Kei Henderson, founder and CEO of Atlanta-based Third + Hayden, is building a management model that prioritizes artist well-being and diversified revenue streams over short-term financial returns. The creative development agency and incubator, which also operates as a record label, management, and publishing company, works from the ground level to construct long-term sustainable careers.
A Different Kind of Management Company
Henderson describes the core difference in her approach as a genuine personal investment in the artists she represents.
The main thing we do for our artists is care like it’s our own music and our own careers we’re handling. That is first and foremost different from a lot of other companies who oftentimes are working with artists based solely on what can be gained financially. For us the money is a plus or added bonus, not necessarily a requirement.
She adds that the industry has historically been extractive, and Third + Hayden aims to offer an alternative that respects artists’ lives outside of music. Her long-term vision is a roster of musicians who own multiple businesses, allowing them to take breaks from touring and releasing music while still generating income.
Personal Development Fund
One tangible expression of this philosophy is the company’s Personal Development fund, a non-recoupable expense tied to each album commitment on the label side.
It’s our effort to ensure artists are getting some level of support while on their journey to being full-time artists. The fund can be used for mental health resources, along with activities that help us all to maintain our health; gym memberships, trainers, art classes, etc.
Henderson says the company hopes to expand the offering to include health benefits and similar services for its management clients.
Lessons from 21 Savage’s Rise
Before founding Third + Hayden, Henderson worked at Complex when the media brand first launched its social media presence and later helped steer 21 Savage to Grammy-winning success during a three-year management stint. She credits an early instinct to amplify organic online moments.
I feel like early on, it was about leaning heavily into whatever moments happened organically online. Way before digital agencies made influencer marketing or UGC content marketing a thing, we were doing that, or really, his audience was doing it for him, and we found ways to capitalize on that every time.
Accentuating the rapper’s natural personality, she notes, proved highly effective: “People thought he was ‘scary,’ so we leaned into that until it was time to switch it up.”
Background and Early Influences
Henderson’s first clients at Third + Hayden were Asiahn and Jordan Hawkins, whom she brought over from her previous venture, Sincethe80s. The company’s name references the intersection in East Cleveland where she grew up, in a household steeped in music. Her grandfather made jazz mixtapes, she occasionally played drums in church, and her other grandfather was a piano player.
Rethinking Revenue Streams
Henderson argues that the streaming bubble has burst and that independent artists must reframe their work as a marketable skill rather than a product to sell.
I think one of the biggest mistakes artists make today is still viewing themselves as people who sell music. The reality is that music has become the entry point, not the business itself.
She urges musicians to identify the problems they solve, the feelings they create, and the skills audiences seek from them. Once that shift occurs, new revenue opportunities emerge: live experiences, brand partnerships, consulting, creative direction, teaching, memberships, publishing, licensing, merchandise, content creation, and community-based businesses.
The Future of Artist Management
Asked whether artist management has fundamentally changed, Henderson sees continuity.
I actually don’t think it has changed since I started my career. Not fundamentally. We still do everything until we don’t have to, the difference now is that more artists are starting to recognize that their management team is essentially a supplemental label team and that they could possibly do everything with their manager before they decide to go to a label.
As for what lies ahead, she offers a brief glimpse: “The future of management to me is what Ty Ba…”
