Jason Mraz breaks up with manager Bill Silva

Oceanside platinum-selling singer/songwriter-turned-farmer Jason Mraz has fired Bill Silva after 18 years, saying he would prefer to now manage himself.

Silva got his break promoting shows as a UCSD student in the ’70s. His on-campus success led to his becoming a principal in major concert companies Fahn & Silva (the Police, Blondie) and Bill Silva Presents (Eric Clapton, Pearl Jam, Depeche Mode).

Silva sold Bill Silva Presents in 1997 when he moved to L.A. to successfully book the Hollywood Bowl. While still in San Diego he was a personal manager to Unwritten Law and blink-182.

The L.A.-based Bill Silva Management (run separately from his concert promotion company) once had a 20-person roster, including Jason Mraz and a teenage singer-songwriter from Carlsbad discovered by Mraz at an Oceanside coffee shop, Cody Lovaas. Silva signed Lovaas four years ago when he was 14. Lovaas left Silva Management in November and is now managed by Black Box L.A.

Both Silva and Mraz say their separation was amicable. Neither party answered questions for this article, but certain questions arise. For instance: is the grind of worrying about personal careers not worth the grief compared to the much more lucrative world of booking the Hollywood Bowl? Silva’s concert company had annual revenue of $30 million. Or, does Mraz feel he no longer needs to give up 10 or 15 percent of all his income to Silva now that he is established?

Silva’s talent roster, once at 18 artists, is now down to 2.