I have chosen to research A&R as it’s a part of the music industry that I haven’t experienced first-hand, and I am interested in learning more about what they do and how they operate within a record label or publishing company. I think learning about the way that people in A&R work, and what they look for in talent, will benefit me as an artist while also learning about the job role and how I would get into an A&R position in a record label or publishing company.
An article written by indeed.com (2025) suggested that artists and repertoire (A&R) is a branch of the music industry where artists are discovered and are supported in their creative development. Meaning that they will find artists and talent, oversee recordings and studio sessions and promote and market the artist/talent. Day to day, they will have busy schedules, as an article from berklee.edu (2025) states that day to day people in A&R will be listening to new music from artists, watching social media and new trends, and watching new talent looking out for new artists. This is so that they can follow trends and keep up to date with what is working in the music industry. There are different roles in A&R and management of talent and artists; some jobs cover all roles, and some are specialised and specific jobs in A&R. Written by music-jobs.com (2025), it discusses the way that A&R scouts operate in day-to-day work. A&R scouts discover music by attending live performances, festivals, and even looking online for new talent. They listen to demos that artists have sent to the label or publishing company, and they “evaluate the quality of their music, performance, and potential for commercial success.” – music-jobs.com (2025). They also keep a good relationship between artists and the label. A&R, according to indeed.com (2025), finds artists for producers and labels and oversees the recording and production of the songs the artist makes. This means they oversee everything the artist does and try to help them move their career forward, promoting them and helping them financially. On careerexplorer.com, it explains that when artists sign to the label or publishing company, the people who work in A&R guide the creative process for the talent. They schedule for the artist, making sure that they have calendars and meetings in place for recording sessions and live shows. They also serve as a link between artists, managers, producers, and people who work for the label, making sure everyone is on the same page and knows what is happening with the artist and how they will progress in the future. They do not make the decisions for the artist, as they are there to advise the artist creatively. However, they have creative input, suggesting song choices, the way things are produced and try to push the artist as much as they can. Also, careerexplorer.com explains that contracts are handled by the A&R, as well as song submissions and demos, keeping track of what projects they are working on, monitoring the way the artists manage the projects. A certain role which is important is the A&R administrator. According to berklee.edu (2025), they budget, taking into account the cost of studio time, session musicians if the artist needs them, marketing and promotion, and other factors. They coordinate and maintain contracts between the artist and the label and make sure they both parties are happy. They also manage logistics and predict the projection of the artists and how the budget will change due to the artists’ growth.
As I didn’t know what the difference was between a record label and a publishing company, I wanted to find out what the difference is. It intrigued me as the job of someone in A&R will be different. On horusmusic.global (2025), it explains that record labels are there to support the artists recording, funding and planning these sessions and in the end, promoting these recordings. Major labels have huge budgets and reach but have less flexibility for the talent, meaning that they will make more decisions for the artist, and they will sculpt the artist in a way that suits them. Whereas independent labels are more focused on the artist and how they want to portray themselves creatively. Record labels pay for studio time, PR campaigns, distribution and branding for the artist.
Publishing companies make sure that the songwriters get paid for what they do, getting their income from playing live, on the radio, streams, TV and even film, coming from all over the world. The publishing company will help with the writing side and pitch the songs to films, adverts, TV, and games in some cases, making sure that the artist is paid and credited for their work.
From my knowledge, the difference between the two for A&R is the way they look for talent. This is because record labels and publishing companies are looking for different things. A&R for a publishing company would be looking for songwriters to sign. Whereas, for a record company, they are looking for people that they can develop into recording artists. According to royaltyexchange.com (2024), however, record labels and publishing companies work together closely. They state that ‘labels and publishers still frequently work together to increase profits. For instance, to license a song for usage in a film or television show.’ This explains that they are closely linked, with major labels having publishing companies and record labels. In an article written by blog.symphonic.com (2023), they state that it’s not uncommon for this to be the case, as they hold more power and can control the music they release more, meaning they can collect revenue for everything. For example, Warner Chappell Music is the publishing side of Warner Music Group, and Universal Music Publishing Group is run by Universal Music Group.
