In the music business, there are a lot of roles and jobs. A&R reps are one of the most important functions in the industry. So what is an A&R rep? Who is this person and what do they actually do? In this article, we will discuss what an A&R rep does, where they work, and why it’s so important to have them involved during production.
The A&R rep is the person who represents the artist.
The A&R department is responsible for signing new artists and overseeing the development of their careers. This can include recording, marketing, and promotion of an artist’s work;
coordinating with radio stations and TV networks regarding airplay; managing live performances; handling publicity matters; planning tours (if applicable); etc.
The A&R Rep is the person who finds and signs new artists to a label. They are responsible for finding new talent, getting them into the studio, and getting their music out to the public.
While this may seem like an easy job to do, it’s actually quite difficult. The A&R Rep needs to have a wide range of contacts in order to find new talent. They need to know people who are connected with musicians, producers, and songwriters so that they can get in touch with potential artists before they’re signed by other labels or managers.
A&R departments are usually at record labels, but sometimes they can be found at publishing companies or management firms.
A&R reps have a lot of power in the music industry because they’re in charge of signing new artists to their label or company, and helping develop those artists’ careers. An A&R rep will typically work one-on-one with the artist(s) they’ve signed by helping them write songs and coordinate their schedules with other musicians and producers who are working on albums with them. The job can be challenging because it requires good communication skills, patience, persistence when dealing with others who have control over what happens next (like managers), being able to see potential where others might not see it yet (this part is key!), being able to say no when necessary…the list goes on!
It’s true that A&R is a less-talked-about role in the music business. But it’s not an antiquated one, nor should it be viewed as obsolete. While we often think of A&R as meaning record label executives who scour the world for new talent, what they do today remains largely unchanged: they are responsible for finding and signing artists.
A&R reps can be found at any level of the industry – from independent artists to major labels – but their job is essentially the same regardless of how big or small their organization is. The role itself hasn’t changed much since its introduction over 150 years ago; instead, technology has allowed people to better network with one another and make connections more easily than ever before which means that opportunities exist everywhere!
The responsibilities of an A&R rep include conducting extensive research on potential talent (including listening to demos), meeting with bands/artists directly or via email/phone calls/Skype conversations, and attending live shows when possible (a great way for you both parties get comfortable with each other), forming contracts between yourself & artist(s) if appropriate…
The music business is a complicated ecosystem that requires a number of roles and positions in order to operate smoothly. The role of an A&R rep helps to ensure that the quality of the music being released is top-notch, so it’s important for them to be aware of what’s going on in their industry at all times.
A&R reps are responsible for scouting new talent and artists, as well as determining whether or not they should be signed by record labels. They also have a hand in selecting songs and albums that will be released on their record label, as well as overseeing each artist’s creative process while they’re making new music.
A&R reps are paid on commission, so they make money when they sign artists. The range of payment is between 10% and 30% of the artist’s income. The more successful an artist is, the higher percentage you’ll likely receive.
For example: if you sign a band that makes $100k/year and their album sells 1 million copies in its first year, your agent will likely get around 20% (1/5th) of those royalties—but there’s no way to guarantee that number because it depends on many factors including how much money was spent on marketing efforts such as touring and merchandising during that time period.
Music publishers are the people who help songwriters get their songs published, and then make sure that the song is used in the right way. They also get a share of the profits from the song.
In addition to helping to promote and market the song, music publishers make sure that it gets used in movies and TV shows, as well as on commercials and in video games. They negotiate deals with record labels to allow artists to record their writers’ works on those labels’ rosters.
You can do it yourself. If you have an idea and a passion, you may want to take the DIY approach. You will write your own material, manage your own career, hire your own lawyer and accountant, and perform in front of an audience on stage. In order for this to work out well for you, however, there are several things that must be considered:
A&R is a complex and challenging job, but it’s also a fun one. If you love music and want to be involved in the process of discovering new talent and signing them to labels, then this could be your dream job!
The music industry is a tough place to be. There are many ups and downs, but as an A&R you need to understand all of these rules to keep your artists happy and to make sure that they stay on track.
