Free tool · for music managers
Music manager commission calculator
Work out what you're owed from an artist's income, stream by stream, using the terms in your management agreement. It also shows what you'll earn after the contract ends.
Your deal
Take these from the commission clause in your management agreement.
Income this period
For each stream, enter what came in and how your agreement treats it. "Net" takes off the costs you enter, such as tour costs or merch production.
Your commission
£0Breakdown
| Stream | Counts | Your cut |
|---|
An estimate based on what you enter, not financial or legal advice. The wording of your agreement decides.
After the contract ends: sunset commission
Many agreements keep paying you a falling share of your rate on deals done during the contract. Enter your sunset terms to see what that's worth.
| Year | Runs | Share | Your rate | Estimated commission |
|---|
Uses your normal rate from "Your deal". Leave a year at 0% if your clause stops sooner.
Want this worked out for you, from your real statements?
We're building a back office for music managers. It reads your distributor, PRS, label and promoter statements, applies the terms in each management agreement, and keeps what you're owed up to date. Join the waitlist for early access.
How manager commission works
Most artist managers are paid a percentage of what the artist earns, set out in the management agreement. In the UK and US, rates of 15% to 20% are common, though the exact figure is always a matter of negotiation.
Sliding scales
Some agreements change the rate over time, for example 20% in the first year falling in later years. Others lower the rate once the artist's income passes a set level, which this calculator can model with the income-tier option.
Gross or net?
The agreement says whether commission is taken from gross income or after certain costs. It often differs by stream: live income is frequently commissioned after tour costs, and merch after production costs, while streaming income may already arrive net of distributor fees.
What's often excluded
- Writer-side publishing income, unless the manager also arranged the publishing deal
- Tour support from a label
- Money passed through to producers or other contributors
- Income from deals signed before the agreement started
Sunset clauses
A sunset clause (also called post-term commission) lets a manager keep earning from deals done during the contract after it ends, usually at a falling share of the normal rate. Typical clauses run for one to three years, and the steps vary widely.
They're easy to lose track of, because the money keeps arriving long after the working relationship has ended.
Common questions
Is this calculator accurate for my deal?
It follows the terms you enter. Real agreements can include details it doesn't model, such as recoupment or specific exclusions, so treat the result as an estimate and check against your agreement.
Does it store what I type?
No. The calculation happens in your browser and nothing you enter in the calculator is sent anywhere. Only the waitlist form, if you choose to fill it in, is sent to us.
Can artists use it too?
Yes. It's a straightforward way for an artist to understand how their manager's commission is worked out.