At what point should an upcoming artist be looking for a manager?
No artist should be looking for a manager until they actually have something to manage. Even then they still should not look for a manager! Managers, just like labels, will find you if you’re putting in work and making some noise. Artists feel like they need a manager to book studio time, link up with producers, etc, etc. Yes manager can do that and will, but if that is all you have going on you should be able to handle that yourself. Once you bring on a manager your workload increases because you have to check on your manager on a constant basis. So again I will repeat — do not go looking for a manager. Take that time to look up information on how the music industry works, social media, marketing, business, and apply that to your career. That way when you start taking off and managers start contacting you to be a part of your team, you know exactly what you need them to do.