The role of the artist manager has been around for as long as there’s been pop music, but there’s arguably no other role or position in the industry that’s changed quite so significantly over the years.
As the world of independent music has become more and more deeply entwined into social media and candid personality branding, the manager’s role has become much less visible, but maybe more important than ever.
For any artist looking to take their next steps onto a larger stage, it can be difficult to know where to begin and how to get your foot in the door with management when you’re just starting to break out on your own.
But that can also be true for someone on the other side of that equation, someone like Bailey Stephens-Johns, a longtime indie music manager with the Tulsa-based Trip the Fan music group who is now striking out on her own with the new Pink Street Management, a boutique artist management firm born from necessity, but bolstered by the love that she’s developed for the work and for the artists that she represents.
Bailey Stephens-Johns: Pink Street kind of came out of necessity. The company that I was working with, Trip the Fan, they all decided to go in a different direction. And when they first told me, I cried.
What it felt like at the time was like, I'm just now building this momentum with my clients, and then with more conversations with the founder of Trip the Fan, I was just like “what if I did this on my own?”
And he was fully supportive of that, and has, like, helped guide me and launch Pink Street. So it really did come out of a place of like, either I keep going with this momentum that I've built or I don't, and I couldn't really imagine not keeping going.
Brett Fieldcamp: The level of confidence and commitment that Stephens-Johns says she’s taking into the new solo venture of Pink Street is a long way from where her management journey began just a few years ago, learning on the fly by representing Tulsa guitar-rockers The Odyssey.
Bailey Stephens-Johns: They just came to me like “we want you to manage us,” and I was like “I don’t know what that means. I don't know how to do that.”
Instead, what happened was I said yes, and we kind of developed that together
Brett Fieldcamp: As she continued developing her own knowledge and management style, her passion and personal touch put her on the radar of Trip the Fan, who brought her into the group and eventually into that management role for acts like Fayetteville’s Modeling and Oklahoma City breakouts stepmom.
Along the way, she’s learned firsthand about a manager’s role in the modern indie music scene juggling branding, booking, finances, and logistics, but also collaborating with the artists to build a cohesive voice and vision rather than simply directing or pulling strings behind the scenes.
Bailey Stephens-Johns: Something that all of us can relate to in this kind of like DIY hustle aspect, is having to take on every role. Like, you're not a photographer, you're also a content creator and a social media expert, and you know all of these things. And that's kind of what an artist manager does.
And so I want them to know that I have, in my heart, just as much investment in the project as they do. I think my ideal artist management relationship is one that, like, melds those two visions together.
Brett Fieldcamp: Of course, for a majority of young musicians, the most pressing question is how to get representation ad how to catch the eyes and ears of management like Pink Street. Stephens-Johns says it’s that willingness to collaborate on the bigger picture and to dig seriously into the work that is the main thing that she looks for when discovering or fielding artists to work with.
Bailey Stephens-Johns: I would see, are they playing shows? Are they talking about it in a professional manner? And then I'd probably come and see them at a live show, seeing how people interact with the crowd, interact with their fans.
Again, it's almost like everything comes down to, are they taking this seriously?
Brett Fieldcamp: With that kind of focus in mind, she not only envisions Pink Street as an avenue for new bands and artists to engage with the scene, but also for anyone interested in the management side of music to learn the same way that she did, and to fall in love in music and creation in the same way that she has.
Bailey Stephens-Johns: I felt like I can become a music manager, and now I am a music manager.
That's kind of what I want Pink Street to do for other people too, is the empowerment aspect. I want them to, like, know more and feel more empowered and feel confident in what their role is in the indie music scene.
This art just really moves me, and being able to work with people who are creating art that I relate to, it really shapes the way that I move forward and how I do my work, because they are inspiring me every day.
Brett Fieldcamp: You can keep up with the launch and evolution of Pink Street Management by following @pinkstreetmgmt on Instagram, and you can check out the first ever Pink Street Artist Showcase January 31st at Tulsa’s Riverside Studio, with performances from their full inaugural roster of bands.
For On the Scene, I’m Brett Fieldcamp. Now here’s Pink Street artist stepmom with “Survival Mode.”
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