The Manager's Playbook

In this clip, LaRussell and Tietta Mitchell break down a lesson a lot of artists learn too late: before you hire help, you need to understand the work yourself.
They talk about why doing every part of the business early on - content, posting, editing, ticketing, emails, calendars, and operations - makes it easier to train people, delegate clearly, and scale without losing standards. The conversation also traces how Tietta became essential to LaRussell’s growth: first by spotting the TikTok opportunity, then proving her value through consistency, curiosity, and learning the music business from the ground up.
If you’re an independent artist, manager, or creative operator trying to understand artist management, delegation, team building, music business education, and how to scale an independent career the right way, this is a real blueprint.
Simply put, a conversation like this doesn't come cheap.

If you’re earning publishing income, make sure you’re collecting all of it. KOSIGN, powered by Kobalt, offers direct global publishing collections and real-time royalty transparency in a flexible, artist-friendly format. It’s highly selective, but free to apply here: https://bit.ly/4b438pj

Listen to the full episode here -
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/4gh5xJy3JaJikr9JEEIZAC?si=tQwOj5sGRFKts7KWvPw3Bw

Watch the Episodes On Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@managersplaybook

Most artists don’t hate ads. They hate what bad ads reveal.
In this clip, LaRussell breaks down how he actually uses ads as an independent artist: not to force Spotify streams or fake momentum, but to amplify content that already proved itself organically. The strategy is simple but disciplined: run awareness ads behind posts that are already winning, then use retargeting, lookalike audiences, and city-specific campaigns to turn attention into real outcomes like ticket sales, merch sales, fan growth, and direct-to-fan revenue.
He also explains why shares and comments matter more than vanity metrics, how he thinks about customer acquisition cost, and why great music marketing isn’t about buying visibility. It’s about scaling demand that already exists.
If you’re an independent artist, manager, or music entrepreneur trying to understand how Meta ads, fan conversion, touring strategy, merch marketing, and artist growth actually work, this is a strong one.
Simply put, a conversation like this doesn't come cheap.

If you’re earning publishing income, make sure you’re collecting all of it. KOSIGN, powered by Kobalt, offers direct global publishing collections and real-time royalty transparency in a flexible, artist-friendly format. It’s highly selective, but free to apply here: https://bit.ly/4b438pj

Listen to the full episode here -
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/4gh5xJy3JaJikr9JEEIZAC?si=tQwOj5sGRFKts7KWvPw3Bw

Watch the Episodes On Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@managersplaybook

LaRussell didn’t partner with Roc Nation because he needed a machine. He partnered because he built one first.
In this clip of The Manager’s Playbook, LaRussell and his manager Tietta Mitchell break down why the Roc Nation deal made strategic sense for an already thriving independent artist business. They talk about globalizing what they’ve built, expanding into radio, publicity, DSP relationships, and late-night TV, and why the right label partnership should add value without taking control.
The conversation gets into the real mechanics of a modern record deal: a non-exclusive, short-term, project-based structure, freedom to keep releasing music independently, and the importance of negotiating label deliverables, not just artist obligations. They also speak on contract language, ownership, autonomy, direct lawyer-to-lawyer communication, and what JAŸ-Z’s influence actually meant in the bigger picture.
If you’re an artist, manager, executive, or music entrepreneur trying to understand how independence, leverage, artist development, publishing, and strategic partnerships really work in today’s music business, this episode is for you.
Simply put, a conversation like this doesn't come cheap.

If you’re earning publishing income, make sure you’re collecting all of it. KOSIGN, powered by Kobalt, offers direct global publishing collections and real-time royalty transparency in a flexible, artist-friendly format. It’s highly selective, but free to apply here: https://bit.ly/4b438pj

Listen to the full episode here -
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/4gh5xJy3JaJikr9JEEIZAC?si=tQwOj5sGRFKts7KWvPw3Bw

Watch the Episodes On Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@managersplaybook

