Manager Spotlight offers a small insight into the heads of incredible managers. This week in the spotlight is Anthony Faulkner.

How long have you worked in Management? 

I’ve worked in artist management and record label management for over the past two years. I graduated a music business course at BIMM Brighton in 2019. I really wasn’t sure on where I first wanted to be before starting out in music, that didn’t necessarily daunt me too much,  I just knew that I was going to throw myself 100% into anything I got involved in.

I used the time during uni to study and to try out a few different roles between PR, booking agencies and working in clubs but felt my personality and skillset lent itself towards artist and label management.

I now co-run an artist management company called The Wild Seeds with my esteemed colleague James Bullock who started the company in 2016, the roster includes Alexis, Derrick Carter, Guy Andrews, Max Cooper and Rob Clouth. I’m also label manager for an audio/visual and electronica label Mesh that was founded by Max Cooper in 2018.

Who do you manage now?

I represent 2 artists, Alexis and Rob Clouth. I also freelance tour manage for two bands, FUR and Egyptian Blue.

Where did you find your first client and what inspired you to take them on?

The first artist I started working with is Rob Clouth, I was inspired to work with Rob as his music pushes the discipline forward of what electronic musicians can achieve. Rob focuses on fusing science, music and art within his sound whilst bringing in a further staggering depth to it all with his background as a software developer by where he incorporates his own homemade plug-ins. Rob describes sound as a block of marble, one that you have to chisel and sculpt to get the outcome you want. I do see it as we both ‘took each other on’, it’s very much a team effort.

What’s a good/bad day at work look like for you? 

If I’m honest each day has been filled with them in both measures. A good day is seeing the people you work with achieve their artistic and personal goals and helping to push each other each day to do the best work you and they can, and seeing a plan come together, there’s no better rush. The team I work within are all very supportive of one and other and we constantly strive to push each other forward.

A bad day can be letting a bad decision or something not going to plan get the better of you, it can easily happen, well at least for me, I think being kind to yourself can only help that and knowing that things will and do go wrong and how you remedy it with solutions can make up for it. I think some industry attitudes can attribute to a bad day, in which I sometimes fall on the mantra of the late and great Andrew Weatherall, “Don’t let the grubby opportunists get you down”.

What has been the highlight of your management career to date?

Working with the artists and people I do every day, and growing with them together. I still feel like I’m getting started and the best is hopefully yet to come.

What do you think are the big challenges for a manager in 2021?

There’s been quite a few, I really feel for everyone at the moment, it’s been difficult for everyone in so many different ways. I feel the amount of responsibility and all the different aspects the job has now has to encompass can be challenging. The main challenge is for everyone to keep motivated with such a shortage/no form of income without shows, practically impossible for most artists and teams. My door is always open if anyone feels the need to reach out and talk.

What music are you currently listening to?

I’ve been hammering all sorts at the moment, I’ve had the latest Com Truise LP on repeat, dabbled with a lot of Khruangbin, Octo Octa, Alexis, Lone, Upsammy, Anderson.pak, Shed, Orjerime, Logic 1000 and SG Lewis. (also tons of music on the Mesh label… Llyr, Reid Willis, Alex Banks, Rob Clouth, True Peak Limit, Indian Wells and Non Square).