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The Association of Artist Managers (AAM) has announced the anticipated return of their flagship mentoring program Co-Pilot for another year, with applications opening today.

Delivered in partnership with Spotify and MMF Aotearoa and running from November 2023-April 2024, the program will support 10 early-mid career music artist managers – 8 AAM members and 2 MMF Aotearoa from New Zealand.

Artist managers are creative entrepreneurs, and amongst the most nimble creative business leaders that Australia and Aotearoa produces. They’re the CEO of the artist’s business, required to demonstrate skill, agility and leadership across all facets of the artist’s creative and business endeavours, nurturing diverse pathways and income streams to support thriving careers for artists. In today’s climate,  managers must be prepared to pursue, develop and manage global careers for their artists, and the disruption of the pandemic years has only accelerated changes in how artists and their managers are approaching all facets of an artist’s career.

The AAM’s core vision for Co-Pilot 2023 is to strengthen the management sector and promote sustainable career growth for  this next generation of creative entrepreneurs. Co-Pilot provides selected participants with access to essential peer-to-peer mentoring, professional development, networking opportunities and the latest industry-relevant information, supporting them as they navigate changes in the music industry and the next steps in their careers.

Backed by the invaluable support of Spotify, the AAM – Australia’s peak body for Australian contemporary music managers – is uniquely equipped to lead with experience and expertise, guiding this next generation of managers to upskill, update and re-future their businesses and those of their artists.

The Co-Pilot program will kick off with a 2 day, in-person workshop series at Spotify offices in Sydney/Eora on November 22nd and 23rd (flights, accommodation and catered lunches provided), and will be followed by peer-to-peer mentoring, one-on-one sessions with a Spotify team member, online professional development webinars and more. Upon completion of the program (April 2024), participants will each receive a $1500 AUD bursary to support their career and professional development.

“Spotify is proud to extend the AAM Co-Pilot program partnership into its third year to provide intimate tailored mentoring to upskill the next generation of artist managers in Australia and New Zealand. Artist managers are at the heart of the music industry; they’re negotiators, advisors, strategists, creatives and confidantes. By empowering the next crop of artist managers with in-depth insights into their artist’s Spotify for Artists data, goal setting and much-needed bursaries to kickstart their businesses, they will be better equipped to tackle the challenges of a modern artist manager. The entire music industry benefits from the Co-Pilot program and I am proud to see what previous graduates have achieved already.” – Jono Harrison, Spotify Australia + New Zealand Artist and Label Partnerships Lead.

Last year’s program was a huge success and saw both established and emerging managers benefiting from their interactions with each other. Some feedback from participants is below:

“Being immersed in a consistent ongoing dialogue with other managers during this trip is one of the strongest assets the Co-Pilot program offers. Management is the only role in the music industry which intersects with all areas of the artist’s business and this can result in shorter mentoring sessions feeling unproductive and limiting for the professional development of the participants. This trip, combined with mentoring sessions over several months, allows a focus on having many discussions which reflect the experience and ambitions of the mentees and is an invaluable way to share insights consistent with their long term development goals.” – Jess Keeley (Music, She Wrote) – 2022 Mentor

 “Co-Pilot was a really great way to connect with other managers and develop a sense of community around a role that can often feel isolating. It was great to take the time to review how the industry had changed in a post-pandemic landscape and how we could best adapt.” – Elise Naismith (Lemon Tree Music) – 2022 Australian Participant

“It was an honour to have been a part of a program that is dedicated to up-skilling music managers. Music managers are crucial to the industry but are often left to their own devices. I think it’s an important program to exist.” – Diaz Grimm (G7NG) – 2022 Aotearoa Participant

“It’s always helpful for managers to be able to speak openly and honestly with other people who may have walked in their shoes. The job is typically quite solitary and usually requires people to ‘put on a brave face’ so it’s useful to have a formal but private opportunity for more open discussions.” – John Watson (Eleven Music / JWM) – 2022 Mentor

Applications for Co-Pilot 2023 are now open and close Wednesday 30 August at midnight AEST.

Full program details, key dates and activities, eligibility criteria and a link to apply can be found at: www.aam.org.au/copilot2023

Please note that Australian applicants must be members of the AAM – and New Zealand applicants members of the MMF Aotearoa – to apply, as well as meeting other eligibility criteria.

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Pictured: participants, mentors and workshop facilitators from AAM’s 2022 Co Pilot program

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