The role of A&R has many different tasks other than discovering new talent. A&R also develop and focus on the upbringing of the talent. When A&R have found musicians and songwriters they also find producers to work with new artists. A&R have to evaluate the right time and place in the market for new artists and new music, making A&R a significant role in the music industry.
In early years of music, the music industry has consisted of live industry and music publishing businesses. People could listen to popular songs by going to see a live concert or by radio, in later years. The only way to get music was by buying printed sheet music in music stores which were usually discovered by music publishers.
In the 1920’s, often bigger companies would buy popular songs from smaller companies so that they would become more successful. The only way to find new music and talent would be by the A&R who would scout clubs and pubs, listening to artists to see whether they wanted to sign them. Tin Pan Alley was an area in New York for song writers and publishing companies. Tin Pan Alley was producing music for multiple genres and Broadway shows and more publishing companies began to appear on Tin Pan Alley. There was a lot of music being produced and the invention of the phonograph and records, meant more music needed to be made.
In the 1920’s, radio stations began to use radio for entertainment purposes. Before World War 2, radio was the only form of mass communication. People used the radio as a news source which provided important information, reaching millions of people. A&R would use the radio to their advantage and listen to see what was popular within the music industry. Knowing what type of genre and style is most convenient with the public and certain target audiences meant A&R could find talent that they know would be successful and create a lot of money.
Unfortunately, in 2019, radio is being taken over by digital services such as Spotify, Apple Music and Soundcloud. This has left limited opportunities in radio, such as jobs, says Dave Monks, a BBC Music Introducing Presenter. Digital services are taking over traditional radio which has resulted in younger music listeners turning to sites like YouTube to discover new artists and songs. In newer car models, car-makers have started to add apps like Spotify on their dashboards, decreasing the number of radio listeners. This has also been a huge step for A&R as they now have multiple platforms such as social media, TV and digital music services to scout for new music and talent.
The growth of TV gave a new way to scout new talent. Music television provides artists with a new “experience” with new marketing and visuals such as music videos. Music videos have a large impact and they provide visual context which consumers enjoy as part of seeing an artist in action. This worked in a similar way to radio for A&R, however, this allowed them to seek out new fashion and aesthetics, which are considered a big part in being a successful artist.
The 1950’s is marked as the birth of Rock and Roll. The beginning of rock & roll was not seen as a musical revolution but as a social uproar of an unpredictable step in the music industry. It also represented a major change in the business of popular music. In the business, rock & roll meant that smaller labels were appearing in the upper areas of the pop charts, which caused a revolution as companies didn’t know what Rock and Roll was or how to handle it. Popular artists like Elvis Presley and Bill Haley popularised within the genre. A&R, in larger companies, found this new form of music difficult as they didn’t know what it was. This meant they found it hard to know what they were actually scouting for. Eventually, A&R caught up to date with the Rock and Roll era and it is still one of the most popular genres to this day.
On the other hand the punk revolution in 1976, spawned the rise of independent record labels. It was US band the Ramones that inspired the bands such as The Banshees and The Jam. A&R discovered that people enjoyed listening to Punk and this way they could continue scouting new talent in these genres that they knew would popular with the public. The arrival of punk increased the number of small independent record labels. This was due to changes in major record companies. American and British record companies began investing in new recording technologies, which meant that older studio equipment and studios became available for independent music producers to buy or rent.
In 2019, independent companies such as Sentric Music and Ditto Music are interested in registering new artists songs with organisation rights so that artists get proper value for their music. Ditto Music also focuses on helping mangers on opening their own record labels.
Peter Guy, author at Get Into This, focuses in new talent and music. He explains how getting people to listen to new music today is very difficult. His outlook on this is by using his website he can promote as many new artist as he can to the public. He also holds his own gigs called Deep Cuts in Liverpool which only new emerging artists can perform. This is great for getting people to listen to music as pubs and clubs are great for gigs as there are a lot of young people who will be open to the new music.
Sound City are very similar in this way as they are an independent music festival who focus on new music, other than indie and rock. This is an annual event which happens every year in Liverpool and allows a large number of young people to come together and learn and listen to new modern music of this day.
A manager who I recently had a lecture with, Rob Swerdlow who works for Starwood management, manages artists in today’s music industry such as The Kooks. One thing that Robert explain was that in the industry, when working as A&R, they need to be scouting for singers who have a good sense of fashion and aesthetic. This is because in today’s society, many younger people look up to artists in ways to express themselves and build their own sense of style. It’s important to find someone who is going to inspire younger generations as this is one of the most popular things that people look for when enjoying new music from new artists.
Also in today’s society, Steve Cusack, a national radio plugger, explained the effects of streaming and digital media. Streaming and digital media have become a huge part of daily life. There are many pros and cons to this as it’s easier to discover new artists and genres as music is marketed using playlists and new releases are promoted more effectively. However, it effects the artists as there are limited earnings, with artists only earning 0.00429p per stream. In 2017 76% of global consumption was through a smartphone. Today 1 CD equals 1 sale, however, 150 streams also equals 1 sale.
Skye McBride 