A&R jobs can be salary-based and full-time. According to glassdoor.co.uk, full-time A&R jobs pay between £22,000 and £38,000. This is great because you always have a reliable income stream, which is usually uncommon in the music industry, as a lot of jobs are freelance. An article from ukmusic.org (2025) suggests that in the music industry, freelance and self-employed workers make 72% of the industry, which is a staggering amount, and a vast majority. This will be made up of composers, songwriters, performers and even A&R too.
The legal side of music is very important for record labels and publishing companies when signing an artist. A&R can come with significant legal and financial issues, especially when signing an artist. An article on musicradar.com (2024) talks about the fact that certain clauses on a contract can be the slight difference between an artist earning royalties from their songs and not. Challenges navigating the royalties of a song can be extremely hard and very important, as the relationship between the artist and the label can be on the line. The article explains how Taylor Swift’s dispute with Big Machine Records and Raye’s contract with Polydor Records have made the importance of signing a good deal more significant than ever, with many artists getting exploited.
An article by recordingconnections.com (2025) states that “While having a degree in fields like music business, marketing, communications, or a related area can provide a strong foundation and relevant knowledge for a career in A&R (Artist and Repertoire) coordination, it’s not always a strict requirement.” I believe this is because the job is mostly experience-based. However, having knowledge from a degree would be helpful, as you would learn about how the job works. Skills like analysis and analysing the market trends, in music, while also having a creative mindset while developing your artists are useful for being in A&R, as stated in an article by vamp.me (2025). These skills would be useful to get a job in this industry, as you would understand what labels want to see and what works well in the current climate, meaning you could market the talent well. I think that I am very logical and analytical, suiting my skillset while also feeding my creativity and my creative vision as an artist. I would struggle seeing the trends in music, but I feel growing that skillset would be very rewarding, and I would find interest in that, taking it into my own projects creatively.
Speaking about his time as an A&R for a publishing company Michael Kucyk (2015) on the Liveschool Music Training YouTube channel, spoke about the difference in the way that A&R worked, saying that in the 40’s and 50’s you would have artists that were solely performing artists and on the other hand have people who would write for the artists and that was their only business. Comparably, nowadays it has changed a lot. “The digital age has revolutionised the music industry, and A&R representatives have had to adapt to these changes. The internet and social media platforms have made it easier for artists to create and release music independently, bypassing the traditional label system. As a result, A&R representatives now have a more diverse pool of talent to choose from and must navigate the complexities of the digital landscape.” – grammy.com (2024). Just like all music, A&R has had to adapt to the change in technology, moving faster to keep up with the change in trends and the change in technology.
The way that technology has changed has meant that A&R has almost become a numbers game. According to vampr.me (2025), the way that technology has changed means that people get scouted because of numbers and analytics, meaning that they won’t go to as many in-person shows and focus on an artist’s digital presence and how they are perceived online. This is more effective as that is how artists grow in the current climate, with the overwhelming growth of social media. Statistics from backlinko.com (2025) show that Instagram has 2 billion active monthly users globally, showing that promotion on sites like Instagram is way more effective for marketing, as there is a huge amount of people on there.
Access to music and releasing music has grown massively, as people can write, record and release music by themselves and use social media with no budget to promote themselves, and a lot of the time this works on apps like TikTok. So, I would like to investigate why people would sign a deal over doing it themselves, and why A&R help so much. Firstly, as I’ve already touched on throughout my research, funding, promotion and distribution are a massive thing that labels and publishing companies offer to artists to propel their career, also getting to plan and the expertise of professionals. On cmsounds.com (2023), the article explains how exposure will help the artist significantly; the label itself will be able to push an artist, and with a huge budget and global reach, they can make sure all points are covered when it comes to marketing and promotion of art and the talent. It touches on how independent labels don’t have significant reach; however, they will focus on a more niche target audience, which might work for an artist depending on whether that fits their sound.
This poses the question that if I were scouted by A&R for a record label, would I take the deal when I could try and fund everything by myself, or with my band? I think that the exposure, especially from a major label, would be massive for an artist, especially with the funding from the label, meaning that you could promote the art properly and not take shortcuts. Whereas for me personally, I don’t think a major label would work for me, or my band and an independent label would have more to offer for us, as we make indie music, and I think that sits in a more niche crowd.
I would also love to have a role as an A&R in a record label or publishing company, and I would love to learn the trends of music and find new talent to sign and to oversee. I think this is a dream job for me, and I would definitely consider it in the future.
Bibliography
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