Honesty is the foundation of any good working relationship, and it’s a rule that applies both to you and your artists. You should be honest about your own work and goals for the project, as well as about your strengths and limitations. If you’re not sure about something, say so—and don’t be afraid to ask questions! Honesty also means being able to express opinions honestly (and diplomatically). As an A&R person, it’s your job to help guide artists on their path toward success; if they trust you enough to tell them what they need to hear instead of what they want to hear, then they’ll be better prepared when success finally comes knocking at their door.
If you want to be successful in the A&R business, it is important that you be yourself. You should never try to be someone that you are not. This can lead to many problems later on in your career, as well as making it harder for people in the industry to trust you.
This is the most important rule of all. A&R people are busy, and they don’t always have time to get back to you right away. This is especially true if you’re sending in demos or following up on an email if you aren’t a big name with a huge career history and lots of hits under your belt, it’ll take some time for anyone to take notice of what you’re doing. Keep going! Don’t let yourself get discouraged when your emails go unanswered or no one at the label calls back as soon as they said they would (this happens sometimes). No matter what happens, keep believing in yourself and working hard until someone agrees that there’s something worth pursuing here—and even then, be patient for them to figure out how exactly they want to do it before getting overly excited about things moving too fast. If everything goes well, patience will pay off big time down the road; if something doesn’t work out right away like we’d hoped but there’s still interest from another label or manager (or whatever), don’t give up hope either: just keep pushing forward until everyone finds their place in this crazy business called music!
In short: don’t rush anything unless there’s some sort of deadline looming overhead—and even then I wouldn’t recommend panicking too much just yet because deadlines are often flexible enough that we can meet them later than originally planned while still making sure everything gets done correctly first rather than rushing through anything hastily so nobody misses out on sleep 
You should be respectful of others. It’s just a way of being nice. You don’t have to be a pushover or anything, but you can still be nice even if you disagree with someone or something they’re saying.
It doesn’t matter what religion you are, or if you have one at all you should never bully anyone for their beliefs. There’s no excuse for that kind of behavior, and nobody will respect you if you do it. Don’t make fun of people either; it’s not funny and only makes things worse for everyone involved (including yourself).
Make sure to keep your personal biases out of the workplace; don’t let them affect how much effort you put into your job or how much criticism is given during meetings/critiques with other A&R staff members or artists themselves when they’re working on new material together online as well as professionally in person every day long term projects require long-term planning, not just short term goals like trying hard enough but winning awards–which are meaningless unless there’s integrity behind them too–and having good relationships built over time where trust builds up between people who know each other well enough not just strangers passing through life together briefly without knowing each other very well at all
If you need help, ask for it.
Don’t be afraid to ask for advice or a second opinion. The more people who are involved in the creative process, the better the result is likely to be, and the more fun everyone will have in the process. If you don’t know what something means and it’s not clear from your collaborator’s explanation, ask questions until you understand fully. Don’t assume that because someone agrees with an idea it must be good—ask them if they like it too!
So, in closing, I hope you’ve learned a few things about the ins and outs of A&R. As a reminder, my advice would be to keep these rules in mind whenever you’re making decisions about what music gets signed or produced. And remember that even though I’ve given them numbers here, they aren’t meant to be strictly followed – rather than having rigid guidelines for how an A&R should behave, our goal is to help guide your decision-making process so that it becomes more natural and instinctive over time!
In the music industry, A&R stands for Artists and Repertoire. An A&R executive is your ultimate guide in approaching someone from the record label. This guide will help you prepare for an A&R meeting and get your music to market.
It’s hard to get noticed when everyone is clamoring to get noticed. There are a lot of artists in the industry and they’re all competing for the attention of A&Rs and music executives. In this article, we’ll go over how to prepare for an A&R meeting so that you stand out amongst the crowd.
A&R stands for “artists and repertoire.” In this case, “repertoire” means your music, the songs you write. A&R is the department at a record label that finds new talent, signs them to the label, and works with them to polish their artistry and release music.
When you meet with an A&R person, they want to hear your best songs the ones that demonstrate what makes you special as an artist. If you’re just starting in your career as a songwriter or musician (or if someone else is pitching on behalf of your band), it’s important to prepare yourself for this meeting ahead of time so that no matter what happens during those first few minutes together (and there will be some inevitable awkward silence), it’ll go smoothly enough that everyone leaves thinking good things about each other and looking forward to working together again soon!
