In the vast world of music, filled with artists, producers, and labels, one key figure often remains in the background yet plays a vital role in shaping the sounds we love: the A&R man. Short for Artist and Repertoire, A&R professionals are responsible for scouting talent, signing artists to record labels, and guiding their artistic development. But who was the first A&R man in the world? Let’s take a journey through music history to uncover the origins of this crucial role.
Before diving into the first A&R figure, it’s important to understand the context of the music industry in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. During this time, the invention of the phonograph by Thomas Edison in 1877 and the subsequent development of gramophone records revolutionized how music was consumed. For the first time, people could listen to recorded music in their homes, and a new industry began to emerge around the sale of these recordings.
As the industry grew, record labels like Columbia Records and Victor Talking Machine Company became the early giants. These companies needed someone who could both identify fresh talent and ensure that the recordings would appeal to the public. Thus, the concept of A&R was born.
Though the title “A&R man” wasn’t officially coined until later, Fred Gaisberg is widely considered to be the first person to fulfill this role. Born in 1873 in Washington, D.C., Gaisberg had a passion for music from a young age. He was a skilled pianist and became one of the earliest recording engineers in the world.
Gaisberg’s career began in the 1890s when he started working for the Gramophone Company in London, which would later evolve into EMI Records. At the time, recording technology was still in its infancy, and the process was far from what we know today. Early recordings were made using mechanical techniques, and the sound quality was limited. Despite these challenges, Gaisberg was instrumental in shaping the future of recorded music.
What made Gaisberg unique was his dual role as both a recording engineer and a talent scout. He didn’t just sit behind the recording equipment; he actively sought out artists who could create music that would resonate with the public. In this way, Gaisberg became the world’s first A&R man, combining his technical expertise with an ear for talent.
One of Fred Gaisberg’s most notable contributions to the music world was his discovery of Enrico Caruso, the Italian opera singer who would go on to become one of the most famous recording artists of the early 20th century. In 1902, Gaisberg traveled to Milan, Italy, to persuade Caruso to record for the Gramophone Company. Though Caruso was initially hesitant, Gaisberg convinced him to make a recording, and it was an instant success.
Caruso’s recordings became best-sellers, and he is now remembered as one of the first global music stars. This moment not only solidified Gaisberg’s reputation as a visionary but also marked the beginning of the modern record industry, where A&R professionals played a crucial role in connecting artists with audiences.
Fred Gaisberg’s career spanned several decades, and his impact on the music industry cannot be overstated. He traveled the world, recording a diverse range of artists from different genres and cultures, laying the foundation for the globalization of music.
While Gaisberg’s title wasn’t formally “A&R man” at the time, he embodied the role by scouting talent, overseeing recordings, and helping to shape the artistic direction of the artists he worked with. His pioneering efforts paved the way for the formalization of A&R departments within record labels.
In the years that followed, the role of A&R evolved, especially with the rise of rock and roll, pop music, and later hip-hop. Figures like **John Hammond** (who discovered artists like Billie Holiday and Bob Dylan) and Ahmet Ertegun (co-founder of Atlantic Records) continued Gaisberg’s legacy by shaping the musical landscape of their eras.
Fred Gaisberg was more than just an early recording engineer; he was a visionary who understood the importance of artist development long before the term “A&R” became commonplace. His work laid the groundwork for what would become one of the most essential roles in the music industry.
Today, A&R professionals continue to scout new talent, shape artistic visions, and connect musicians with audiences, all while standing on the shoulders of pioneers like Gaisberg. From the discovery of Enrico Caruso to the global spread of recorded music, Gaisberg’s contributions remain a cornerstone of the music industry, and his legacy as the first A&R man lives on in every hit song we hear today.
Nigeria’s music industry is growing rapidly, with a diverse range of music genres and talents. This has created a lot of opportunities for entrepreneurs and investors looking to get involved in the business side of music in Nigeria. Here are some of the music business opportunities available in Nigeria:
In conclusion, Nigeria’s music industry is full of opportunities for entrepreneurs and investors looking to get involved in the business side of music. Whether you’re interested in music production, artist management, record label management, music publishing, music promotion, music equipment sales and rental, or music education, there are many ways to get involved in the music business in Nigeria.
If you want to be successful in your music career, you need to know how to create an effective marketing plan. A marketing plan is a tool that can help you organize all of your promotional activities, set goals, and measure your progress as time goes on. It also helps keep you focused so that you don’t get overwhelmed by everything that needs doing.
Before you can create a marketing plan, you need to know who your audience is and what they like. This will help you determine how best to reach them and keep them engaged with your music. It’s also important that you understand their age group, gender, location, and more so that when it comes time for the actual execution of this plan (step 4), everything runs smoothly.
