by Hoj Jomehri.

The film traces Lee’s 40-year journey from a pub in a small seaside village in Dorset to stages including Fabric, Burning Man and Coachella. It follows the path that ultimately led to the creation of All Day I Dream: the global community, record label and festival series that has become such an important part of his legacy.

The screening took place in Brooklyn, where All Day I Dream began.

For many people in the room, those shows had soundtracked some of their best experiences. You could feel that in the atmosphere. It was a powerful reminder that behind every structure, every plan and every piece of advice, the work ultimately exists to support the music and the people creating it.

Looking ahead

New York has a way of sharpening your perspective on what is possible.

The summit reinforced something we believe strongly at BAND: artists who are best placed to build sustainable, cross-border careers are the ones with the right team around them from the start.

That means advice that is joined up. Financial visibility that is clear. Business management that is proactive, not reactive.

That is the standard we are working towards for our clients in the UK.

Sarah Anderson is Head of Music & Entertainment at BAND. She works with professional musicians and music businesses on financial strategy, business management and cross-border advisory.