A&R executives are busy people. They have a lot on their plate and aren’t going to waste their time with anyone who doesn’t follow the guidelines for booking a meeting. But if you do manage to get that meeting, then you must know what to expect from an A&R exec and how best to prepare for it.
A good way to think about this is like going on a date. You don’t just show up empty-handed and hope for the best you prep! So before booking any meetings, take some time and make sure your music has been mastered by someone who knows what they’re doing. Then make sure all of your social media accounts are up-to-date and active; including links where they can find more of your work online. And finally, have some great photos taken by professionals at least three months in advance so they will be ready when they need them.
To make the most of your A&R meeting, you should be prepared to discuss how a record deal would help you. You should know precisely what you want from the recording process and how it will benefit your career. For example, if you’re an up-and-coming new artist, perhaps having more creative control over your work will allow for a greater chance at success than releasing an album through an independent label or self-publishing on SoundCloud. Or perhaps staying away from major labels is important because they may hinder your ability to pursue other interests (like touring). If either of these scenarios sounds familiar to you, it might be time for some serious soul-searching about where and how being signed would fit into your plans.
If becoming famous isn’t necessarily one of them (and let’s face it: not everyone wants that), then consider where else this could lead in terms of exposure and publicity many artists who don’t aim for chart-topping hits still find success through touring or licensing their music; these things don’t require any kind of contract with a major record label!
Once again: before meeting with anyone in person about anything related to the music business or entertainment industry careers in general–even if they say they are just interested in helping out to make sure everything feels right!
It’s also likely that you’ll be asked how many followers you have across various social media platforms, and how well your music has been received in the press. The more coverage you can demonstrate, the better. Social media metrics (number of followers across various platforms), press mentions, and streams on various services such as SoundCloud or Spotify are likely to come up.
The best thing you can do to prepare for an A&R meeting is work on your artistry your live performance and recorded music and make yourself a unique presence on social media. You should have a clear idea of where you want to go next in your career and what that would look like. Social media metrics (number of followers across various platforms), press mentions, and number of streams on various services are important factors that A&Rs consider when deciding whether or not to sign an artist.
You can only control how much you are prepared for the meeting; everything else, like the person’s feelings about your music or whether it has potential in the market, is entirely out of your control. This is why it’s so important to be ready for an A&R meeting—your preparation will show that you’re serious about getting signed and will give you something else to discuss with the label representative besides just what they think of your songs.
In the music industry, Artists and Repertoire (A&R) is the department of a record label or music publishing company that is responsible for talent scouting and overseeing the artistic development of recording artists signed to the label.
The A&R manager’s job is to find new talent to sign, budget releases, and promote and market records. A&R men were originally employed by record companies to search out promising talent and match them with producers, musicians, and arrangers. They would listen to tapes sent in by singers who wanted a career in show business. If the material was suitable for release, the A&R man would recommend it to his boss who would then arrange for an audition with the artist. The term originates from the early days of sound recording when all production roles were consolidated under a single individual called an ‘A’ list artiste or repertoire man (because he handled all performances).
A&R teams at labels typically include a head of A&R, assistant A&R managers, marketing and promotion executives, as well as interns or assistants. They are responsible for scouting new talent and signing them to record contracts with their label.
A&R teams also handle the artistic development of their artists once they’re signed. This can include everything from choosing producers and songs for an album to helping manage the artist’s image and career trajectory.
An A&R manager’s main job is scouting out talent and signing them to a record contract. The A&R Manager is also responsible for developing the style of an artist and matching them with producers, songwriters, recording studios, and clothing designers. They are instrumental in helping artists get public exposure through industry networking, performances, demos, and recordings. Often, they will also assist artists in managing their careers.
There are infinite definitions of an A&R manager. The job description primarily reflects the skill set of the manager, not the actual work involved. Some would say that an A&R Manager is in charge of identifying artists and repertoire while others believe they’re responsible for all aspects of songwriting and copyrights. Either way, certain traits make a good manager.
As an A&R, you’ll be responsible for the entire talent discovery process. This is both a challenging and rewarding role, as you’ll be working with some of the most talented individuals in your industry. Can you keep up with the ever-changing trends in music? As an A&R manager, you’ll need to have a professional manner but also act fast on new talent. This will often require negotiating terms between record labels and artists.
