Inside the Playbook: J Erving III on The Skill Every Music Manager Needs

In this Manager’s Playbook clip, J. Erving unpacks a “superpower” that’s quietly responsible for most long careers in the music business: surrounding yourself with the right people, reading the room, and staying calm under pressure.

He connects it to boxing, where the real skill isn’t just throwing punches, it’s staying composed enough to see what’s happening, position yourself, and set up the next move. He shares a story about getting caught in the final seconds of sparring after letting his guard down, and how that lesson translates directly to leadership: you don’t coast because you think you’ve already won, you finish the round.

From there, we talk about the music industry’s “what have you done for me lately?” reality, especially after closing a management chapter with Troy Carter. J explains why music managers are entrepreneurs, no one is coming to hand you the next opportunity. You have to build it, create it, and keep moving.

He also speaks on staying connected to younger leaders through real, non-transactional relationships, and why rebuilding Human Re Sources required becoming a student again, learning from the independent era, the community, and the people closest to where culture is shifting next.

If you’re an independent artist, music manager, A&R, or aspiring music executive, this clip is a sharp reminder: composure, positioning, and team-building are career skills, not personality traits.

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/0PE3sW1MLfGpxE7cb3iMeK?si=eo75Qd0AQbSANSXHzE2uDw

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

Denne episoden er hentet fra en åpen RSS-feed og er ikke publisert av Podme. Den kan derfor inneholde annonser.

Episoder(331)

Inside the Playbook: James Beshara on Why Most Music Artists Quit

In this clip from The Manager’s Playbook, Mauricio Ruiz and James Beshara talk about purpose, burnout, validation, and what it really means to build with intention.James breaks down the idea that “ind...

23 Jul 0s

Inside the Playbook: James Beshara on Why the Solo Genius Myth is Killing Your Music Career

In this clip from The Manager’s Playbook, Mauricio Ruiz and James Beshara break down why success in any creative career usually comes down to people, practices, and tools.James challenges the myth of ...

22 Jul 0s

The Manager’s Playbook 075: James Beshara - Silicon Valley, Artist Development, Trust, Wellness & Music Business

In this episode of The Manager’s Playbook, Mauricio Ruiz sits down with angel investor, musician, founder, creator, and Magic Mind CEO James Beshara for a different kind of music business conversation...

19 Jul 2h 26min

Inside the Playbook: Amber Grimes on The Mistake Every Music Executive Makes

In this clip from The Manager’s Playbook, Mauricio Ruiz sits down with Amber Grimes, EVP, GM, and partner at Love Renaissance (LVRN), to talk about self-advocacy, asking questions, and learning the bu...

11 Jul 18min

Inside the Playbook: Amber Grimes on The Visual Strategy That Makes Artists Memorable

In this clip from The Manager’s Playbook, Mauricio Ruiz sits down with Amber Grimes, EVP, GM, and partner at Love Renaissance (LVRN), to talk about what makes artists memorable in today’s music busine...

10 Jul 26min

Inside the Playbook: Amber Grimes on The New Rules of Artist Branding

In this clip from The Manager’s Playbook, Mauricio Ruiz sits down with Amber Grimes, EVP, GM, and partner at Love Renaissance (LVRN), to talk about what artists need beyond the music.Amber breaks down...

9 Jul 22min

Inside the Playbook: Amber Grimes on How LVRN Builds Artist Rollouts

In this clip from The Manager’s Playbook, Mauricio Ruiz sits down with Amber Grimes, EVP, GM, and partner at Love Renaissance (LVRN), to talk about what goes into building artist rollouts that actuall...

8 Jul 21min

The Manager’s Playbook 074: Amber Grimes - LVRN, Artist Branding, Music Rollouts, Artist Development, Fan Communities & Music Business

In this episode of The Manager’s Playbook, Mauricio Ruiz sits down with Amber Grimes, EVP, GM, and partner at Love Renaissance (LVRN), for a real conversation about artist branding, music rollouts, an...

5 Jul 1h 43min