At the urging of several people I just opened an Agency/Management company exclusively for opera singers. After lengthy research I found that the vast majority of the similar firms charge a monthly retainer fee to represent singers. How can this be? From the feedback we have received it seems that the small agencies only send the singers to the same auditions they can find on their own. Additionally we have talked with a number of opera company people that view retainer fee agency singers with more than a jaundiced eye. Where is the incentive to find their clients work when they can make several thousand dollars a month from the fees? Is it truly worth $1,200-$1,500.00 a year to have "managed" on your resume? We assume that our income will be based on the work we secure for our clients. This is as it should be. All agents and managers in the entertainment industry normally are paid on this basis so why not opera management? Is opera something unique? In an industry (read - business), that offers only a miniscule number of paying jobs at best, paying someone a fee to hope for an audition is absurd. Please tell me why you would do such a thing?