This month’s Normal Not Novelty Radio Show explores all things A&R, the arm of a record label that scouts new talent and oversees the artist development process. Joining host Kamilla Rose are Rhythm Section’s Emily Hill and Harley Cassidy, formerly of Columbia Records, who talk career highs, everyday challenges and insights into indie and major labels respectively.
Listen to this month's Normal Not Novelty radio show in the player below.
So what is A&R?
A&R, which stands for Artists and Repertoire, is one of those areas in the music industry that’s difficult to pin down. The role can cover everything from talent scouting at gigs to data-crunching online, managing the recording process and assisting with marketing and promotion. A&Rs can be problem solvers, motivators, creative consultants, a springboard for ideas, all in one. They are, in essence, an artist’s champion within a record label.
To find out more about what goes on behind the scenes of a record’s release, we hit up five A&Rs to discuss the nuts and bolts of their careers and share advice for those looking to follow their path.
No two days are the same
Komali Scott-Jones, an A&R at long-running label Parlophone Records – home to a historically hit-smashing roster of artists like Coldplay and David Bowie – is seemingly never sitting still. Her timetable is emblematic of how on-the-go A&R life is: label meetings in the office, connecting with creatives around London, spending time in the studio with her artists, at video shoots, gigs, events, “no matter how early I’ve got to be up for work the next day. It’s definitely not for the faint-hearted!”
The internet is a great tool but it doesn’t always give you a 4D view of an artist. I’ve met someone at open mic nights and busking before.
“There really isn’t a day that’s the same,” adds Maddy Salvage, VP A&R North America for the London independent label Ninja Tune. One constant across her role is scouting for new talent – and “good A&Rs will always scout, no matter how senior they are.” Going to gigs seven nights a week, for example, has been part of the A&R stereotype for decades, but “as streaming plays an increasingly prominent role in the industry,” she says, “the mundane reality is that I will spend a lot of time online – looking at playlists, music press, analysing trends and so on."
Data platforms like Sodatone (owned by Warner Music Group) are also creeping into the research side of the role, digesting analytics from streaming and social media to identify unsigned talent on the rise. Komali, however, emphasises the best approach is just to be open to music anywhere: “The internet is a great tool but it doesn’t always give you a 4D view of an artist. I’ve met someone at open mic nights and busking before. I’ve signed a song after seeing a preview clip on Twitter. I’ve also found some incredible voices on TikTok recently, too.”
Putting the artist first
A&Rs are there to help get the very best out of an artist’s work, and it is the artists who are “in control and at the forefront of decision making,” says Hollie Boston, A&R at Universal Music imprint Polydor. There’s no “set formula” to follow; the process begins with “hearing an artist tell you about their music, what’s important to them and what they value,” and subsequently working out how this fits with the label’s ethos. She points to her recent first signing, pop newcomer Baby Queen, as an example of how this plays out – understanding how Baby Queen has crafted her own musical world first, then working with her to devise a plan on how Polydor can build around it through remixes, covers, videos and more.
It boils down to a belief in an artist’s vision, “amplifying their art and enabling it to work in the current musical climate rather than trying to manufacture anything,” Maddy says. Every artist development process is different. For some, she’ll set up feedback sessions or work in the studio with them; on others, they send over a finished record and Ninja Tune release it into the world. “I think it’s important to give artists the flexibility on how they want to manage a relationship with a label and their A&R. We’re guides at the end of the day and nothing more.”
What it takes to succeed
I now feel confident enough in my own tastes to put my foot down
With communication and relationship-building at the very core of the role, it helps to be a people person. “I’ll spend a lot of time speaking with artists, managers, agents, lawyers, getting to know musical communities of all shapes and sizes,” says Maddy of her favourite elements of her job. “Every relationship is personal and takes a lot of emotional energy which makes it all-consuming at times, but also an incredibly exciting thing.”
Self-belief – and especially a trust in your instincts when it comes to pushing forward talent – is one of those qualities essential to success, but often difficult to embrace when you’re finding your feet in a fast-paced industry. Rhythm Section’s Emily Hill told Kamilla Rose in this month’s show how it took her a while to find her own voice – and she’s certainly not alone in that experience. “Being a new person within that environment, I was always unsure about putting my own music taste forward. I didn’t want to challenge the authority. But I now feel confident enough in my own tastes to put my foot down.”
For Hollie, having patience is one of the most challenging yet crucial aspects of her role. It seeps into every part of the process, from “respecting an artist and their team when they aren’t quite ready to have conversations with a label, through to not trying to cut corners or speed up the process when developing those artists.” Her words of encouragement – “trust your gut, be confident, kind, friendly, use your voice and listen” – are sound advice to stand by.
Every relationship is personal and takes a lot of emotional energy which makes it all-consuming at times, but also an incredibly exciting thing
When it comes to diversity, labels still have a long way to go
The nature of the job is demanding – working late hours and the need to form meaningful relationships with all kinds of people means work can easily tip into one’s personal life. And "despite all the noise surrounding women and music over the last few years,” Maddy points to the male-dominated sphere of A&R as an additional element of pressure.
“There’s still a part of me that feels the need to prove myself more than male contemporaries on some deep level. I’ve learnt to put more boundaries in place now, but it’s taken me the best part of a decade to figure that out, and with hindsight, there definitely wasn’t enough of a support network at the time when I first entered the biz.”
The pace of change has clearly not been fast nor effective enough. Though Komali looks to her team at Parlophone as a leading example of diversity, by and large the industry does not reflect the “exciting, empowered and opinionated artists” dominating the British music mainstream. More needs to be done, she thinks, to make the label teams reflective of that talent.
“That means A&Rs from different walks of life; more women, more of those women being promoted to higher positions and more black people and people of colour being welcomed into these roles. In this era, artists do care about the identity of a label and what they stand for and that can mean the difference between winning or losing a deal. As A&Rs we are at the coalface of conveying the culture of the labels we work for to the artists and managers we work alongside.”
It’s a hard industry to break into – but networking and perseverance pay off
As Hollie explains, the pressure comes down to making young women, for example, feel “encouraged and empowered to get into A&R, as well as making a conscious effort to hire more thoughtfully.” But it’s a competitive field where roles aren’t really advertised on your typical job site, so getting your foot in the door can be hard when you’re starting afresh. As that frustrating old adage goes, Harley Cassidy sums her experience at Columbia it by saying it’s not what you know, but “who you know. You’ve got to utilise all your contacts and knowledge, learn all about music and just be friendly”
Both Hollie and Komali began working in labels via internship schemes – Hollie as an A&R at Universal, Komali in the TV arm of Virgin EMI. But “I’ve found that this is the kind of job that is easier to break into if you start doing it yourself, in a way that suits your personality,” Komali advises. For example, start showing off your ear for new music by starting a playlist, social media account or blog that champions your taste, and build up from there. “You should be out immersing yourself in your local scene – that’s where you’re going to meet the artists, movers and shakers that might lead your next job. Once you get your formula right, opportunities begin to come to you.”
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