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.
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.
