How Do I Become an A&R Rep?
If you work in the music recording industry or want to work in that industry, you might want to become an A&R rep. The primary responsibilities of an artist and repertoire (A&R) representative is to identify new artists and introduce them to record company executives. An A&R rep acts as a bridge between the artistic community and the music industry.
The first step necessary to become an A&R rep is to gain familiarity with the operations of the music industry. The A&R rep is part of a team that reports to a sector leader. He or she receives direction from the record company executives about the genres of music and number of new artists to be added each year. The amount of time and effort expended to identify and engage new artists is carefully tracked and is used as a performance metric.
Most people assume that the representative selects a music genre that he or she personally enjoys, but this is not always the case. The recording company assigns representatives to specific markets based on customer trends and current tastes. Popular music tastes shift over time, with an average life span of six to eight years for each cycle. Over the length of a career, an A&R rep might listen to thousand of artists across all musical genres.
Formal training in music can be helpful, but is not a requirement for anyone who wants to become an A&R rep. Most employers prefer candidates who have completed some post-secondary education, preferably in business administration. Interpersonal and communication skills are important, as are observation and analytical skill.
Experience that would be helpful to become an A&R rep includes time spent as a business development representative, sales executive or product manager. All of these jobs require cooperation with people across multiple areas, business negotiation skills and building and maintaining relationships. Sales experience is beneficial because the A&R rep uses his or her sales techniques to encourage the artist to sign with the record company and to identify artists that will appeal to the target customer base.
Any experience in the music industry is beneficial, especially in main office administrative functions. Music journalists, business managers or administrators all have the opportunity to gain practical experience about how the music industry works. People who want to become an A&R rep typically are naturally outgoing, make friends easily and have the ability to work evenings and weekends. Involvement in the local music scene includes attending performances and building relationships with local music producers and managers.
Written by Carol Francois
