The emergence of the A&R (artist and repertoire) came in the 1950s, during the time when the music industry was exclusively run by three major labels, Victor, Edison and Columbia. During this time it was common for the artists on these labels to not write their own songs, which brought the need for a marriage between songwriters and label artists. The major labels responsible for acts such as, Frank Sinatra (who never wrote one song he sang), Nat King Cole, Elle Fitzgerald, Peggy Lee, Louis Armstrong and Bing Crosby needed the A&R to assist these great vocalists with the right songs. Famous songwriters such as, Cole Porter, Hoagy Carmichael, Leiber & Stoller and George & Ira Gershwin were the go to writers, and responsible for the hit songs, “My Way,” “Mack the Knife,” Come Fly with Me,” “Summertime,” and “Stardust.” It was the job of the A&R at this time to pair the correct writer and song to the artist. A&Rs would spend time with the songwriters, listening and going through their works before choosing a track to submit to the artist for the final cut to be released. During these times the A&R was the most crucial part of the team, because without them the artists wouldn’t have songs to record. When you hear old stories about artists showing up to the studios, being handed a song and told, “record this” in this age of music, those weren’t necessarily exaggerations. This was an era where singles were the most important release, due to the technology and how records were produced, sometimes only one song could fit on the tape. It was of the utmost importance that the A&R chose the right song, otherwise that release wasn’t going to sell. Believe it or not people were saving their money to go to the record store (yes they would actually have to go to a store to buy the music they wanted to listen to) and buy a tape with one single song on it.
As records sales began to change from the Phonographs to the 45” EP, (popular for releasing singles) and to the 12” vinyl format, (which later became the traditional format for releasing music) the A&R position changed. It became less about paring artists with songwriters and more about creating the EP, LP, and album. Paring the right combination of songs to sell the most albums, as the single became merely a promotional tool to sell the album. As technology advanced and there became more ways to consume music, record companies were able to fit more songs on the tapes and vinyl records they were producing. This led to the singles becoming a free promotional tool to sell the full length LP. Where it was still the job of the A&R to pair the songwriters with the artists, it also became important to create the right combinations of songs to sell the full length projects instead of just one single at a time. During the 1950’s, the 45” became the biggest selling format, as it was more profitable to sell more expensive LPs. Record labels were able to charge more for the types of full length records because, one they cost more to produce then the single format (which means they can up charge more to increase the profit) but second because there were upwards of 10 songs being released instead of just one.This ushered in the standard of making hit songs exclusive to the artists’ EP or LP. Labels, much like they still do to some extent, would release the feature single weeks or months before the release of the album. They would sell the single (think iTunes when you had to buy the single for $.99 before the album came out) and then when the full album came out fans would have to go buy the album in order to hear the exclusive songs that could only be heard by purchasing the album (think of bonus tracks artist would put on special versions of the albums, you had to buy the deluxe in order to hear those extra three songs that didn’t come on the normal version of the album).
The 1960’s saw the A&R becoming more focused on singing artists that could write their own songs, rather than seeking exceptional vocalists and paring them with outstanding songwriters. This led to the A&R being more in a management and facilitated role for the artist in regard to the music creation, instead of finding the music from songwriters. It became the A&R’s responsibility to the record label to ensure their artist was completing the music on time and with in the constraints of the albums budget. This is the time where (even if this was always the case) labels were most interested in making money and selling records, and less worried about the creation process. In the eyes of the labels, as long as the acts were creating a great selling product, they didn’t care how it was created. This fell on the shoulder of the. A&R to make sure it all got done correctly and on time.
With the emergence of rock n’ roll acts such as, Chuck Berry, The Beatles, The Beach Boys, The Kinks and Rolling Stones, the A&R position once again pivoted. These acts began to write their own lyrics because it now allowed them more creative power in their music (a greater financial gain and more ownership of their records didn’t hurt either). These acts became most popular with the youth in that generation because of the expressive lyrics. The artists could now say what they want, how they wanted and were no longer constrained to the lyrics from a songwriter chosen by the label gave them. There were still songs that were written for these artists or assisted on by songwriters but it became increasingly less common. A&Rs such as Lieber & Stoller for Elvis Presley and George Martin for The Beatles, became hired by the major record labels to work specifically with these artists on the composition, arranging, recording and producing of their songs. During this time the A&R (because of the lessening need for pairing artist with songwriter) became more involved in the creation and management process. This led to A&R’s becoming more personal to specific artists rather than the labels. The A&R would most likely be assigned to one act because of the time and effort it took to manage and “control” those acts (think of the stories you have heard about some of the rock n’ roll bands and their tours. Watch the Netflix movie “The Dirt” about Motley Crue). The A&R became responsible for getting the acts in the studio to record, getting the songs recorded properly and on time, setting up their tours and making sure they got on stage and performed for the audience, all while keeping everything on budget (now think of the era of rock n’ roll, think of the amount of distractions that these bands had, even if they did choose to indulge in the distractions willingly. Drugs, a lot of drugs, women, a lot of women, and egos as the acts grew to national and international fame, made it increasingly more time consuming and troublesome for the A&R to make all this happen).
As we transition into todays music climate, the A&R has become an internet scraper more than anything else. Scouring the internet through social media platforms and digital streaming platforms to find the hottest artist they can find (not necessarily the most talented). The A&Rs now want large following and millions of streams and couldn’t care less about how talented the artist creating it is. The A&R (at least as it is concerned in regards for major labels) is nothing more than an acquisitor. Someone looking for artists they can scoop up for a quick cash grab for themselves and the label. A&Rs are more worried about keeping their label jobs than they are about finding and developing talent. Yes, there are still true A&Rs out there, that search for unrecognized talent in an attempt to fully develop them into a sustainable act. However, for the most part they want to find the artist (or social media personality) with the hottest song, viral video or huge following, so they can put out a “catchy” song that sounds like everything else that is popular and sell it to the massive following this person has.
The role of the A&R has drastically changed as music has evolved over the last 70 years. With how social media and streaming has taken over the industry, the true need for an A&R in the traditional sense may no longer exist. A&Rs are now only a thing when it comes to independent labels (Quality Controle, TDE, Dreamville) production companies, and publishing companies (even though publishing companies are focused more on developing producers and songwriters than they are artists). For someone who has tried to make a career in the music industry, and fell in love with music growing up in the late 90s and early 2000s, seeing the change in music today is disheartening. Gone are the days of artist development and differentiation between artists. Most artists sound, look and act the same, and the only thing that matters is how many followers do you have. Rough times to be a true A&R.
Comentários