Has it been a decade already? Just ask Michael “Blue” Williams, CEO of Family Tree Entertainment, who in that time has managed the careers of many of the industry’s top urban acts, from Jagged Edge and K-Ci & JoJo; to Monica, Nick Cannon, and perhaps the company’s golden childs, Outkast.

Records sales and crosscountry tours aside, Williams is gearing up for the release of the new Bryan Barber-directed film, Idlewild, based loosely on the real lives of his Grammy Award-winning clients Outkast. The film is being distributed through HBO-Universal Pictures and set for a March 10 nationwide release. The soundtrack is slated for a Valentine’s Day release.

Blue, who does your current roster consist of?

I currently have a more narrow roster than in the past–built around Outkast, Nick Cannon, Trina and Case (he and Blue have formed an independent company with Case releasing a new album during the first quarter). In 2006, I’m concentrating more on managing situations than just managing artists. They’re more so about forming partnerships with the artists—being there in a number of different capacities and helping them build their companies.

You’ve been managing acts for more than 10 years now. How has the role of manager changed in your opinion?

Managers today pretty much do everything. We’ve always done a lot, but there was a time you could lean a lot more on the record label. The labels are doing less and less these days. It’s really become about the opportunities and connections you as a manager create.

So, what’s your opinion on the major record company structure today?

They haven’t adjusted to today’s new structure. I was recently watching a 60 Minutes interview with Sir Howard Stringer discussing how Sony was too slow to move in the marketplace. If they were ahead of the curve, Sony should have been way ahead of Apple’s Ipods. They were too focused on people downloading and stealing their music; and now they are shifting their priorities, realizing that downloading is not the end of the world. At the same time, we need to continue to readjust and get more creative in how we market to our audience; including the older demographic. I think we spend too much time ignoring the older fans.

It’s hard enough promoting an established artist in the marketplace. As a manager, how difficult is it to get a label to take an interest in a new artist?

If you don’t have the relationships, then it is going to be extra hard. At the same time, if you have a hot single, then you jump many steps ahead; because the labels are about moving on heat really quickly. If you have something hot, then you have to use that opportunity to make yourself an opportunity to get things done.

Wouldn’t a perfect example of that be [former Def Jam A&R exec and now artist manager] Tina Davis and what she has achieved with Chris Brown?

That would be a perfect example. She got some heat on him, and was able to get Jive Records to get all the bells and whistles needed to create a hit artist. While at the same time used the relationships she built up over time to get Chris out and make him relevant.

Is it really affordable to be in management today? How do you really make money at it?

The old way of releasing an album and then hitting the road is not going to get your bills paid anymore. You have to create shows for your artist, get them on TV, create opportunities and use relationships, as well as get on the road and sell your merchandise. Now, I’m not saying everyone should have a clothing line—that’s really ridiculous and unrealistic. But you definitely need to be able to create other forms of income.

The Idlewildsoundtrack, is it going to be a double album of separate songs from Andre & Big Boi?

There are songs they are doing together and there are songs they are doing a part. It’s somewhat like the last album, but there are not two separate albums. In the movie there are like two separate stories that intertwine almost; so them having separate songs on the soundtrack does make sense.

How do you keep an act like Outkast together amidst the rumors of breakups and conflicts?

The challenge is keeping everyone focused and reminding them that it was the [Outkast] brand that got us here. Never take that for granted. We spent a lot of time building the Outkast brand and it’s important that we preserve it. My job is to always allow the guys to be as free as possible from within the brand, until it is time to go and be free outside the brand. After the movie and after the soundtrack, it may be time to go ahead and be free outside the brand. But up until now, it has to be about the brand as a legacy and what we’re building.

What’s the future hold for Family Tree entertainment?

We’re going to continue being one of the leaders in music management, but we’re branching into television and film also. That will allow us opportunities to remain relevant in the coming years. Artists will have to be able to touch all platforms. Now, I don’t believe the music component is going anywhere. I don’t believe in all this doom and gloom that people predict, but I do believe that artists are going to have to do a little bit more. They are going to have to be like Outkast or Nick Cannon. They have to be able to be seen in a number of different places and remain on the public’s mind.