With the emergence of social media, and the growing popularity and importance of digital streaming platforms, it has become easier than ever for artists to release music, and in turn harder to get noticed. Social media has given artists (and everyone else) the ability to grow and maintain a large following by themselves with relative ease(or so it seems). The variety of digital steaming platforms including Spotify, Tindal, Apple Music, SoundCloud, Pandora and YouTube, has made releasing music is easier than ever especially for independent artists who can release and distribute music by themselves. Before the age of social media (around 2004 with facebook, even tough it began as a college only site) artist could only release music through distribution channels. During this time there was no streaming, the only way for your music to be heard was on the radio or CDs. If you didn’t have the connections of a major label, or a connection at a radio station, your music wasn’t going to be played on the radio. This meant you had to hand out CDs to anyone who would take them (most of the time for little to no money). Now digital streaming platforms have made it as simple as creating a free account on one or all of them, and uploading your MP3 file to their site on your account. So, with this being able to be done independently by the artist, is the A&R still needed in the music industry today?
In the days before social media and digital streaming, the A&R was the gate keeper of the music industry for new artists. Without the help of an A&R, few artists could reach a broad audience outside of the cities they were based in. Artists would travel around their local scenes (playing in small clubs and venues either for free or little money) gaining a following in the hopes of gaining the attention of an A&R at a major label. The A&R would consider if the artist or band was worthy of being signed based on the music of their live show (hopefully the venue had a good sound system and professional engineer) and the fan reception from their performance. If the A&R liked what they saw during your performance, they would offer the artist a developmental deal with the label. This was not an “actual record deal,” as the artist was not always capable or at the point where they could release music and being touring. This developmental deal gave the label exclusive rights to the artist and their songs for a period of time in which the label and their team would develop the artist to become release ready. This generally included, creating the right image, creating the right sound, putting the artist with the right songwriters and producers, and finally marketing the artist for release. Where the label did have a team that would do this, the A&R that discovered the artist was the one in charge and responsible for this process. It was the A&R who would set up the recording sessions, combine the artist with writers and producers, create a marketing plan, brand and image, all while staying with in the confinements of the budget laid out by the label for the artist for this process. If the artist completed this process and succeed in doing so, (maybe having a successful release or two) the artist would then be signed to what the general public thinks of when they hear the term record deal.
Today, A&Rs are no longer looking for these developmental artists that they have to groom. Major labels don’t want to spend the time, money, effort, and resources that it takes to develop the artist before they are able to release their music. It has been said that in today’s music climate it can take around $200,000 to simply break a record on the radio. Now include the money it costs for studio sessions, (most likely at the top studios with the top talent) post production on the records, (getting them mixed and mastered) marketing the artist, (having them travel across the country for radio and television appearances) graphics for all single and album releases, brand and image, (which includes stylists, clothes, hair and make up products) and finally any coaching the artist may need (vocal coaching, media coaching, etc). For a label this could, depending on the artist, cost up to or over a million dollars. So, for a label to take a chance on an artist now, they have to be almost assured that they will recoup any money spent in the artist’s advance and/or the recording and marketing process. Why would a label take a chance with this amount of money on an unproven artist regardless of how talented the artist maybe, when they can pick any social media personality with over a million followers (who will spend money to buy anything this “influencer” release) and make their money back immediately?
Labels are looking at social media numbers and how many streams the artist has on Spotify, Apple Music, Youtube, and Tidal. The artist with the largest numbers has the best chance at getting signed. This is due to the fact they will be able to sell the most amount of singles, albums, and merchandise. If an artist has a certain number of followers, or a song that is already popular or viral on the internet, major labels will look to sign them, because they are able to generate a larger return rate for the label faster than an artist the label has to develop. There is a ratio when it comes to social media followers that are actual fans. It lies somewhere around the 10% range. This means that if an artists, or in most cases now just an online personality, “an influencer” has for arguments sake a million followers, 100,000 of those followers can be considered “real fans.” These real fans will be the ones that support the artist when they release music, this means sharing, listening and reposting. Now, 10% of those fans are your core audience. That means around 10,000 fans that will buy your music, merchandise, and tickets. Now do this math on your own account. Are you able to pull in 10,000 fans to buy something?
