Artist managers play a big part in the Illinois music scene. They are part of the daily roster of their clientele and help to shape careers in music. Artist managers book performances, organize promotional campaigns, help plan for albums, handle social media profiles, and handle other requirements. They handle the careers of artists while offering those performers a platform to go higher in this industry. Handling the brand, external partnerships and revenue streams of an artist is part of what they do.
It is a demanding role that necessitates a keen eye for detail, patience, commitment and passion. If you do not have any of those attributes, this field would not be for you. Josh Brusilovsky, Chicago’s influential talent booker, is relatively new to the role of artist management. Brusilovsky has a little over four years of experience working in the broader entertainment scene. Even so, the feature that makes him attractive to clients is his credibility. He owns an entertainment firm as well as has booked performances worth thousands of dollars for artists at different nightlife locations in Chicago and elsewhere in the nation.
Brusilovsky came to the city for DePaul University’s business education program as well as started promotions for nightlife venues to earn as a part-timer. In a few years, he upped his game and became an entertainment company’s owner. He not only set up a good run but was also using more than a dozen entertainment promoters before the epidemic period. The main task of those professionals was to promote his events across Chicago and sell tickets at the same time.
Soon, Josh Bru started working with some big-name industry participants, including celebrities, music fests and other impactful organizations in the city. He looked to get exclusive entry to big-ticket artist performances as part of the booking process. He makes arrangements for after-shows and after-parties to engage audiences and lure exciting talents. He works with a location, chiefly a nightclub or concert hall and makes a special effort to promote an event to ensure that it is successful. He runs full-scale marketing campaigns across Chicago to attract attendees.
His promoters handle the marketing process, which entails a campaign on social media with freebies and many prizes. They use different marketing techniques that are designed to drive not just ticket sales but also foot traffic to his events. Josh has a long list of clients established over time, so he does not find it challenging to attract bottle service customers. He regards booking artists as the most important and expensive aspect of marketing but makes it a point to do it right the first time. The bookings that he has made include Shoreline Mafia, Blueface, DJ Khaled, Travis Scott, Playboi Carti, Jack Harlow, Migos, Saweetie, and 24kGoldn.
As for Josh, a successful entertainment event makes thrice or fourfold more than the investments in artist bookings. He wishes to work directly with artists and feels that he has created enough connections over the last four years. Therefore, he wishes to use those contacts as part of what he does as an experienced artist manager. He also wishes to collaborate with some upcoming artists and help them with the career-building process. The Illinois music industry is competitive, and someone like Josh is a boon for the artists in it.
