Tools · Music Manager Commission Calculator
Music manager commission calculator. How much do music managers take?
Enter the artist's yearly income, the commission rate, whether the deal is on gross or net, the length of the term and the sunset clause. The calculator shows the manager's share and the artist's share for each year of the term, the sunset tail after the term ends, and the totals. It follows general industry practice as described in what a music manager charges; every number is editable and nothing here is legal advice.
Commission calculator
Manager share per year
$15,000
15.0% of income
Artist share per year
$85,000
85.0% of income
Manager total, term plus sunset
$0
Sunset tail
$0
How this is calculated
- Commission base. On a gross deal the base is the artist's income. On a net deal the base is income minus the deductions you enter.
- Manager share per year = base × rate. Artist share = income minus the manager share.
- Term total = manager share × term years.
- Sunset tail. For each sunset year the rate is the full rate × (years remaining ÷ sunset length), applied to the post-term income you enter. Three years at 15 percent gives 15, 10, 5. With the sunset off, the tail is zero.
- Effective rate = manager share ÷ income, which is lower than the headline rate on a net deal.
Real agreements add detail the calculator leaves out: which income types are commissionable, expenses the artist reimburses, key-person clauses and how the deal ends. The contract guide and the questions to ask before signing cover those.
Questions people ask
How much do music managers take?
In general practice, 15 to 20 percent of the artist's income during the term of the agreement. The range seen in real deals runs from about 10 percent, usually a newer manager or a narrow scope, to 25 percent for some top managers of big artists. The calculator defaults to 15. Full write-up: what a music manager charges.
What is the music manager percentage on gross versus net?
Gross means the commission is taken on the money before costs. Net means certain costs are paid first and the commission is taken on what is left. A common middle path is gross on most income with specific costs, touring production and recording budgets for example, excluded before the commission is calculated. Switch the calculator to net and enter those excluded costs to see the difference.
How does the sunset clause change what the manager earns?
A sunset clause keeps the manager earning commission after the term ends, on income from deals made during the term, at a rate that steps down to zero over a set number of years. The calculator steps the rate down evenly: a 15 percent commission with a three-year sunset pays 15, then 10, then 5 percent on that post-term income. Without a sunset the artist can end up paying a former manager on old deals for years while paying a new manager on top.
What income is usually not commissionable?
Commonly excluded: money that pays for making records (recording budgets, producer fees), tour support, and money that passes straight through to others such as opening act buy-ons and some live production costs. The list is negotiated, so it should be written into the agreement. Enter those amounts as deductions on a net deal. More: what to look for in a management contract.
Is this calculator legal advice?
No. It shows general industry practice as arithmetic so the artist and the manager are looking at the same numbers before the lawyers do. Have your own music lawyer read the contract. The term, the rate, the deductions and the sunset are all negotiated, and the calculator takes whatever you enter.
More tools: streaming royalty calculator, US market entry budget planner. All tools: eshygazit.com/tools.
Last reviewed: November 6, 2026
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