Booking agents are in control of coordinating live performances for musical acts. The agent works with venues and promoters to organize tour dates and negotiate fees, of which she or her agency take a certain percentage. Many agencies will have a few large acts that are in high demand and many more that are still unknown. A booking agent will often use the high-demand acts as leverage when obtaining gigs for the lesser-known ones. It can be complicated work, but those who are organized and good at haggling can be quite successful as booking agents.
Producers play the most important role in music recording, aside from bands. The producer is essentially in charge of the recording, including where to do it, what microphones to use and how many tracks to record. The amount of control varies, of course. Some producers do everything from engineering to mixing, while others mainly oversee the process, similar to a movie director. This a great job for those who have a good ear for sounds and a curious nature. Since many producers get royalties from albums, it can also be a very lucrative career.
The radio plugger is the link from the musical act to the radio stations. Although it might seem like the stations play whatever they want, that is far from the case. A radio plugger works with the stations to get his groups' songs played. Similar to a booking agent, a radio plugging company will have several clients, some of whom will be bigger than others. So, the plugger will give a station a popular band's single with the agreement that the station will also play some of the plugger's lesser-known acts. This is a perfect job for those who have a keen sense of which songs would be hits, since the radio plugger is also in charge of which songs should be singles.
Publicists in the music industry serve basically the same function as they do in any industry. The publicist is a liaison to the media and does whatever she can to get as much good press for her artists as possible. This usually involves creating an interesting spin or unique angle to "sell" the act. This is easier in some cases than in others, of course. The most talented publicists will find a way to make any act sound interesting and worth publicizing. Publicists have a knack for embellishing and love to schmooze it up.
The manager is the closest person to the musical act and is essentially the voice of the band. The manager works with everyone from the booking agents to the publicists to the record label on behalf of the act's best interest. In turn, he also communicates with the musicians. A manager generally has a contract with a musical act in which he earns a percentage of all the act's earnings in exchange for his services. A good manager can be the key to an act's success, while a bad one can doom them. The best ones know their acts inside and out, so it is a great job for those who can speak the language of business and the language of musicians.