The advancement in technology has made it increasingly easier for anyone and everyone to create, produce, record and release their own music. Programs like Pro Tools, Logic, Ableton, Fruity Loops and GarageBand allow artist to do all this at home in their bedrooms. I’ll be honest, I bought Pro Tools in 2012 back when it wasn’t a subscription based model on a student account with a free upgrade plan, and most of my work in engineering now is done on headphones while lying in my bed. I really only go to a studio to do any post production work only if someone else wants or has to be involved in the process or to finish a mix just see if it translates properly (which can also be done in your house by listening on your phone speakers, laptop speakers or car system, as this is how most music is consumed now). Being able to be a one man machine lessens the need for artists to pay for studios, hire engineers, pay for mixing, hire marketing teams and need companies to help release and distribute your music. As an audio engineer who went to school for four years with a bachelors degree, went through five years of unpaid internships and spent countless hours learning and practicing my craft to get to where I ultimately got to as an engineer before transitioning into an A&R and publishing role, it pains me a little to say what I am going to say next. YouTube University is an artists best friend nowadays (the writer sheds a tear). Literally everything you need to know, and so much more, can be found through millions of online tutorials in regards to recording properly, how to mix your song, how to master your song, (if you even need to do that, yes, yes you do need to master your songs) which equipment to buy on your budget, which software you should buy, (GarageBand comes free with the purchase of a MacBook) and where and how to distribute your music (distrokid, Empire, and United Masters all have free accounts you can use to distribute your music and still retain most of if not all the rights to you songs). If releasing your music on digital streaming platforms is free you just have to sign up (you may have to spend a little money $10-15 for a premium account), being able to market your music on social media is free (although paid promotions does help), and having access to complete analytics for both (for free), why would an artist sign any paperwork with an A&R or record label that relinquishes any percent or rights to their music (curious ask Russ or Chance the Rapper how being independent has worked out for them)?
While all this is true, and the days of A&Rs being the gatekeepers in music maybe gone, the role of A&R is still needed. A&Rs hold the relationships and connections to radio stations, television, film and other aspects of the music industry that independent artists can’t reach on their own (at least not until they get to a certain financial and popularity point in their careers). Some artists, even those with a large online presence are not ready to be an artist. They don’t know or understand all the intricacies of the entertainment and music industries. It is very easy to be taken advantage of as a new artist if you don’t have an understanding of how everything works, what you are signing contract wise, or have the right representation. However, independent labels, and production companies still invest in artist development. These companies will take a budding artist and shape them into the best version of artist they can be. Top Dawg Ent., Dreamville, and Quality Control are perfect examples of this. Taking artist such as Kendrick Lamar, Migos, Cardi B, Lil Yachty, Schoolboy Q, and JID developing them and not releasing music until they were completely ready as an artist. Music publishers are also helping to develop new acts, mainly songwriters and music producers, as they hold connections to the major labels and other aspects of the entertainment industry as well. For example, Caroline Elleray, an A&R at BMG, signed both Cold Play and Keane before they got major record deals. It is not always a straight path as an artist in the music industry, sometimes you have to be signed with one person or company in order for them to propel you to the next best place.
Independent labels, production companies and music publishers are the bridge between new artists and major labels, because these smaller companies are doing the work the major labels no longer want to do. A majority of new acts have talent but not the online presence and/or the social media following needed to be noticed by major record labels. For budding artists working with these types of smaller companies is the best way to get your foot in the door, without signing your life away while you are still in the developmental phase. Artist development maybe a dying art for major labels, but it is still very alive at independent labels, music publishers and production companies. This is why in most cases you are seeing major artist that have sustainable careers come from these smaller companies. Of course there are exceptions, but do some research and see where most of the big popular acts are signed to. Even artists like Drake and Nicki Minaj came up under the label “Young Money” which was Lil Wayne’s label under “Cash Money” which was Baby’s label, both being (at least starting as independent labels), Jay-Z started his own label “Roc-a-feller” now “Roc Nation” because no other label would sign him, Diddy started “Bad Boy” because he got fired from the label he was working with, The Weekend came up under “OVO” Drake’s label. The point being even some of the greatest artist we know and listen too now either started or created their own independent record label, for the purpose of signing and developing new artists.
The traditional role of A&R as it was originally constructed is no longer. Social media and digital streaming platforms have changed the way artists develop and thus changed the role and need for the traditional A&R. However, in my opinion the A&R is still very much needed. In regard to the major labels’ A&R, they are needed to stay abreast to the current popular music and artists because the heads and top executives at the major record labels are worried about the business and running the labels and they are not aware of the popular acts and state of the culture. As for the independent labels, publishing companies and production companies, the A&R is not only responsible for finding newly emerging talent but also for developing these acts, with hopes of getting their signed by a major record label or being able to sustain their career enough to stay independent. I believe the A&R is maybe more important today than before, due to the fact there are so many different ways to hear music, and with so much music being released daily on a variety of platforms from all over the world, it is nearly impossible to listen to it all. As an A&R, you may no longer need to go out to smaller cities and clubs to find the next talented act but you have to have a better ear than ever before.
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