Most importantly though: don’t forget about their emotional state! The music industry is always changing so having empathy for where people are emotional helps us stay relevant as creators in today’s world of constant change.
The second step to creating an effective music marketing plan is to plan for the long term.
This may seem obvious, but it’s important to remember that you shouldn’t be thinking solely about what you need to do this month or even this year. You should also consider your goals for next year, and maybe even further down the line–as far as five years from now!
For example: If you have a new album coming out in 2020 and want it to be successful enough that people still talk about it in 2025 (and beyond), then planning how best to market that album now will be crucial when those dates roll around.
In order to know whether or not your marketing efforts are working, it’s important to keep track of where you’re at. You should know how much money has been spent on each campaign and what kind of results have come from those campaigns. This will help determine if a given strategy is working or not so that future strategies can be tweaked accordingly based on what has already been tried.
Keep track of the following:
The next step is to set a goal for your music marketing plan. A goal is something you want to achieve, so it’s important that you have one in mind before beginning the process of creating your plan. For example:
Step 5: Create a list of marketing tactics to use.
You should have everything you need the order to create your own music marketing plan by this point, but if not, here’s what you should do next:
A music marketing plan is an essential part of creating a successful career in music, particularly if you are just starting out and don’t have much money to spend on ads and promotions.
It’s important to note that there is no one right way to create a plan; every artist has their own unique situation and will need to approach their marketing differently. That said, here are five steps that can help guide your strategy:
A music marketing plan is an essential part of creating a successful career in music, particularly if you are just starting out and don’t have much money to spend on ads and promotions. It may seem like a lot of work, but the payoff will be worth it in the long run!
Planning content in advance is important for musicians because it gives them the time to write and record their next album. In this article, you will get 5 tips on how to plan content in advance.
The music industry is an ever-changing landscape. With new artists coming onto the scene and established artists releasing new albums every year, it’s important for musicians to stay on top of their marketing and social media efforts. But this can be challenging when you’re busy with rehearsals, recording sessions, and live performances. In order to keep up with your fans’ expectations and stand out from the pack you’ll need to find time in your busy schedule to plan out your content ahead of time. Here are some tips on how to do just that:
Brainstorming is a great way to develop ideas before you actually create the content. This can mean everything from sketching out a plan for your new album cover on paper or creating a list of topics that you want to cover in a podcast episode. Set aside some time each week (or every day) to brainstorm new ideas and concepts that could be included in your upcoming pieces.
The first thing you need to do is compile your ideas in a document or spreadsheet. This will help you stay organized and keep track of what content you want to create and when.
In another section, we mentioned the importance of using a calendar for planning out your time, but when it comes to creating blog posts and social media content, it’s even more helpful! You can use the calendar feature on your smartphone or computer as well as third-party apps like Google Calendar or Todoist (my personal favorite).
Once you have created this document with all of your ideas listed out by topic and date, go through each one individually and decide how much time each one will take from start to finish—including writing the post itself, editing it once finished (which should be done first), proofreading it one last time before publishing on social media platforms like Facebook/Instagram/Twitter, etc., posting on those sites with hashtags if necessary so people can find them easily in search engines such as Google or Bing, etc., monitoring how many likes/comments/shares there are on each post after it goes live so that any changes needed can be made swiftly without waiting too long between updates.
Setting up social media and blog calendars is an essential step for musicians to plan content in advance and increase the consistency of their output. This can be done through a spreadsheet, or with apps like Buffer, Hootsuite, or Sprout Social. A calendar helps you to track your progress, as well as easily see when there are gaps in the schedule that need filling with new posts or tweets.
Scheduling posts in advance is an easy way to stay on top of your social media game. It also helps you avoid being late, which could make people think less of your brand—or even worse, leave a negative impression.
If you don’t have the time or patience to craft engaging content on a daily basis (which is understandable), scheduling can help fill in gaps and reduce stress. In fact, scheduling tools like Hootsuite are designed specifically with musicians in mind you can schedule tweets or Facebook posts from anywhere at any time!
Planning content in advance is key if you want to stay on top of your marketing and social media efforts. If you’re planning content in advance, you will know what to post and when and thus be able to focus on other aspects of your business.
If you’re a musician looking to plan your content in advance, these tips will help. They give you a good idea of how to brainstorm ideas, compile them into documents and spreadsheets, create a marketing calendar, schedule social media posts in advance, and more! As always when it comes to making music, remember that the only way to succeed is by practicing hard work (and maybe some luck).
