Jobs in A&R

[thesenator20904]

Man for years I've had a good ear for music and artists on the come up.

I have always said: "That mofo will blow up if the right people get behind the project"

but this is me: "Damn how do I get into the game?"

Anyone got any answers???

 

[buffdaddy]

I Hate To Say It, But Its All The "who You Know" Game. Cause There Are A Lot Of Ppl With Great Ears Not In The Game And The Worst Part Is, Alot Of The Ppl With Fucked Up Ears Are In There

 

[audio syndicate]

i actually do a&r now and let me tell you....

more than having a good ear, artist and repertoire is a more complicated thing than being able to hear a star...i wish it was that simple...

a&r people are basically business to business direct salespeople.....in that...you're seeking talent....then once you have the talent...you're negotiating what amounts to a memo of understanding....basically stating "what if i do get signed, then..." terms.....then as a&r, you're basically risking your career on if that person is going to waste the label money through the necessity for development or if the potential artist is closer to being ready...

you wont get blackballed in the industry..but you can get fired easy.....

a lot of times...lawyers act as a&r when they're shopping a demo (which is the ONLY person who should ever be shopping a demo)

basically you become the liason between the label and the artist....but....

getting in as a&r is a peculiar vessel at majors.....it's definately not the kind of thing you go apply for...a lot of times a&r are former washed up singers, musicians, engineers or in my case...started as an intern and stayed affiliated long enough.....

oh the other bad part about it is...it's always comission based...so if you need loot all the time.....like major loot....then you have to be on it constantly....

if you're young enough...go intern at a label for a few months..express interest...and pray somebody gives you a shot...

good luck

 

[Temujin]

From what I hear it is extremely difficult. My cousin got an A&R job at Universal but he had a degree in marketing from Georgetown and he DJ'd and promoted parties his entire time at school as well as interning for free during the summers. He jumped over cats who were 30-35 waiting in line for his job. Unless you have been inside the business for many years or have impeccable credentials it is a tough road.

 

[thesenator20904]

thanks for the input.

 

[buffdaddy]

=go intern at a label for a few months..express interest...and pray somebody gives you a shot...

good luck

makes it sound so easy.........ive been trying to get an internship in new york studios for yrs...no luck.

 

[audio syndicate]

the best thing to do is....start at somebody's home setup...get some knowledge...and work your way up through the studio ranks..talk to the clients and tell them you're willing to help out on their project....being in the right place at the right time consistently

also...go to an engineering school..it's worth it

 

[DJ_JPRINCE]

i feel u playboy. imtrying to get into the game myself as an a&r. the best thing to do is find a record label to intern with, and go from there. nothing can beat experience. never give up man