With an A&R career path, you will be in charge of the record label and its employees. You will make all the major decisions about what music is released for the label and will make recommendations to the executive team. These positions are as competitive as they are sought after, making this position rare but desirable.
Most high-profile music supervisors are freelancers who work on a project-by-project basis. However, music supervisors can also be employed by production companies; film, television, and video game studios; advertising companies; or even small music-supervision companies. The majority are based in Lagos Nigeria.
Unsurprisingly, work hours for music supervisors vary considerably. As they don’t necessarily need an office for their work, many works from home or do the majority of their job on the go, moving from meeting to meeting. On the other hand, music supervisors who are acting as full-time music directors for a show or movie tend to be much more involved in the filming process and almost always spend some time on location.
A&R managers are exceptionally well-organized, detail-oriented, flexible, and punctual, with impressive multitasking abilities. Signing and cultivating talented new artists requires patience, judgment, interpersonal connections, and persuasive written and spoken communication skills. In addition, managers are well served by strong leadership qualities and should possess a vision for the careers of artists under their wing.
Most A&R managers work for medium-sized to large record companies and music publishers. When hiring an A&R representative—the position which precedes working as an A&R manager—companies tend to look for work or internship experience in the music business, as well as demonstrable engagement in local and national music scenes.
Are you an aspiring A&R? Do you want to learn the ins and outs of the role, see how it fits in the industry, and how and a job? Well, you’re in luck. We’ve assembled a comprehensive breakdown of the a&r career path that will guide you from your first day on the job until your retirement and beyond. We know what happens to most of today’s great artists and songwriters—but what happens to their song ideas, unfinished recordings, and unrealized careers?
The fact is, you are going to have to work hard if you want to be a successful A&R (artist and repertoire) But who said that was an entirely bad thing? Hard work isn’t just a requisite for success; it’s also the foundation of your musical skill set while this may not be a popular idea, the truth is that all of the artists and repertoire will tell you the same thing. Consistency, determination and a willingness to do what it takes are key traits among those who reach the top. That’s not just good advice for A&R—it’s good advice for any endeavor in life. Sign up with A&R DUTY and start shooting for success today!
Written by Babatunde Makinde Williams
A&R stands for Artists and Repertoire. This is the division of a record label that is responsible for talent scouting and the artistic and commercial development of the recording artist. It also acts as a liaison between the artist and the record label. The role of A&R has three main responsibilities:
A & R can sign new or established talent to the company’s roster. They then continue to work closely with the artist, acting as their liaison to the label’s business affair department and as an advisor who will help nurture a certain sound and image Their duties include listening to demos, aligning artists with the right producer, and offering creative input. for the unsigned musician, A&R can be the gatekeepers of the industry. It is not their job to keep you out, so much as it is to find marketable music for their company. A&R reps are the musicians’ point of contact at the label during contract negotiations. They also play an important role in the development of the artist – how the band will be marketing, sometimes choosing songs for the musicians to record if they don’t write their own material, and building a basic promotional foundation for the album and the band.
According to Allison Klein of How Stuff Works, A&R is seen as the glamorous part of working in a record company:
This is because A&R is in charge of discovering new talent. A&R people work very hands-on with the artists that they “sign.” (When a record label “signs” an artist, it simply means that the artist makes an exclusive contract with that record label.) They do everything from assisting with song selection to choosing the people that will produce the album to deciding where the album will be recorded.
As you can imagine, going to clubs, scouting new talent, chatting it up with recording studios, superstar producers, and the such, makes this one of the most sought-after jobs in the recording industry.
Getting the attention of an A&R can be difficult, but there are some things you can do to increase your chances of being seen by one. An A&R is responsible for signing new artists and developing careers. Not only does this person see potential in your work, but he or she can also provide feedback on how your music will fit best in the high-profile industry it was created for.
In today’s music industry, branding can play more of a role in an artist’s success than the music they create. Artists are not merely selling their music; they’re selling an image, an experience, and a message which defines them.
An artist is defined by their brand. People will remember the name of an established musician or artist much more than a person with no brands at all. You need to build your brand to get A&R (artists and repertoire) attention. This post will help you do just that!
A&R reps take more interest in an artist with a strong fan base. Expand your fan base by:
Having an established brand can give you an edge over other brands and producers. The more momentum and excitement you can build around your brand, the more likely an A&R will take notice.
