Our interview with UAC Management may be one of the most important things you have ever read on the Drooble blog. Being the founder of an international artist management company, Hristo Penchev has lots of illuminating thoughts on the matter! From what a music manager does in 2017 to what separates the successful, professional artists from all the wannabees out there, with all the inevitable drama and pressure that gets mixed in with the many good times.Consider this interview a sneak peak into the reality of all the hard-working people behind the facades of your favorite bands and artists. Hristo, it has been an honor!

First off, what does music management look like in 2017? Please explain for anyone who’s only vaguely familiar with management.


The role and the significance of the management entity nowadays are very different and more complicated compared to the general perceptions that people have regarding the exact duties a manager is responsible for. Long story short, being a manager does not mean providing just general representation services anymore – 2017 sees the music management figure acknowledging the need of delivering assistance in absolutely every field relevant to an artist’s career in order to achieve growth and improvement for the specific artist – whether we are talking about artist development, career strategizing, promotional and event management, utilizing the advantages that the modern tools and tendencies offer to the musical acts, and so on. A music manager is not the figure to simply receive opportunities and present them to the artist, but a party that is aiming to seek, generate, encourage and arrange such opportunities for its clients, in addition to the need of being competent with every part of the music industry cycle.

What does an artist need to have in order for UAC, or other management agency, to consider working with them?

Talent. Passion. Professionalism. Determination.

These are our core values that we seek in a band and that we believe are the essential components that every musical act needs to have in their inventory in order to achieve both professional and personal sustainable success in this industry. We want to generate something that not only has the potential to satisfy the market needs of this business, but – as we are talking about an abstract field – to achieve this goal with a product that possesses strong artistic value as well.

We understand and completely respect the tendency that success nowadays means strong and calculated business performance, but we have not and we will never forget the main purpose of music – creating a positive impact, sharing a positive message and changing the world and the lives of people seeking support through art.

There are many acts that think that once they have a team of any sort, they can stop working and putting effort in their careers and start demanding results instead. There are many bands that always praise themselves for achieving success, but are also the first to blame their teams once the results don’t match their expectations. There are many groups that require help, but don’t accept constructive criticism. And there are many musicians that would say and believe that they don’t possess any of the aforementioned characteristics, but would still let their personal and emotional perceptions and preferences damage their career development.

We can’t work with such acts, regardless of how talented they are. We don’t approach the relationship with our clients with a “Yes-man” attitude. In the end of the day, our main purpose is to help an artist to progress and achieve personal and professional growth, so pushing a musician out of his comfort zone, presenting them with new perspectives, and getting into heated discussions is not something that we are afraid of – we want our clients to know that.

You are partnering with a fair number of bands already. Tell us some cool stories about dealing with them – you know, the kind that could end up in a Neil Strauss book!


We have indeed been through absolutely every sort of situation that a person would think about when it comes to music business, both its bad and good sides. Unfortunately, the stories and the experiences I personally have are so intense and juicy that I’m still not in a position to share any particular details about them.

Let’s say that we’ve been through overwhelming amounts of drama and fierce battles with people trying to outplay us – vicious backstabbing, mediating legal conflicts worth tens of thousands of dollars, and dealing with arguments that can occur only between members of successful bands.

On the bright side, I have also experienced some very… exciting moments that are closer to being part of “Rock star” (the movie), rather than the day-to-day life of a normal person. And yes, this includes destroying hotel rooms. And more.

What is it about music management that UAC does different from the rest?

The short answer is: in-depth experience and constant aim for innovation. Genuine and personal approach and strong business professionalism.

Essentially, UAC Management doesn’t aim to be a conventional operational entity that represents a part of the music industry cycle in terms of developing and collaborating with artists. Our strategy is to be capable of being our own cycle and fully satisfy the needs that a musical act has when it comes to pursuing a professional career in the business. Hence, our team is competent and operates with thorough knowledge and understanding of every single component of the music industry – including, but not limited to artist development, branding, promotional representation, booking services, data analyzing, market researches and adaptation, developing of specific business plans, and so on. We offer a strong, personalized business approach, based on data and detailed market research, in order to establish a strategy that corresponds with an artist’s prioritized goals and aims.

We want to develop a completely new dynamic and relationship between us – as a representative establishment – and our clients. When it comes to collaborating with talented and gifted individuals, we want to clearly showcase our true intentions. Yes, UAC Management is an official business company that is aiming to achieve long-term success as a company, but we are not here just so we can professionally benefit from the artists we represent. We genuinely and truly have the desire to assist and help every individual that has the potential to succeed with their respective endeavors, and we will do everything possible to do so. We don’t perceive our duties as work, in the conventional sense of the word. We perceive them as our mission; hence we are so dedicated and personally involved in every project we participate in.

Tell us more about UpAndComingTV. It sure sounds more interesting than MTV!

UpAndComingTV is a project that I have personally been constructing and thinking about developing for a long time. Having a strong background in journalism and the opportunity to be in close communication with a variety of different artists and musicians, I have always thought that there is a significant lack of genuine and personal approach to both gathering information from an artist and presenting it to the end viewer.

I can truly say that meeting an artist in person is a very inspiring experience – there is a reason that such individuals are so beloved, adored and have the ability to establish such strong personal and emotional connection with their audience through music. Getting the chance to know these people personally really helps you understand this and truly appreciate the charisma, talent and gift they possess.

We wanted to showcase this feeling of personal interaction with a successful professional to the general audience as well. To not necessarily concentrate and focus on the aspects of the certain band’s current status, career, achievements and so on, but on their individual features and personalities and give them the opportunity to present themselves in the way that they want to appear and be perceived, rather than showcasing the profiles that they might need or feel used to suit themselves to in front of the general audience.

Hristo Penchev and Kevin “Thrasher” Gruft (Founders of UAC Management)

What do you think about Drooble as a modern-day digital tool for musicians?

Drooble is most certainly an impressive project, based on a well-thought concept that the online music community is in a big need of at the moment. I personally believe that the advantages and the opportunities that the platform provides to its users is something that musicians and professionals of any level can strongly benefit from, especially the up-and-coming and unsigned acts that are yet to get involved in the music industry.

In the complexity of the current state of this business, the wide variety of tools and assistance that Drooble provides can be of crucial importance for the development of an independent artist. Due to the competiveness that is flowing everywhere in the music industry right now, people are forgetting that being part of a strong community with members willing to share and help each other sometimes is the only way to proceed forward and successfully tackle the challenges that are being presented to you in this business environment.

It’s amazing that there is a platform like Drooble out there that provides its users the opportunity to be part of such a helpful and useful community, and helps them progress as musicians while connecting with people from all around the world and having fun doing it!