Welcome to The Manager’s Playbook, my personal newsletter where I share insights from Music Executives and Artists for aspiring and emerging music managers, executives and artists on how to navigate the music industry. This newsletter is brought to you by Mauricio Ruiz.

Ruiz’s Note:

A Complete Fucking Mystery To Me. 

I’ll be real with you (As always).

When I first heard the term business manager in music, I had no idea what that person actually did. Taxes? Investments? Just some vague “money stuff”? 

No one could really describe the role to me in a way I understood it for quite some time. 

Then I tried getting one… and that was a whole mission. 

Don’t get me wrong, I eventually found someone who truly helped me get sorted in the earlier stage of my career. However, as time went by, I felt like there was more I needed to learn. Someone willing to guide the vision I have in mind. More importantly, someone willing and ready to execute on it. 

Enter Dan Gonzalez. 

Dan is one of the sharpest minds I’ve met in this business. We had the opportunity to get high level and granular on all things surrounding the business manager role in the latest episode of ‘The Manager’s Playbook’ Podcast

-Ruiz

THE MANAGER’S PLAYBOOK PODCAST

(FEAT. Dan Gonzalez)

The music industry loves its myth of the overnight success. A viral hit, a massive advance, a sold-out tour. But when the lights dim and the noise fades, the question becomes: what’s left?

The truth is, the modern artist is a company. And like any company, the ones that last are built on diversified, sustainable revenue streams.

In my conversation with Dan Gonzalez, one message was clear: artists who only count on their music income are already behind.

This episode of The Manager’s Playbook Podcast is about 3 things:

Revenue Streams.

Creating Capital.

Expanding Your Business.

Inside the Music Economy

The structure of music revenues is already more complex than most realize.

Masters, publishing, sync, neighbouring rights - each flows differently, with different rights holders, collection societies, and loopholes where money gets lost.

Touring and merch, long considered the heartbeat of the artist economy, are essential but risky, dependent on physical health, logistics, and constant demand. Without infrastructure, even big checks can vanish overnight.

That’s where the business manager comes in. Gonzalez is blunt about this: a true business manager isn’t just an accountant paying bills.

They’re the CFO of the artist’s enterprise. 

They audit royalties, structure entities, anticipate taxes before advances hit, and map a path from today’s income to tomorrow’s wealth.

At the core, these are still the traditional revenue drivers:

• Masters – Streaming, downloads, physicals. Ownership is leverage. Without it, you’re just participating.

• Publishing – Performance, mechanicals, syncs. Gonzalez reminds us: “Without the songwriting, there is no master composition.”

• Neighbouring Rights – International and satellite radio play. Many artists never collect these checks.

• Touring & Merch – The oldest engine in the business, but also one of the riskiest.

These are important, but they’re no longer enough.

Beyond the Music

Music creates cultural leverage. And leverage is what allows you to build outside of music.

We’ve seen it time and again - artists launching fashion houses, beverage brands, content studios, tech startups, hospitality ventures, and real estate portfolios. What begins as a hit song becomes the seed for a diversified empire.

The artists who thrive treat their career as a launchpad. They use music as the magnet, then build infrastructure around it:

• Consumer Brands – From Rihanna’s Fenty to Jay-Z’s Armand de Brignac, artists who understand culture become brand builders.

• Media & Content – Podcasts, film/TV production, YouTube channels. Artists aren’t just on camera, they own the content.

• Hospitality & Real Estate – From restaurants to nightclubs to property portfolios, this is how income becomes assets.

• Tech & Startups – Equity plays in fintech, gaming, Web3. The artist’s brand equity converts into ownership stakes.

• Creator Family Offices – Gonzalez points out how many business managers are evolving into “family offices” for artists, managing wealth, not just income.

The Catalog as Capital

And then there are catalogs. Gonzalez noted that:

Catalogs aren’t just creative works; they’re capital.

For some, they become liquidity events that clean up messy finances. For others, they’re the down payment on new businesses, the bridge from cultural capital to generational wealth.

Selling or leveraging a catalog creates liquidity, which can be reinvested:

• into new music ventures

• into businesses outside of music

• into generational wealth strategies

Watch Episode 35 with Dan Gonzalez LIVE NOW

1:1 CONSULTATIONS WITH RUIZ

I’m now offering 1-on-1 strategy sessions for artists, managers, and execs serious about building beyond music.

Fully tailored to you.

We’ll break down the traditional drivers—masters, publishing, touring, merch—and then map out how to leverage them into real equity: consumer brands, media, real estate, tech, even catalog plays that turn creative work into capital.

With 16+ years across management, development, brand, content, and marketing, I’ll bring honest insight and practical frameworks that move your career forward.

If you’re ready to invest in the long game and build the foundation for generational wealth, much like the above concepts discussed above with my business manager Dan Gonzalez, let’s get to work.

PODCAST WRAP UP

The truth is, the music industry doesn’t reward creativity alone.

It rewards structure. 

The artists who think of themselves not only as performers but as founders, investors, and CEOs are the ones who turn a moment into a legacy.

So the question is this: are you building a career around your music, or are you building a business beyond it?

One fades when the hits stop. The other can last for generations.

Full episode is out now on YouTube and your preferred streaming platforms.

Check out the full conversation with Dan Gonzalez and Ruiz for all the insights.

Share your thoughts with me on IG @mauroisruiz

Watch the episode with Dan Gonzalez NOW

DON’T FORGET to Subscribe to our YouTube Channel HERE

You can also listen to ‘The Manager’s Playbook’ Podcast on Spotify, Apple, Amazon and several other platforms HERE

Simply put, a conversation like this doesn’t come cheap.

-Ruiz

THE MANAGER’S PLAYBOOK DISCORD IS LIVE!

We’re Hosting Real Conversations, LIVE.

This week I’m bringing my brother Byron Wilson, manager to Jessie Reyez, into the Discord chat!

This Wednesday at 5pm EST/2pm PST, the legend Byron Wilson (manager to Jessie Reyez) will be hopping into our Discord for an in-depth discussion on artist development and touring.

No gatekeepers. No fluff. Just straight talk with the artist manager I know the best in this business and one of THE best in the business.

Nearly every week in our Discord, we’re going live for Q&As with music industry experts, pulling back the curtain on how the industry really moves.

You never know who might pop in and drop game.

Get in early.

Bio

I’m Mauricio Ruiz, the host and creator of The Manager’s Playbook podcast, dedicated to demystifying the world of music management, and Founder/CEO of 8 Til Faint, an Artist Management company with over 5 billion audio streams worldwide. Our past and current clients include Grammy nominated, Juno Award winning multi-instrumentalist and singer/songwriter Jessie Reyez, Skratch Bastid and more.

I am also the Co-Founder of Mad Ruk Entertainment, a content agency with over 3 billion long form video streams worldwide. Our client list includes The Weeknd, Eminem, and Celine Dion, along with renowned brands like Nike, Pernod Ricard and the NBA.

Follow me on IG @mauroisruiz

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