Building relationships and networking in the music industry is always helpful. Boost your chances of getting noticed by making connections. Get out and connect with people, regardless of their status. Try to meet other artists, producers, DJs, publicists, booking agents, label staff, fans, and anyone else in the music scene. These connections could lead to opportunities. But you must be professional and approach them in a way that makes you seem like a businessperson.
Music discovery websites make it easier to capture new fans, discover new music, and more. Many connect you with the right people and services to help you advance your career in the music industry… They serve a valuable role in assisting independent musicians with industries for promotion, sales, and engagement. But which sites are best? Here’s a list of my top 4 favourite music discovery websites: SubmitHub, Pitchfork, Bandcamp, SoundCloud, and ReverbNation
Marketing and promotional strategies are essential in increasing outreach and getting your music heard. An effective marketing campaign will help you increase exposure, establish credibility, and open new opportunities. There are several excellent ways to promote your music and reach new audiences. Do some research on public relations and marketing strategies for musicians. Here is a description of the five most effective strategies you can use:
The best way to build and maintain a large, successful music career is to surround yourself with people who are just as passionate about your music as you are. You may not believe it at first, but there are many pieces to the puzzle when it comes to building this foundation. There’s management (with representation), publicists, agents, and attorneys. Each of these groups has relationships with label A&R reps — meaning if you’ve already got someone representing you — then all these people have some sort of pull in the form of following-up phone calls, emails, and future discussions/parties that could help move your career forward.
If you’re considering becoming an A&R manager, but aren’t sure where to start, this guide will help! In it, you’ll learn about how much an A&R gets paid and what kind of salary can be expected. We’ll also look at some common entry-level salaries and the various career paths available for A&Rs in the music industry.
The amount of money you can earn as an A&R depends on many factors, namely the budget of your label and whether or not you’re full-time. If you are working at a major label, your salary will likely be higher than if you were working for an indie label or something similar. This is because majors have more money to play with and can therefore offer higher salaries. However, this isn’t always true—some indies may have more of a budget than some major labels do (and vice versa), so it just depends on where exactly in the music industry spectrum you find yourself working.
Salaries also vary wildly depending on what part of the world (USA vs Europe vs South America) someone’s in and what kind of experience they bring to the table: entry-level employees tend to earn less than experienced ones; employees within certain departments typically earn more than others (i.e., marketing/promotion department earns less than A&R department).
A&R representatives in Nigeria do not get a fixed salary, but they do receive a commission on sales. This means that they earn money based on the amount of money an artist makes.
A&R in Nigeria are paid on a percentage basis IF THEY ARE PAID AT ALL and can earn as much as N1 million per month if their acts are successful. If a record label is doing well and has a lot of money to spend, they will usually pay their A&R representatives very well. However, if the label is struggling financially, then the A&R representative’s salary will be lower.
While entry-level A&R positions are hard to come by, more experienced A&R managers can make upwards of $80,000 per year. While the average salary for an entry-level position tends to be around $40,000 per year (in the U.S.), experienced A&R managers can earn upwards of $80,000 per year or more.
The budgets of A&R departments vary greatly from label to label. At the top of the list lies Sony Music Entertainment, which distributed around $15 billion in 2015. In contrast, a startup indie label might have a budget of only $20,000.
But it’s not just about size: major labels tend to be more artist-focused, while indie labels are often more innovative and experimental. Regardless of their budgets or focus on artists, however, all record labels employ A&R representatives whose job is to discover new talent and help develop it into successful artists for their companies—and there’s no one better suited for this than you!
If you’d like to become an A&R recruiter, there are two good options. The first is to get a job at a major label. Entry-level salaries average around $40,000 per year – although sometimes they’ll just refer to A&R recruiters as “sales interns”.
As for the second option? That would be joining an independent label! However, if this is your preferred route, then you must understand that there are some limitations on what kind of artists and bands these companies can work with.
There are many alternatives to becoming an A&R manager at a record label. You could choose to become a talent scout for a music-related company like Samsung or Beats by Dre or even for modeling agencies! As long as you have experience with discovering artists and helping them succeed, you can find work in any number of fields related to music. It’s also worth mentioning that there are many opportunities out there if you’d rather work directly with artists instead of the people who manage them. You could try your hand at being their manager, tour manager, or stylist (this is particularly common in hip-hop circles). Alternatively, if you have a knack for producing new songs and beats then it’s possible to make money doing this kind of side hustle as well — especially if what you produce turns into viral hits!
