The A&R department of record labels plays a crucial role in finding and developing musical talent. As the "gatekeepers" of the record company, A&R executives are responsible for discovering new artists like Madonna, Aerosmith, and Britney Spears. Without being noticed by A&R people, it is almost impossible for artists to get signed. A&R executives must carefully listen to demos and evaluate which artists have market potential or fill a void, as their jobs depend on the success of the artists they choose to promote.

1. The Gatekeepers: A&R
The A&R department of a record label is
often regarded as the gatekeepers of the
record company. A&R departments have a
powerful reputation because they have the
all-important job of finding and nurturing
the musical talent. Imagine your
importance in the music industry if you
were the one who first discovered
Madonna or Aerosmith or Britney Spears.
Simon A&R man for BMG UK
A&R stands for "artists and repertoire," but Cowell
many musicians joke that A&R stands for
"attitude and rejection." Without being Devine looks first at the demos given to him
noticed or discovered by A&R people, by his most trusted business sources and
there is almost no way for an artist to get works his way down from there. Other
signed by a major record label. In times executives, like Max Gousse of Epic
past, artists would send "unsolicited" demos Records, examine the music industry itself to
(tapes that were not requested by the see if there is a void in the market. Gousse
record company) to A&R departments, may seek out a certain type of artist that he
and the executives would listen to the feels is doing a different kind of music than
tapes and hope to find the next big thing. what is already in the stores.
Over time, so many artists were sending
demos that it became impossible for A&R
people to keep up. Because of this and
other legal issues, labels, with a few
exceptions, soon stopped listening to
unsolicited material.
It is also important to remember that when
A&R executives discover and promote a
particular artist, they are putting their own
name on the line. If the artist fails, an A&R
executive's job may be at stake. As this part
of the recording industry becomes clearer,
you can see how difficult it is for an
To find out about what kind of talent A&R average band without record industry
people look for and how they find it is to contacts to "make it."
take a sampling of opinions from some of
the major label executives. Tom Devine of When an artist is discovered by a record
Columbia Records has worked in the company, then the full machinery of the
business long enough to know a lot of record label must begin the work of
people. producing, promoting and marketing,
distributing and selling the album.