Over the past few weeks I have been speaking about what it takes to be an artist. I have provided you with a basic outline of how to become an artist in todays music environment, and the work becoming an artist entails. Through those articles and that process, I have spoken about the different people you will encounter during your career and during the rise from an unknown artist recording in your bedroom, to becoming a national and international act signing with a major record label. (or a production and/or publishing company if you choose to go that route instead) From the artist perspective I explained what people you need around you, what they should do and what the artist should expect from these different people that become part of your team. Now it is time to look at it from the other side. What does being a member of the artists team look like? If you are the manager what should you be doing? How should you be helping and assisting the artist? If you are an A&R, what you should you be doing? How should you be helping and assisting the artist? For this article I am going to focus on the A&R.
In a few of my very first set of articles I spoke on A&Rs as it pertains to the music industry today. Is the A&R still necessary? The evolution of the A&R, and what exactly and A&R does. (to have a better understanding I would suggest taking a look at those articles, incase you don’t fully understand what an A&R is you can get an overview) I explained what the purpose of this position is, the different types of A&Rs, and their role as it pertains to the artists. But what makes a good A&R?
One article I posted, “Is the A&R still needed,” invoked a debate on LinkedIn on if people thought the position of A&R is even still needed in the music industry at all. It was split between yes and no, however the consensus was that the traditional sense of an A&R may not be needed any more, (due to the advancement of technology, the rise of streaming, and the ubiquity of social media) but the position of A&R itself was definitely still need. (however it was mostly agreed upon that the title of A&R isn’t what it used to be and may not be the correct title for this position any longer) I stood firm on the stance that the A&R is still very much needed in the music industry, probably more today than ever before. I did agree that the position was misunderstood by a majority of people, and that the traditional sense of an A&R isn’t what an A&R is needed for today. When people think of an A&R, they think of a person, (generally working for a major label) that scouts talent to sign to said label. Where yes, this is the case, that is not the full job description of an A&R. There are many different aspects of what an A&R does, both for the label and for the artist.
As it pertains to the label, (or the production/publishing company, as both of these have A&Rs as well) the job of an A&R is to find the best talent to sign to the label (or company) they are working for. As I have spoken about before, and as we all know, this is the music business, which means that all of these companies are trying to not only make money but turn a profit. What does that mean for the A&R searching for artists? It means that they are looking for the artist that will sell the most records, sell the most merchandise, sell the most tickets, and make the most out of endorsements. As sad as it is to say this, the labels and the A&Rs working at these labels, are less concerned about the quality of the music from their artists, but rather how much money can the artist generate. If the A&R is able to sign an artist with millions of social media followers, (thus having the potential to sell millions of records) they will jump on this opportunity, even if that means that the music isn’t top notch. A&Rs at major labels are concerned for their jobs. If an A&R signs an act that they believe in beyond a reasonable doubt, because they like the music the artist is making, but the artist doesn’t generate the right number of sales, that A&R may not have a job at that label for very long. On the flip side, if the same A&R signs an act that can generate millions of dollars from sales, even if the A&R doesn’t necessarily enjoy or like the music the artist is making, that A&R could be in for a promotion. An example I am reminded of all the time that was told to me by my boss at the publishing company I work at now, (one that I have used and explained in pervious articles) is the hypothetical comparison of two A&Rs at a major label. Both of them starting working for the company at the same time, person A signs an act similar to a Lil Uzi or Lil Yachty, person B signs an act that is more underground and maybe has a cult following. Person As’ acts music may not be exactly what the A&R likes and can be polarizing, but the artist is popular, whereas person Bs’ acts are not as popular but their music is, “Better,” and the A&R signed them because they were a fan of the music this artist was making. Person As’ artist blows up and sell millions of records, person Bs’ acts aren’t doing as well in the eyes of the label because they only have an underground cult following unmatched by the other artists. Person A gets a promotion, a corner office, a couple assistants and a bigger budget for future projects and a longer leash in signing their next act. Person B is in the same office space, same budget and is on thin ice. Person B signs a second act based off being a fan of the music they make, but has a similar turn out to the first artist they signed. Person B is then fired from the label because their artists are not producing up to the standards of person A, who has singed his second artist that is selling just as well as the first because he signed based off social media numbers. Where this is just an example, (and of course we know that having an underground cult following can defiantly be beneficial and lucrative) the premise still holds true. To be a good A&R in the eyes of a label, you have to sign artists that are going to produce in the label’s bank account. You have to follow the guidelines of what the label gives you for each artist, all while staying under budget and turning a profit. If the artist you are representing fails to make a profit, doesn’t hit the expected numbers for their releases, and doesn’t reach different bench marks expected of them by the label, it doesn’t always fall on the shoulders of the artist, it will more than likely fall on the shoulders of the label team representing the artist, meaning you the A&R. You signed this artist, it is your job to make them popular, make them marketable, (if they aren’t already) and make them financially profitable. If you fail to do all or any of those things, you have failed in the eyes of the label, and are now on, “Probation,” and better be careful with who you sign next. As your next mistake could be your last mistake with that label.
