This clip is a case study for any young manager with a talented band looking to do something great in the music business.

SOJA is a reggae band from Virginia that has been quietly building a career themselves for than a decade, and their manager, Elliott Harrington, has been managing them almost as long. Soja epitomizes a fuck the gatekeepers/diy spirit that is necessary in today’s music biz. Elliott worked relentlessly to connect SOJA with all the right people. Before SOJA found an agent, Elliott had to book all their shows (around 150 a year) and helped build a great foundation for a touring business. But to do something really great and take it to the next level you need to have a team. Recognizing that and then doing it takes says alot about a manager. As fate (fueled by alot of hard work) would have it, Elliott got SOJA booked for a show at the Jefferson Theatre in Charlottesville VA, which was owned by Red Light Management. The band owned their performance and Elliott was approached by Red Light Management to join their ranks. SOJA then signed to Red Light’s label, ATO Records, and now, Elliott had some new partners to call upon that could help him take SOJA to the next level. Elliott talks the merits of partnering with bigger management firms and record labels, and how these unions have provided new opportunities for the band!