If you’re a musician and you want search engine traffic, it can be tough to figure out where to start. There are so many moving parts that it’s easy for even the most competent people to get overwhelmed. That’s why I’ve put together this exhaustive checklist of every step you need to take to make sure that your site is optimized for search engines like Google and Bing. This way, whether you’re an experienced SEO specialist or just getting started with e-commerce, there will be no question as to how well your site ranks on search engines:
The title tag is the most important on-page SEO factor. It should be visible on your website’s homepage, and Google will use it to determine what your site is about
The title tag should be between 60 -70 characters long, but I recommend keeping it to 70 characters if possible, as this can help with rankings in search engines. In this space, you want to include one or two of your most important keyword phrases (e.g., “music lessons for adults” or “piano lessons for kids”). You also want to make sure that these keywords are descriptive and informative; remember that people visiting your site have questions that need to be answered!
Metadata is important because it helps search engines understand what your content is about, and they use that information to determine where it should be ranked. If you don’t provide metadata, then search engines will use whatever text is on the page itself instead. This means that if you’re not careful about what words are visible on your site, then those words could become important in determining where you rank for certain searches.
Meta descriptions are one of the most powerful tools in an SEO’s arsenal. They’re short summaries that appear below some listings in search results; Google even uses them to help inform its Knowledge Graph (where it displays facts about topics people search for). The good news here is that musicians can write their meta descriptions! This can be a great opportunity to include keywords relevant to your music or band just make sure not to go overboard with keyword stuffing; Google doesn’t like when websites overuse specific terms just because they think it’ll help them rank higher.
There are two main types of metadata: HTML and XML/RDFa (Extensible Resource Description Framework). Both allow us to provide information about our resources so they’re easier for anyone trying to find them through different channels; however, there are subtle differences between these standards which we’ll discuss later on in this article…
Image ALT text is the text that appears when you hover over an image. It’s used for accessibility and SEO, as it helps search engines understand what your images are about.
The first thing to remember is that an image’s ALT text should be descriptive and include keywords. For example, if you have a photo of yourself playing the guitar on stage at a show, your image ALT text might say something like “Tom Jones performing at The Troubadour in Los Angeles, California” or “Tom Jones performing on stage at The Troubadour in Los Angeles, California while wearing his signature glasses.”
Additionally, the maximum length of any given piece of content including alt tags should be 160 characters (including spaces).
Copy is the text on the page that is visible to the user. You should always write your copy to be read by humans, not search engines.
This means that you should avoid repetition and long blocks of text where possible – if a reader can’t get through it all in one go, they won’t bother reading it at all. Remember: people don’t spend hours at a time searching for content; they usually have something specific they need help with, so keep it short and sweet!
It’s also important that your copy is unique and original don’t just copy from elsewhere on the internet! Search engines penalize sites for duplicate content, so make sure yours stands out from other sites by keeping things fresh (and avoiding plagiarism at all costs). Keep in mind that Google will only index about half of what’s published online as part of its algorithm; if you want both search engines AND visitors themselves coming back again and again then go ahead and write something brilliant every single time – even if no one else does!
When it comes to your online presence, Google My Business is an incredibly useful tool. You can use photos, videos, and more on your business page. You can also claim your listing on Google Maps (this will help people find you).
If you haven’t already, create a Google My Business page for yourself or your band. Then add links to that page from all of the different places on the web where people might look for you online: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc…
Social media is a great way to build your brand, reach fans and potential fans, and share your music. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and other social media platforms have all kinds of features that can help you strengthen your relationship with listeners and fans.
Reviews and ratings are important for SEO, and you should be getting as many as possible.
But how do you get reviews?
You can ask for them on your website, or use a service like Yelp to collect reviews there. You can also offer free products in exchange for an honest review (be sure the product is useful for musicians!). If someone writes a good review about your music online, don’t forget to thank them!
How do I get more reviews? How do I get more ratings? How do I get more stars? How do I get more than five stars?
Link building is one of the most important parts of your SEO strategy, and it should be a major part of your overall marketing plan. Here’s what you need to know about link building for musicians:
It’s important to understand that SEO is a complicated subject with many moving parts. You should use this checklist to stay organized and make sure you’re working on the right things in the right order.
It’s also worth noting that most of the tasks on this checklist should not be performed by musicians themselves, but rather by an experienced web developer or agency with whom they can partner.
SEO is a complicated subject with many moving parts. Use this checklist to stay organized.
The music business is a dream for many. After all, it’s an industry full of talented people who love what they do. But getting into the music business can be tricky if you don’t know what to expect or where to start. First, you need to understand what the music industry is: how it works and how artists get noticed by record labels and managers. Then we’ll talk about how you can break into this exciting world with your own career as an artist or producer!