As well as working in A&R, some people also choose to develop their careers as music managers, artist managers, or producers. These roles allow you to work directly with artists and have a more significant impact on their careers than an A&R manager would have.
Music manager: The role of a music manager is to oversee how an artist’s music is marketed and promoted. This involves working with record labels to ensure that the right songs are being released at the right time, and keeping track of how much money is being made from each song released by your client.
Artist Manager:
An artist manager handles day-to-day business decisions regarding an artist’s career including booking gigs, hiring tour crews, etc… They also handle day-to-day business decisions regarding an artist’s career including booking gigs, hiring tour crews, etc… They may also negotiate deals with concert promoters while consulting with lawyers as needed.
As an A&R, you’ll be responsible for finding new talent and new ideas. You’ll also be the first point of contact in the industry for many artists, as well as be able to make key decisions on whether or not they’re worth investing in. The best part? There are plenty of opportunities to get promoted within this field. In fact, according to information from 2018’s “Research Report Into The Employment Market for New Artists And Record Producers”, A&Rs make up between 20% and 30% of record labels’ total workforce which means there’s plenty of room for career growth within this field!
A&R salaries can vary significantly based on your location, experience, and other factors. However, we hope this article has given you some insight into what it takes to become an A&R manager as well as how much they make on average per year. If you’re interested in pursuing a career in this field, check out our article on How To Become An A&R Recruiter, or reach out if you need more information!
You want to find an A&R song, but you don’t know where to start. Well, you’re in luck! This article will help you understand what A&R means by defining the term and explaining how you can use it as a marketer. We’ll also look at why an A&R song is important for your brand, as well as how to find one that meets your needs. So let’s dive right in!
It’s easy to find record companies with varying results. But how about finding an A&R song? I’m going to explain why it’s so difficult to find an A&R song and what it takes.
There are a number of ways to find an A&R song. You can start by searching for the right kind of artist, or you can search by genre, topic, or mood.
You’ll also want to consider what type of sound your song needs; does it need drums? Bass? Guitar? Strings? If so, make sure the instrument has the proper instruments and sounds before you commit to it.
Once you have your idea in place, start listening to artists who would be well-suited for this project. It’s important that they not only sing well but also have good writing skills!
It’s time now for us all – writers and listeners alike – to get excited about what we do because there is nothing better than hearing someone perform your creation live on stage with full orchestration behind them.”
A&R stands for Artist and Repertoire. An A&R team is often the first point of contact between a record label and new musical talent. The job of an A&R representative is to find new music artists and to evaluate their talent (and commercial viability) in view of the current market. The role involves developing and aiding the success of new talent in areas such as music production, songwriting, instrumentation, arrangement, and marketing. In addition to signing new artists, A&Rs may “sign” an artist to certain aspects of an artist’s career; for example, a contract might state that no secondary or tertiary co-publishing rights (known collectively as “mechanical rights”) are allowed without permission from the signing A&R executive.
If you’ve already written some songs but aren’t sure if they’re good enough for A&R reps yet, listen closely for similarities between your material and the kinds of artists who have been signed in recent years. You may notice patterns emerging after listening enough times maybe certain instruments or genres seem overused by new artists lately? Maybe there’s an emerging trend around certain styles or topics? By keeping up on current trends in music publishing (and by staying up on industry news), you’ll always be ahead of the curve when it comes time for an A&R meeting!
In summary, finding A&R music today is very difficult, because of the huge number of new artists arriving each year. If you’re an artist, I suggest that you have 2 or 3 great songs prepared for sending to record labels and that you send them as you find a label that shows interest in your music. You should definitely include your name and contact information on the CD-R so that labels can easily get back to you.
If you can’t find an A&R song, then you probably shouldn’t be in the music business.
