The Manager's Playbook

Matt Hansen joins Mauricio Ruiz on The Manager’s Playbook to break down the real business behind touring as an independent artist.
Matt explains how he used short-term distribution deals to fund touring and releases, why he kept ownership of his earlier songs, and how opening for artists like Train, Teddy Swims, Alec Benjamin, and Lauv helped grow his audience.
He also talks about losing up to $140K on opening slots, turning live performance clips into streaming growth, and how “Let Em Go” jumped from around 90K to 600K daily Spotify streams.
This conversation also covers catalog ownership, touring ROI, front-of-house relationships, performing with no soundcheck, and why opening slots can be one of the best ways for artists to build leverage.
For independent artists, managers, music marketers, and aspiring music executives, this is a practical look at how touring can create value beyond the nightly settlement.
Simply put, a conversation like this doesn't come cheap.

Want your music everywhere, properly? DistroKid is a straightforward way for independent artists to distribute globally and keep momentum moving. https://distrokid.com/

Listen to the full episode here -
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/54E4CbJCx5Mc7tKAlwIySp?si=Vg5LiESwTBWKYKRsO6usiA

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

Matt Hansen went viral overnight after posting a one-take Frank Ocean “Godspeed” cover in a parking garage.
In this clip from The Manager’s Playbook, Matt joins Mauricio Ruiz to talk about what happened after the viral moment: going from 500 TikTok followers to 500,000 overnight, getting immediate major label interest, taking meetings alone while still at UCLA, and learning how to protect his leverage as an independent artist.
Matt also breaks down finding the right managers, using data to guide his cover strategy and branding, building a “mini label” around himself, staying independent through distribution, and investing in touring even when the early numbers did not make sense on paper.
This conversation is for independent artists, managers, music marketers, and anyone trying to understand how a viral moment can turn into a real music career.
Simply put, a conversation like this doesn't come cheap.

Want your music everywhere, properly? DistroKid is a straightforward way for independent artists to distribute globally and keep momentum moving. https://distrokid.com/

Listen to the full episode here -
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/54E4CbJCx5Mc7tKAlwIySp?si=Vg5LiESwTBWKYKRsO6usiA

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

Matt Hansen went from posting TikTok covers to building a billion-stream independent music career.
In this episode of The Manager’s Playbook, Matt joins Mauricio Ruiz to break down how a one-take Frank Ocean “Godspeed” cover in a parking garage took him from 500 followers to 500,000 overnight, sparked major label interest, and forced him to learn the music business fast.
Matt opens up about staying independent, finding the right managers, building a mini-label team, using distributor deals to fund growth, losing money on tour, turning opening slots into content ROI, collecting fan data, and separating CEO mode from artist mode.
This conversation is for independent artists, artist managers, music marketers, aspiring music executives, and anyone trying to understand how a viral moment can become a real career.
Simply put, a conversation like this doesn't come cheap.

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Want your music everywhere, properly? DistroKid is a straightforward way for independent artists to distribute globally and keep momentum moving. https://distrokid.com/

Watch the full episode on YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@managersplaybook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
New episodes drop Sundays @ 10am ET

Topics include: TikTok music strategy, artist development, touring, opening slots, distributor deals, catalog ownership, fan data, songwriting, content strategy, and Matt’s debut album Orchid.

Listen to more episodes of The Manager’s Playbook wherever you get your podcasts.

How The Manager’s Playbook Became Music’s Insider Podcast
In this clip from The Manager’s Playbook, Mauricio Ruiz shares why he created the podcast and how it became a way to give music industry knowledge back to the community.
Mauricio talks about stepping away from artist management, wanting to build his own IP, and turning private “inside baseball” conversations into a public platform for artists, managers, executives, and creatives.
He also shares how the podcast started with Troy Carter as the first guest, why Toronto is at the heart of the mission, and how Erica and Mel helped build the show through trial and error.
This one is for artists, managers, aspiring music executives, and anyone trying to understand how the music business really works.
Simply put, a conversation like this doesn't come cheap.

Want your music everywhere, properly? DistroKid is a straightforward way for independent artists to distribute globally and keep momentum moving. https://distrokid.com/

Listen to the full episode here -
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/0EpX71F9JklAmZAEdXsRKA?si=877g60VXRImVmjV0j-ud6A

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

Topics include:
The Manager’s Playbook, Mauricio Ruiz, Troy Carter, artist management, music business, Toronto music scene, building IP, podcasting, music executives, independent artists, publishing, content strategy, and giving back to the community.

When Is an Artist Ready for a Manager?
In this clip from The Manager’s Playbook, Mauricio Ruiz breaks down what artists and managers should understand before working together.
Mauricio talks about why management is rooted in value, trust, communication, and the ability to sell a vision. He explains how a sales background can help managers build thick skin, ask better questions, read the room, build rapport, and turn conversations into real next steps.
The conversation also covers creative ways artists can build teams when cash is limited, including offering points on masters, as well as basic music publishing concepts like songwriter share, publisher share, mechanicals, performance rights, and sync.
This one is for artists, managers, and aspiring music executives trying to understand how to build real relationships in the music business.
Simply put, a conversation like this doesn't come cheap.

Want your music everywhere, properly? DistroKid is a straightforward way for independent artists to distribute globally and keep momentum moving. https://distrokid.com/

Listen to the full episode here -
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/0EpX71F9JklAmZAEdXsRKA?si=877g60VXRImVmjV0j-ud6A

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

Topics include:
Artist management, music business, sales skills, networking, building relationships, master points, independent artists, music publishing, songwriter share, publisher share, sync, performance royalties, and The Manager’s Playbook.