What in the World is a&r anyway? The two letters stand for “Artists and Repertoire.” What does that mean? The label representative searches out artists that he believes possess talent and have a potential to be successful under the guidance of a label. When the artist is then signed to a contract, the repertoire duties are satisfied by pairing with the artist a team of individuals who can help craft all of the ingredients it takes to make a hit act. Those team members may include songwriters, producers, a creative recording space, song order for the album, a radio single, a video (with director and concept), and more. The a&r guy oversees the creative process of a band or artists career.

Here is how Joel Mark (Creed, Sigur Ros) from MCA in Los Angeles describes it.

[An a&r guy] “Helps the band make their records. And they understand the music better than anyone else, hopefully they come from a musical background. Sometimes they’re just very intuitive people, but I prefer it if they are musicians themselves. An A&R should be able to explain to a band what their strong points are, and what they are lacking. Then either direct them to people who can help them with their weaknesses, or offer advice on how to overcome them.”

Are there any bands that you are curious about who their a&r guy is?

The first tangible lesson that I learned about a&r was that a fantastic live show doesn’t necessarily translate into a hit act. You’ve got to remember that it is the hit song that drives the sale of a recording, otherwise known as good content selling records.

But these days, it isn’t all about the sale of a recording. Arguably starting with the Grateful Dead, the live show became the income stream of a band or artist making their living. (It was a pretty fantastic deal for Celine Dion to sign on in Las Vegas to perform live and slow down on her recorded music, am I right?). And now Radiohead giving “In Rainbows” away for free and thus manufacturing an army of people who know the record coming out to the live show.

But back to the hit song. If you find a collection of them, great! You might as well have just found a Nashville songwriter, which is a good thing. But the special thing to find is a hit act, the band/artist who writes hit songs and performs them in an unforgettable manner, both recorded and live. Then and there is when you move. Within the relationship, everything has to be a win-win situation. The band/artist make winning music and you as the a&r guy have to mesh with the work ethic that fosters their hits—meanwhile delivering the ingredients translating into more fans jumping on board everyday. Sounds a lot like management, right? Welcome to the new a&r.

Three hit acts from the top of my head are Mute Math, Switchfoot and Edison Glass. Who do you know of that makes hit songs and backs them up by being a hit act?