The music industry is a cutthroat business. If you’re not on top of your game, you’ll find yourself behind the curve. So what skills do you need to be successful as an A&R? In this post, we’ll look at some of the most important qualities, plus how they relate to your career in music:
Analytical skills are the ability to solve problems and make decisions based on information. These skills can be developed over time through experience and training. Analytical skills can also be used in a variety of situations, such as in business, government, and education. Analytical skills are important because they allow people to make decisions based on facts rather than emotions. They can also help people learn new things by breaking down complex concepts into manageable parts.
You should be able to understand the business and its dynamics, negotiate with artists and their managers, negotiate with music publishers, negotiate with music producers (if you’re at a label), and so on. This is where most people’s minds go blank when considering A&R jobs—they don’t know what it means to be a good negotiator or how to actually do it. For example: how do you negotiate with an artist? Do you tell them what they should get paid? Or maybe let them dictate terms based on market value? The answer is somewhere in between those two extremes. In general, there are three types of negotiation tactics that can help:
The best negotiators use all three of these tactics, but generally focus on soft power in the beginning, hard power for difficult situations, and win-win scenarios to close out deals.
If you’re an A&R person, you’ll need to talk to a lot of people. You’ll be talking about things like how certain songs feel, what your vision is for the album, and how much money the band needs to make it through the recording process (it’s more than they think). The ability to communicate effectively with others is crucial for any job in music but it’s especially important for A&R. When someone tells you that you should sign a band because their new single is “a little bit punk,” you should be able to understand what that means. You also need to be able to convey your own thoughts and ideas clearly so others can act on them appropriately and so everyone knows what’s going on at all times!
So, you want to be an A&R person. Great! You’re about to embark on a journey of excitement and discovery. But before you begin your journey, there are some things you should know:
When people talk about being an A&R person, they’re referring to the job of identifying and developing new talent for a record company. An A&R professional will listen to the music submitted by artists or their managers, then decide whether or not it’s good enough to be released through their label. They’ll also sign producers in order to produce tracks for these acts. In short, they’re responsible for finding the next big thing in music whether that’s an artist who can sing well and write songs or someone who has an amazing studio setup with killer beats (like Max Martin).
But that’s not all: A&R professionals also need to be able to run a business, because they have to make sure their acts are being paid properly and that they’re making enough money for everyone involved. This means having an understanding of contracts, royalties, and licensing and knowing how to use them effectively in order to get what you want.
Let’s face it: you’re not going to be doing much listening if you can’t hear anything. This is where your hearing comes in, and we mean both the literal sense of hearing and the figurative sense as well. So, having good ears is important for an A&R person but so are good eyes.
You’ll need to make quick decisions based on what you see and hear and those decisions must always lead to success. It’s not just about making a record; it’s also about signing talent (or deciding against signing them) so that your label can continue operating smoothly and profitably.
The best A&Rs are able to multitask and switch between projects quickly and efficiently. They know how to stay focused on the task at hand, so they don’t get distracted by emails or calls from other people in their office. They also have a good sense of time management, so they can prioritize tasks effectively. This comes in handy when you’re dealing with multiple artists who all want your attention at the same time which is one reason why being an A&R is such a tough job!
Networking is a skill that can be learned. And it’s a skill that is incredibly important to the A&R job. You need to have the ability to network with people, because depending on your role at the label, you may be in charge of finding new artists or employees for your company.
There are many different ways networking can help you in your day-to-day work as an A&R rep:
Organizational skills are a huge part of being an A&R person. If you don’t understand the importance of organization, then you can’t be successful as an A&R person. The organization is about time management and prioritizing tasks; it’s also about setting goals, which is just as important as prioritizing tasks because without goals, how will you know where to start? And finally, the organization is about being efficient in your work so that when someone comes to ask you what happened to that project they gave you three weeks ago which they haven’t seen yet you don’t have to say “I forgot.”
People management and negotiating skills are a must for every A&R rep. You’re not just in charge of signing new artists you also have to work with them, helping them grow as artists and working together to figure out what songs will be on their albums. And that means working with lots of different personalities without losing your cool or getting frustrated. You may also have to negotiate with labels and other A&R reps about who gets the best songs from an artist, who gets the first chance at signing them, etc., so you need to be able to handle these situations calmly and professionally while still getting what you want out of it.
The bottom line: being an A&R rep is all about people management, whether it comes down to making sure everyone on your team has everything they need (or want) or negotiating with artists over contracts and song choices.
You need good business and analytical skills for A&R in Nigeria.