LaRussell is the rare independent artist who didn’t partner with Roc Nation because he needed a label. He partnered because he built enough leverage to make the label behave like a partner.
In this episode of The Manager’s Playbook, LaRussell and his manager Tietta Mitchell break down the real strategy behind signing with Roc Nation (and what artists and managers get wrong when they hear the word “signed”). We talk record deal negotiation, non-exclusive licensing deals, and how to demand label deliverables instead of vague promises. They explain how alignment with the right people, clear success metrics (radio, press, DSP relationships, late night, sustained fan growth), and protecting autonomy can turn a major partnership into a growth lever, not a loss of independence.
Then we get into the operating system: how LaRussell’s team runs independent artist infrastructure (touring, merch, releases, content), why his marketing focuses on awareness ads over streams, how retargeting and funnels actually work for artists, the difference between clipping vs seeding, and why reinvesting into a contractor-based operation is the real “major label machine” built in-house.
If you’re an artist, manager, A&R, or music entrepreneur trying to understand how independent artists make money, how modern label partnerships should work, and how to scale a music career without losing control, this one’s a blueprint.
Simply put, a conversation like this doesn't come cheap.

If you’re earning publishing income, make sure you’re collecting all of it.KOSIGN, powered by Kobalt, offers direct global publishing collections and real-time royalty transparency in a flexible, artist-friendly format. It’s highly selective, but free to apply here: https://bit.ly/4b438pj

Watch the full episode on YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@managersplaybook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
New episodes drop Tuesdays @ 10am ET

Chapters:

00:00 Roc Nation Partnership (Independent Artist Scale)
01:21 Artist Management Alignment (Meeting the Team)
03:07 Record Deal Negotiation (Artist Proposes Terms)
04:38 Licensing Deal Explained (Short-Term Structure)
07:01 Non-Exclusive Record Deal (Keep Dropping Music)
13:40 When a Label Deal Makes Sense (Partnership vs Dependency)
15:44 Labels Don’t Develop Artists (Modern Artist Development)
18:16 Contract Process & Entertainment Lawyer (Paperwork Fast)
20:54 JAŸ-Z / Roc Nation Resources (Access Without Giving Up Control)
27:18 Defining “Independent Artist” (Leverage & Optionality)
30:16 DSP Relationships & Global Representation (Spotify/Apple/Press)
33:55 Music Business Success Metrics (Radio, PR, Growth)
41:55 Clipping vs Seeding (Content Distribution Strategy)
58:28 Paid Ads for Artists (Awareness Ads That Work)
01:00:31 Awareness vs Streams (Music Marketing Funnel)
01:06:06 Retargeting & Lookalikes (Meta Ads / Business Manager)
01:13:33 Artist Manager Role Evolution (From Helper to Operator)
01:22:22 Delegation & Scaling (Team Systems)
01:25:46 Team Structure Breakdown (Contractors, Ops, Live Days)
01:34:16 Reinvesting Into Infrastructure (Scaling the Business)
01:53:34 Revenue vs Profit (Music Business Money Talk)
02:03:04 Catalog vs Single Push (Release Strategy)
02:13:28 Offer-Based Booking (Touring + Monetization)

In this clip from The Manager’s Playbook, we get into the unglamorous side of the music business that every independent artist eventually faces: release week feels stressful because you’re the label.
JMSN explains what it really means to self-fund your art, paying upfront for the rollout, the assets, and the overhead before you’ve made anything back. He breaks down the classic independent cash flow loop: release the project, tour to extract value from the album cycle, save what you can, and reinvest to finance the next record, while still paying for real life.
Then we talk music marketing and why JMSN has a real disdain for constant digital ads and billboard-style promotion. His long-game mindset is simple: invest in the product, protect the catalog, and let great work compound because the music is “out forever.”
There’s nuance, though. We separate album advertising from tour promotion, where ads can actually make sense because selling tickets is time-sensitive. We also get into promoter strategy, measuring ad baselines, building an email list, and why IRL postering can beat lazy online spend.
Simply put, a conversation like this doesn't come cheap.

If you’re earning publishing income, make sure you’re collecting all of it. KOSIGN, powered by Kobalt, offers direct global publishing collections and real-time royalty transparency in a flexible, artist-friendly format. It’s highly selective, but free to apply here: https://bit.ly/4b438pj

Listen to the full episode here -
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/5v5XObpCdwwXn5N1OD1cFQ?si=iKzKWbABSoCiaw9hZxeuvg

Watch the Episodes On Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@managersplaybook

Keywords: music business, independent artist, self-funding, touring strategy, tour marketing, music marketing, Meta ads, promotion strategy, release rollout, artist management, direct-to-fan, email list, catalog strategy