What its Like Being in Artist Management with Hughes Felizor

((Hughes Felizor- A&R, Artist Manager)

I was lucky enough to gain a recent interview with Mr. Hughes Felizor, A&R for Bad Boy Entertainment and Founder of Tri-Connect Entertainment & Management Inc., through my affiliation with Bad Boy as a Publishing intern there. He is a very busy man and a true “juggler” and I was so happy to get him to sit down for a minute to answer some of the artist management questions I had created for just him, and what he said was really helpful for any aspiring artist manager regardless if they are new or experienced in this line of work.

Q: Hey, please give us your name, title, and position.
A: My name is Hughes Felizor, A&R at Bad Boy Entertainment, Founder of Tri-Connect Entertainment & Management Inc.

Q: What is a typical day in the life for you as an artist manager?

A: Cool. My typical day consist of various follow-ups via phone and emails, discussions of the day's plan with all team members, seeking opportunities for our clients, arranging various studio/video projects, etc.

Q: Has the current economic conditions effected your business?
A: Yes. Today, we are still transitioning away from CDs to newer
available format compatible with the web and mobile devices. Most in
the music industry are still looking for a profitable way to sell
high-quality music online/mobile devices, while maintaining the
product's integrity at 100%. Adjustments made by majors labels, to
protect themselves, have been drastic but there is still a long way to
go; I believe. In an effort to gain additional control of company
assets which mostly reside online now, major labels must set the tone
enforcing various laws for their artists and, own sake. Unfortunately,
current economic conditions push people to acquire pirated music,
usually available before scheduled releases, for free. Free, doesn't help the situation if it wasn't intended

Q: What personality traits/or characteristics does an artist manager need to be a great artist manager and a successful one?
A: You have to be a team player first and far most. Problem-solver, have patience and be able to work under any given conditions. That is the truth.

Q: What part of your job do you find most satisfying? Most challenging?
A: The most satisfying part of the job is accomplishing what was
planned. Its great to see a team of different people working towards
the same goal with same, or greater passion. The most challenging is
finding the right clients; everyone wants to be an artist but only a few work consistently work to perfect their craft.

Q: How valuable is maximizing the effectiveness of an artist’s development team?
A: In my opinion, the team is everything. It is the company's foundation. If its weak, everything else will be as well. Its very valuable to get everyone on the same page.

Q: What type of training or education do you think is required in this position?
A: Besides street education lol, some training in business of course and financing. Understanding how this business works from being in it and that only comes from experience and learning.

Q: Any special advice for someone new entering this field?
A: My advice would be to do your homework because, keep in mind that
whoever you are managing career is in your hands.

Big shout out to Hughes for allowing me to ask him these questions for my blog and readers, it is much appreciated.

You can find Mr. Felizor on Facebook or Twitter @yooggie.