Salary
Average Salary: $71,340
Expected Lifetime Earnings: $2,978,000
Salary is hard to define in this industry. It's really hit or miss. (And more likely a miss.)
Though a tiny number of band managers work for a salary, the majority work on commission (source). That means they get a certain slice of the band's gross earnings. ("Gross" is key here, by the way, because it means the band can lose money on a show, but they'd still owe you money. Phew.)
How big the slice of the pie managers get depends on how long the pie has been cooked, what ingredients it's made of, and how much people have generally liked this type of pie in the past.
Usually, managers for bands in the early part of their career earn closer to twenty percent of the earnings. But don't get too excited—remember that twenty percent of nothing is still nothing. Managers for established bands generally earn closer to ten percent.
Okay, okay. That's well and good, you're thinking, but how much would I really make in a year? That's really hard to say, because salaries for band managers range from $25,000 to $125,000 (source).
Median annual salary for music managers is around $60,000 (source), but again, it's hard to know on what side of $60,000 you're going to land. It all depends on your band; whether they're famous now or going to get famous in the future, and whether they'll be able to maintain a high standard of musical output for years to come.