Have you fully exploited the crap out of all the free resources out there (namely the internet- myspace, facebook, purevolume, blogging, etc)?

Have you recorded any cheap demo albums and given them away?

Have you made a good logo and printed out stickers and pins?

Have you done a local show yet?

I say market yourself as much as possible before you look for a manager.
This worked well for the local band I used to drum for.

I’m going back and forth between posting this or not: here’s my dilemna, all of my firsthand experience is with modeling and a little acting, not with music. On the one hand, the behind-the-scenes business part is not that different, on the other hand, it kind of is. So take this for what you will:

You might want to look into getting an agent. I don’t think you’ll need a manager until you’re really really busy. Look into some local talent agencies. Just google your city’s name and the phrase “talent agency”. They generally take 15% of what you make, but they also get you a lot of gigs. They know everything that you need to know, and they can help you be the most successful artist that you can be.

Financial relationships with managers are a lot more varied than with agents, but they typically take 15% as well.

I’ve never had a manager, but being with a talent agency, the only out of pocket expenses I was ever asked were webmaster’s fees to put my info and headshots on their website. It was $50, which I thought was pretty high at the time, but who knows.

One sure sign that an organization is fake is if they want a lot of money from you up-front, so beware of that. No agent or manager should ever ask you for more than that.