The Manager's Playbook The Manager’s Playbook 057: J. Erving III - Artist Development, Music Distribution, Label Services, Team Building, Manager Mindset, SONY/The Orchard & Streaming Growth
In this episode of The Manager’s Playbook, I’m joined by J. Erving III, CEO & Founder of Human Re Sources (a SONY Music/The Orchard partner), to talk about what it really takes to build an artist-led career in today’s music business.
We get into artist development through the lens of elite sports: the “goosebumps” moment matters, but discipline, work ethic, and execution are what separate great artists from talented ones. J breaks down how they support independent artists with music distribution and label services without hijacking the vision, plus why RAYE is the perfect example of an artist staying “captain of the ship,” from creative control to how early TikTok/Reels indicators helped spark momentum around “Escapism.”
We also talk team-building, music industry leadership, culture, and what he learned alongside operators like Troy Carter, including why in both business and music, you should always bet on teams over ideas.
Simply put, a conversation like this doesn't come cheap.
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Watch the full episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@managersplaybook
New episodes drop Tuesdays @ 10am ET