Mark Adams says building Blinding Talent into a sustainable independent management company is his biggest career achievement, six years after its 2020 launch during COVID.
The manager, who has worked in management for 19 years, identifies touring costs, competition for online attention and artificial intelligence (AI) as challenges shaping artists’ careers.
From music television to management
Adams took on his first management client in 2007 while working as Head of Music at Kerrang! TV. Metal band Forever Never approached him, offering a route from programming into management.
During his first year managing the band, he secured a support tour with Stone Sour.
At Blinding Talent, his current independent artist roster includes:
- My Life As A Moth
- Catlea
- Sabina Beyli
- Honeybadger
- Molly Warburton
- UCHAYE
Building Blinding Talent
Adams founded the company as live music and touring activity came to a halt during the pandemic. He says it has overseen the careers of hundreds of artists over the following six years.
Warburton was its first signing. Other milestones include Brighton indie band Honeybadger reaching one million organic streams.
D3LTA has generated millions of streams and sold out shows across the UK and Greece, with a more recent performance at The Great Escape.
For Adams, successful working days involve seeing a strategy produce results: an editorial placement affecting streams, content reaching audiences or advice helping an artist.
He describes more difficult days as those dominated by immediate problems, leaving less time to develop and advance longer-term plans.
Touring costs, platforms and AI
Adams argues that artists need coordinated plans spanning social platforms, streaming and live performance. Managing those activities separately, he says, makes it harder to compete for attention.
He also points to rising travel, crew and promotion costs as pressures on independent and emerging artists. A sold-out show, he notes, does not by itself resolve the financial challenges of touring.
Managers must assess whether a tour offers a viable opportunity to grow an artist’s career or requires financial support from other activities, he says.
Adams sees AI changing music discovery, marketing and creation. Blinding Talent’s approach is to use it selectively while retaining human responsibility for artist relationships and strategic decisions.
Professional standards and listening habits
Adams completed his Music Managers Forum (MMF) Artist Manager Certification in 2026. He says the process helped formalise the knowledge and standards behind sustainable management.
He is also an MMF Certified Manager, recognising his professional knowledge and experience. He values the organisation’s credibility and the opportunity to exchange experience with other managers.
Adams supports more formal professional standards, citing managers’ responsibility for artists’ careers and livelihoods.
His current listening includes Twat Union, Stella Lefty, Ella Langley, Olivia Dean and Sienna Spiro, alongside a renewed interest in country music.