As an A&R for an artist, your job description is a little different. Where yes, it is your job to prepare your artist and make them popular, marketable, and profitable, you are also their lifeline in the music industry. You are going to be the one responsible for their career. You are the one who, “discovered,” this artist and choose to work with them, (for one reason or another) because of this, their career is your responsibility. (at least to a certain extent) By this I don’t mean that the artist isn’t responsible for their own career, (because if the artist doesn’t want it as much as the A&R, then no matter what the A&R does to help the artist it isn’t going to work, the A&R can’t work harder and want the artist to succeed more than the artist does for themselves) but at the same time the A&R is the one working on the business side. The A&R is the right hand man (or woman) for the artist. It is the job of the A&R to set up studio sessions, put the artist in these sessions with the correct people, (meaning the right music producers, the right writers and have them work with other artists) keep the artists’ schedule, (and keep them on schedule as it pertains to creating their music and the release schedule of their music) keep them on budget, (especially if they are signed to a label that has set a specific budget for the artist in any regard) create and implement the right marketing strategy for the artist and their music, and be the middle man between the artist and the label. (along with a variety of other aspects, as this list could go on and on) If you as the A&R are doing no more than giving the artist money for the studio sessions, collecting the music at the end of these sessions (or collecting the music when the project is complete) and passing it along to your boss, you are doing a disservice to your artist. You have to guide them in this process. Yes, it is important to give the artist space when they are creating, (after all they are the artist, they are the creative mind, and you have to respect their process) but at the same time, you are the one that understands the business behind the music, you are the one that understands the trends in music, you are the one that has to market the music to the public. If you are not guiding the artist in the right direction to ensure that they can get the most out of the music they are making, what exactly are you doing? Once an artist gets big enough, they can find almost anyone with some kind of label connection that can pass their music along to the label heads for release. You as the A&R are the one that drives the car the artist is creating. If you are not, “in the trenches,” with the artist during the creation process, helping them along with their music to get the best quality product possible, what exactly are you providing to that artist other than money? (that ultimately the artist has to pay back on the backend if they are signed to a label) You as the A&R have to be entrenched in every aspect of the artist.
Two stories of the impact and difference an A&R can make come from the Netflix movie, “The Dirt,” the story of Motley Crue, and the other that comes from an interview Ro James recently did with the Joe Budden Podcast. If you have seen “The Dirt” you will see that when it came to working with the band, their manager was the one doing the work more so than the A&R. Towards the end of the movie, there is a scene where the band is strung out in the studio and the A&R walks in yelling at the manager about how long they are taking to record their upcoming album. The manager replies simply by saying, “Look at them, do they look like they are in the mindset to record.” Even the A&R agrees that they look terrible. However, he states that the album is taking too long, they are spending too much money on studios to record the album, and that the label is on him to turn in the album regardless of what it sounds like. This type of A&R is doing nothing for the band, they couldn’t care less about the state the band is in, they are only worried about the bands output so the label can make money. On the other hand, when Ro James told a short story about the creation of his last album and why it took so long (four years) to put out, he mentioned it was because during the process of creating the album, the A&R that was working with him got fired, ultimately leaving him to fill that position himself. He was the one speaking to the label, putting together features, coordinating sessions with artists, producers and writers, because his A&R was fired everything was put squarely on his shoulders. Due to this circumstance, he was put in a situation of speaking and negotiating with the label for himself, thus slowing his creating process because while he was making music there was no-one fighting for him and his music at the label. Without an A&R to support him as an artist, it was difficult for him to get his music through to the label and release his album.
Lastly, something that every A&R needs that pertains to both of these instances, (being a label A&R and being an artist A&R) is having a good ear. This is what most people think about when they think about A&Rs. I can’t emphasis this enough, this is just one aspect of being an A&R, this is not the end all be all. Just because you think you have a good ear, one that doesn’t mean you do, and two that doesn’t mean that you should automatically be an A&R. Your ability to decipher what is and what isn’t good music or a good artist is crucial in becoming an A&R, but what are you able to do once you have found a good song or a good artist? It’s great that you can hear a beat or a song as say that is a hit, or say that this artist would sound great on this track, but what comes next? Do you know exactly how the artist should sing that song? Do you know or have an understanding of how to market that artist or that song? More importantly, do you have the work ethic and drive to work along side that artist? If you were to ask the general public (at least those who have a basic knowledge of the music industry) what an A&R does, most of them would say they discover artists. If you were to ask those same people what the most important quality of being or becoming an A&R is, they would most likely tell you, it’s the ability to hear a great artist or a great song. (having a good ear in layman’s terms) Don’t get me wrong, having a good ear is an aspect of becoming and being a good A&R, but if you don’t understand the next steps, the process the artist has to go through after you have discovered them or you have given them a song, the business side of music, or the creation process of said song or artist, than you will not be an effective A&R.
Being an A&R is todays music industry is extremely different than it was 70 years ago when the position first came into the industry. At that time it was more about paring the artists with the right writers and producers to create the best quality songs possible. Nowadays it is so much more than that. Being an A&R means you are the guide to the artist’s career. You are responsible for every aspect of them as artist. Everything from, “discovering” them, to the recording, to their budget, to their marketing and beyond. Being an effective A&R takes a lot more work than people realize, and if you think that simply being able to pick and choose a good song from a bad one means you can be an effective A&R, you are sadly mistaken.
I will leave you with these questions to ask yourself if you are thinking of becoming an A&R. What makes a good song? What makes a good artist? Do you know what clever lyrics are? Can you decipher between what is going to be a single or what is going to be an album song? Do you know what a good song sounds like? Do you know what a hit single sounds like? Can you hear which artist should sing that song your writer or producer just wrote? Can you spot the next music and sonic trend? Last, and maybe most important, what happens next after the song is recorded?
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