As The World Tunes

A & R

by Steve Bussey
GeoSynchronous Records

The National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS, or the Grammy people) recently held a workshop in Orlando entitled A & R , which stands for Artists and Repertoire. The A & R person is the one who finds and signs new artists and also helps select the songs to record.

The panel consisted of Hans Haedelt, Senior Director of A & R, MCA Records; Steve Robertson, A & R, Atlantic Records; Susanne Savage, VP of A & R Administration, Arista Records; and panel moderator Sideshow Dan, WJRR Radio. The panelists responded to questions from Sideshow Dan and the audience of several hundred central Florida musicians.

The panelists reported receiving 90 tapes or more per day from aspiring bands and musicians. They admitted to never listening, although they did have interns who sometimes listened. A musician from the audience asked how they found bands to sign. All responded the same, from their network of music industry contacts and friends they have developed over the years. People whose ears they trust. People such as entertainment attorneys, music publishers, DJ s, club owners, band managers, and other signed bands. Their advice was to not send out demo tapes to the A & R department. Instead, work on creating a buzz in your area, and they will hear about it. Hans Haedelt said, You don t need us, at some point hopefully, we will need you .

Sounds like the make yourself a star concept that I have been preaching in this column over the past couple of years! Hey, I don t make this stuff up. Nor is it my original concept, I have heard the same thing over and over at numerous music industry seminars and conventions over the years.

The panelists also said you should play every gig as though there were some A & R staff in the audience, because there just may be. They frequently check out live shows without identifying themselves.

After the A & R Panel, it was NARAS Night at the Sapphire Supper Club in Orlando. This was a great opportunity for networking and martinis, with live music provided by Central Florida bands currently creating their own buzz: Von Ra, Seven Sisters, Scott Rees, Bong Water Taffy, and Audra Jost. Needless to say, this was a great opportunity for these bands to showcase themselves to the A & R people!

About the author: Steve Bussey is a singer/songwriter/guitarist and is currently the owner and general manager of GeoSynchronous Records (http://www.pan.com/geosync, Listening Line 800 235 9193, ask for a free catalog), an indie label handling artists such as Les Dudek, Mike Pachelli, Bong Water Taffy, and Big Red & The Bus. Prior to this, Steve earned Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Electrical Engineering and Acoustics from Georgia Tech, designed sound equipment and guitar amps for Fender, and supervised design of communication systems for the Space Shuttle at Kennedy Space Center.