The music industry is a business. It’s made up of many different parts and it’s a complex ecosystem, but at its core, it’s a network of people who have created businesses that serve the industry.
The music industry is also a collection of many different businesses: record labels, publishers, managers, producers, artists on tour and in the studio, songwriters, agents, and promoters are all part of this ecosystem.
Before you begin, you should have a good handle on the following:
You’ll also want an understanding of how to build a fan base, as well as how to use digital platforms and social media to promote yourself and your brand effectively.
The music business is full of talented people. To break in, you need to be persistent and willing to take risks and work hard. You need to be willing to learn new things and to take criticism.
To get started, you could try self-releasing an album or EP on Bandcamp, SoundCloud, or iTunes; these platforms make it easy for newcomers to get their music out there without the help of a record label or other gatekeeper.
Creating high-quality music is the first step to getting noticed by the right people. This sounds obvious, but it’s something that you need to keep in mind throughout the entire process of starting your career as a musician.
The next step is making sure that your music is heard by the right people.
You can do this through various channels:
Negotiating a win-win is often a process that takes place over multiple meetings. It’s important to be professional and prepared for the negotiation process, including knowing the value of your product and what the other party wants. Keep in mind what the industry standard is and what you know about your competition’s deal terms. Make sure you know who your audience is and where they are located geographically. To get into the music business, you need to be able to walk away from a deal if it doesn’t work for you but always stays open to new opportunities!
The next step is to find a manager. A good manager can help you develop your career and negotiate with record labels, music publishers, film studios, and other businesses that may want to use your music in their projects. The manager knows how to get your music heard by the right people and should also be able to answer any questions you have about what they do or how they can help you succeed as an artist.
The next thing you will probably need is a lawyer who specializes in representing musicians. It’s important that you choose someone who has experience working with artists because this person will be your gatekeeper when it comes down to negotiating contracts for things like publishing deals (which gives them permission to use your songs), endorsements (where companies pay artists for using their likenesses on products) or touring agreements (this gives them permission access venues so they can perform live).
A publicist helps artists create buzz by pitching stories about them to magazines or radio stations without being paid directly by those outlets because these professionals have relationships built over time where they know exactly what types of stories will appeal most effectively to their audience demographic. A stylist works on fashion so if this isn’t something currently part of your interests then perhaps consider hiring one anyway because having clothing fit properly really makes a difference when trying out something new! Finally, the booking agent handles getting shows booked at venues throughout town which means introducing yourself face-to-face and then selling tickets through websites like Ticketmaster or StubHub while also handling transportation arrangements such as travel expenses plus hotel stays if applicable.”
The music industry is a big umbrella term for many different jobs, from artists to songwriters to producers and engineers. It’s a business, but it’s also a lifestyle: some people are only in it for the money, and others love their job so much that they would do it for free if they could just afford to live off their passion. The music industry is made up of artists, songwriters, producers, engineers managers publishers record labels, etc
I hope this article has given you a better understanding of what it means to be part of the music industry. You’ll need to know how your skills and talents can help you succeed in this competitive field, as well as how best to present yourself during an interview process or when negotiating with other people in the business. Your career is yours alone one else will make it happen except for you!
Music streaming giant Spotify is seemingly everywhere. But they are not the only ones expanding their activities in Africa, global music labels are increasingly looking to the continent for new artists and market leaders too. Some of these include Mavins Global, Empire, Universal Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment, Concord Records, and Roc Nation with the latter helping Nigerian artists wizkid, Burna boy, Davido and other fast-rising artists break into the US market and reach
In the past few years, Africa has emerged as a significant market for music labels.
Fueled by a growing young-people population, great musical talent, great culture, and more streaming opportunities, Africa’s music industry is booming. And the world’s major music labels are taking notice.
1. The continent’s population is young and growing fast: According to the UN, Africa has one of the youngest populations in the world. This means that there are plenty of potential consumers who can be reached through marketing campaigns targeting young people. In addition, many African countries have high birth rates which will result in more consumers entering the market over time. For instance, Nigeria was ranked as having one of the fastest-growing populations globally due to its high fertility rate (4) and increasing life expectancy at birth (5). Furthermore, recent data shows that Nigeria will have more than 200 million people by 2050 (6).
The global music industry has been undergoing some major changes recently with streaming becoming increasingly popular among consumers around the world — especially in Africa a continent Fueled by a rowing young-people population, great musical talent, great culture, and more streaming opportunities, Africa’s music industry is booming.
In 2017, Forbes reported that Nigeria was the world’s fastest-growing market for recorded music — up 20% from 2016 — and it’s not alone.
