The Manager's Playbook

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.

In this clip from The Manager’s Playbook, Mauricio Ruiz breaks down the early days of managing Jessie Reyez and the strategy behind her breakout single, “Figures.”
Mauricio shares what made Jessie undeniable from the beginning: her work ethic, voice, authenticity, and the team that helped build the foundation around her. He talks about the role of The Remix Project, Junia-T, Byron Wilson, Dana Meyerson, Spotify relationships, and how “Figures” gained momentum through FADER, Zane Lowe, and New Music Friday.
The conversation also gets into the major label bidding war that followed, why the team chose Island Records, and how doing a publishing deal before the label deal helped create leverage.
This one is for artists, managers, and young music executives trying to understand artist development, rollout strategy, publishing, record deals, and how to build momentum before signing.
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:
Jessie Reyez, Mauricio Ruiz, artist management, “Figures,” Spotify New Music Friday, FADER, Zane Lowe, Island Records, publishing deals, major labels, artist development, Toronto music culture, and The Manager’s Playbook.

In this clip from The Manager’s Playbook, Mauricio Ruiz breaks down how he helped build Mad Ruk Entertainment into one of Canada’s biggest music video production companies.
Mauricio reflects on the shift from million-dollar music video budgets to the digital era, where taste, storytelling, and execution started mattering more than access to massive budgets. He shares how YouTube, behind-the-scenes content, and online platforms changed the way artists could market themselves visually.
He also talks about producing videos for artists like Avicii, Nicky Romero, SonReal, Future, and The Weeknd, including the viral Reddit moment behind SonReal’s “Everywhere We Go” and his experience executive producing Future’s “Low Life” featuring The Weeknd.
This conversation is for artists, managers, directors, producers, and creatives trying to understand music videos, content strategy, artist marketing, budgeting, and the people side of production.
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:
Mad Ruk Entertainment, music videos, artist marketing, content strategy, YouTube, Reddit virality, The Weeknd, Future, Avicii, Nicky Romero, independent artists, music video budgets, and building creative teams.

How did Mauricio Ruiz go from managing artists to building one of the music industry’s most trusted insider podcasts?
In this live, in-person episode of The Manager’s Playbook, the script gets flipped. Mauricio Ruiz sits on the other side of the interview to talk through his journey from film, door-to-door sales, and co-founding Mad Ruk Entertainment to managing Jessie Reyez and eventually building The Manager’s Playbook, moderated by Donavan Brown.
Mauricio breaks down the early lessons that shaped him: how music videos became artist marketing, why relationships matter more than people think, what it took to help build Jessie Reyez’s early momentum, and how “Figures” led to major label attention before the team chose Island Records.
He also gets into publishing, ownership, sales skills, team building, independent artist strategy, and why stepping away from management allowed him to build his own IP.
This episode is for artists, artist managers, aspiring music executives, creatives, 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/

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

How do artists get discovered on Spotify today?
In this clip from The Manager’s Playbook, Mauricio Ruiz and Bryan Johnson from Spotify talk about the future of music discovery, editorial playlists, algorithmic recommendations, and what artists should understand about Spotify for Artists.
Bryan explains why both editorial and algorithmic playlists still matter, how active listening signals like searches, saves, and direct adds influence discovery, and what actually happens when artists submit music through Spotify’s playlist pitch tool.
They also discuss sustainable artist careers, the role of human editors, and why real fan behavior still matters in an increasingly algorithmic music economy.
For artists, managers, and music executives, this is a clear look at how discovery works now and how artists can better position their music to be heard.
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 Covered:
00:00 Humans Behind Music Tech
00:07 Future of the Music Economy
00:47 Sustainable Artist Careers
01:07 Editorial vs Algorithmic Playlists
03:14 Active Listening Explained
04:57 Why Editorial Still Matters
05:17 Inside Spotify’s Pitch Tool
06:58 How Spotify Editors Listen
07:58 The 100,000 Tracks a Day Problem