Artists & Repertoire: What Exactly Is A&R?

The term “A&R” stands for “Artists & Repertoire” and is primarily concerned with (as indicated) artists and their music (recordings and works – i.e.: repertoire).

There are 3 primary strands to A&R in a record label context – these can also be applied to music publishers too.

1.     The Scout

2.     The Manager

3.     The Administrator

But how does it all work day to day? What exactly is A&R?

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The 3 strands of A&R work in synergy with one another; without the scouting element, there would be no artists to sign, without the project management element, there would be no one to “A&R”/project manage the artist and their music, and finally, without the administration element, there would be no one to handle deals, paperwork, budgets, studios, label copy and the overall delivery of music assets.

Each strand could potentially be combined and overseen by a single person and to some extent they are – especially in smaller and independent companies, for example, lots of A&R managers/directors etc also scout and sign artists and songs as well as project manage existing rosters and handle some administrative tasks such as deals and label copy collation.

Let’s delve a little further into each aspect of the infamous role of Artists & Repertoire, also known as A&R:

#1 - The A&R Scout

The primary responsibility of this role is to find talent, not only artist prospects to sign directly, but also artists for collaborations, producers and songwriters for writing and recording sessions and also producers and DJ’s for remixes, plus much more.

"The primary responsibility of this role is to find talent..."

You will normally be tasked with reviewing demo submissions, going to live shows to check out new prospects and utilising some of the following methods to find new and exciting talent: streaming services, social media platforms, music industry conferences/festivals and data analytics software.

#2 - The A&R Manager

Typically, the main point of contact, the role here is to find and develop talent and music, to match artists with musical collaborators, to help artists find and/or put together songs that can be recorded and essentially oversee their musical direction.

One of the most important aspects of this role is to take the pressure off the artist and simplify the process for them so they can focus on being creative. This also includes comprehensive feedback for artist development and technical and creative feedback/approval for tracks and works in progress, ultimately helping to select singles, key tracks, guest artists, producers, mixers and more.

"...take the pressure off the artist and simply the process for them..."

As the primary lynchpin for an artist project, as well as working with a scout/assistant to help with outreach, you will advise and liaise with the administrator on new terms and (outside of the A&R team) be responsible for communicating progress and key updates with the wider label team including streaming, radio, press, creative and potentially live.

#3 - The A&R Administrator

Underrated, but intrinsic to pulling together the entire project, day-to-day duties can include paperwork for deals such as remix agreements, producer contracts and featured artist agreements, as well as overseeing scheduling and logistics of audio parts and label copy (music metadata) for digital and physical releases to ensure they (the label/A&R team) can meet delivery lead times.

"...intrinsic to pulling together the entire project..."

As an A&R Administrator, you can expect to be responsible for coordinating commissioning of new works, keeping track and adjusting budgets for the entire recording process including production of tracks and products for a roster of artists.

Production of tracks and projects can involve booking studios for recording (sometimes globally), mixing, mastering and gathering deliverables for a project including mixed stems/multi-tracks, pre-masters and mastered audio.

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Summary

Relationship building and management is important for all 3 strands of A&R and can involve dialogue with various external and internal stakeholders including producers, managers, publishers, marketing, lawyers, songwriters and of course, between themselves – scouts, managers and administrators.

In summary, A&R is the department/team within a music company (typically a record label or publisher) tasked with the responsibility of finding, acquiring and/or developing artists and recordings which are essentially the core source of revenue for the business.

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