The African continent is a hotbed of musical activity. On top of the fact that it’s home to some of the world’s most well-known musicians (such as Fela Kuti, Angelique Kidjo, Youssou N’Dour) and of course the emerging wizkid, davido, Burna boy and the likes. new artists are emerging every day.
The biggest reason why major labels are so interested in Africa right now? The growth potential is huge. A study by MIDiA Research predicts that digital music revenues will reach US$2.36bn in 2022 in sub-Saharan Africa alone — representing an increase of 40% from 2018.
I hope this helps you to put your best foot forward when sending your music industry professionals a demo of your work. There is a lot of information to be gathered, but it is there for a reason if you follow the simple steps outlined in this article, you are more likely to make the strongest impression on any A&R rep that happens across your demos. Who knows? Maybe it will lead to the break you’ve been working for!
Your song is your work of art. You’ll want to share it with the right people. Normally done over email and social sites, it’s not always easy to network; you don’t know who’s listening and you certainly need A&R reps contact information. I will help you set the scene for success.
Royalties are the lifeblood of music publishing. They’re what you get paid for when someone uses your song in their project—like a movie, TV show, or commercial. But there’s more than one type of royalty involved in music publishing, and each one is based on the use of your music. In this post we’ll go over three types of royalties you should know about:
Mechanical royalties are paid to songwriters and music publishers when their songs are recorded and sold on a CD, vinyl record, or digital download. Mechanical royalties are shared with the artist who performed the song (if applicable), as well as record companies who invest in producing and distributing it.
Songwriter royalties are paid when you write your own music, while publisher royalties go to whoever owns the publishing company that controls your work (often your manager).
Performance royalties are paid to songwriters and publishers when their songs are played on the radio, in restaurants, bars, or other public places.
Performance royalties are collected by ASCAP (American Society of Composers Authors and Publishers) BMI (Broadcast Music Inc.) SESAC (Society Of European Stage Authors & Composers) SoundExchange.
Synchronization (or “blanket”) licenses are a type of music publishing royalty that allows an artist to be paid for their songs being used in the film, television shows, and commercials.
A synchronization license is typically bought by a music supervisor who works for the producer of a movie or TV show. They’ll listen to several songs before deciding which ones fit best with their project’s storyline and theme. When they select one song from an artist’s catalog and decide to use it in their project, they contact that artist’s publisher requesting permission to use their song(s) under license terms agreed upon beforehand by both parties (the publisher and artist).
Understanding the different types of royalties in music publishing is key to getting paid.
Royalty is the money or percent of the amount being earned from a published work, that is allotted to the publisher once a sale is made. The percentages will vary based upon several different factors, but suffice it to say, they are a very good way of making additional income, provided that you have established rights to your music through publishing.
I hope that in reading this article you have gained a better understanding of the many different types of royalties involved with music publishing. This is just a basic explanation but they are quite complex, and many things can occur when you are talking about publishing. I urge any individual who is considering entering the world of music publishing to seek out more information before doing any deals with publishers because it could cost you thousands later on down the road. Have fun writing your songs, and remember these important points!
Since we started back in 2006, we’ve always made artists our first priority. This new feature helps artists, managers, and indie labels track measurable success on TikTok, and we’re stoked to be able to offer it before anyone else.
“How people are consuming and interacting with music is evolving at such a rapid pace. As a distributor, it’s critical that we move quickly to get this data into the hands of our clients so they can maximize their reach. Our team is laser-focused on delivering value and we’re excited to be the first distributor to offer this level of insight into TikTok data,” says Symphonic VP of Product, Ali Lieberman.
This tool makes it easier for creators to understand the TikTok metrics that really matter and helps maximize the impact of their future TikTok marketing campaigns. Importantly, Symphonic’s proprietary TikTok analytics makes the distinction between views and creations. While view counts get a lot of attention, it is creations that actually drive royalties on the platform.
The new tool delivers comprehensive and easy-to-read metrics on how many videos have been created using an artist’s music as well as how many views, likes, comments, and shares the video generated.
Navigate to this feature by clicking on Analytics -> TikTok
The landing page provides a catalog-level view of performance across the entire catalog on a given date range that you can change. The page is broken down into the following cards:
Activity counts are displayed for Videos and Views. The video count is the metric that generates royalties. Hovering over any bar will show you the detail of a specific day.
Activity counts are displayed for each time the video using your music receives a Favorite, Comment, Share, and Like during the time period selected across your entire catalog.
Each section shows the top 5 entries sorted by Videos (created) in descending order (e.g., the Territory section shows the top 5 countries where videos were created on TikTok using your songs). Click the ‘View All’ button to see more data if available.
Source symphonic distribution