My name is Anna Russell and I am passionate about helping unmanaged and unsigned music artists move their music careers forward. That’s because it’s this stage of an artists career that they most need support and guidance to achieve their goals - whether those are to gain an Artist Manager, sign to a record label, or become a successful independent artist.
I have been an Artist Manager for nearly 15 years. My professional career started when I joined Groove Armada’s management team, fresh from completing my (1st class) BA Hons in Popular Music. My years with the globally successful dance act included work on their own annual festival Lovebox, a ground-breaking brand partnership with Bacardi, and their sixth studio album Black Light, which went on to earn a Grammy nomination for Best Dance/Electronic Album. Not to mention various domestic and international tours, countless headline festival appearances, and never-ending Ibiza seasons! I have also managed a number of other pop, electronic and indie artists. But my mission to work specifically on developing and supporting new artists has grew ever stronger, and so I eventually founded my own company AR Artist Management to do just that.
However, AR Artist Management is not like any other management company. In fact, it pioneers a new management business model altogether, allowing me to support hundreds of artists at a time. The services available include 1-1 consultation, The Virtual Manager membership site for unmanaged artists, and a variety of content which can be accessed by music artists around the world, including The Virtual Manager podcast and weekly AR Seminars. I specialise in taking a strategic approach to developing artists’ careers and encourage you to do the same.
Elsewhere in my career I have taught and delivered masterclasses at a variety of music education establishments, including BIMM, SAE, The Institute, Point Blank, The School of Music Business & Napier University. Equally passionate about enterprise, I have also consulted for a range of small music businesses and established artists.
And did I mention vocals? One of my key roles with Groove Armada was sourcing the featured artists for their records and the vocalists who helped make their live show, which led to setting up a vocal agency to do the same for other electronic artists, plus work as a vocal talent scout for high-profile clients such as X Factor, All Together Now (BBC1), & Britain’s Got Talent.